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Celebrating
New Year's Eve In Style (Without Going
Broke)
We don’t believe its
necessary to spend hundreds of dollars to
have a great New Year’s Eve. In
fact, you can welcome the year 2008 in
style and barely open your wallet. Here
are some ideas:
Join the Party at
Times Square
One of the oldest and
cheapest ways to celebrate the New Year
is to join the million or so partiers who
congregate in Times Square to watch the
famous lighted ball descend. The first
reaction most people have to this idea is
one of fear that they will be torn apart
by roving crowds of drunken revelers. Not
to worry. While New Years in Times Square
is a bit wild, it is certainly quite
manageable because of the heavy police
presence. If you go with a group of
friends, you will probably be O.K. Better
than that, you will be in the middle of
an electrifying event that is beamed to
billions of TV viewers around the world.
Here are a few tips to make
your celebration even more enjoyable:
- Dress warmly since
you will be standing still
outdoors. Good rule of thumb:
dress as though it is 10 to 20
degrees cooler than it actually
is.
- Leave the
fashionable footwear home -- no
one will be able to see your feet
anyway, and sturdy boots with an
extra pair of socks will keep
your toes from freezing.
- Get there early and
stake out a spot with a good view
of #1 Times Square. The ball is
visible from Broadway and 7th
Avenue between 43rd and 59th
Streets. The streets usually fill
up by 9 PM.
- For your own
comfort, do not drink heavily
before or during your time in the
Square since public restrooms are
few and far between.
- Bring watchman-type
portable TV, if you have one,
since it is fun to see the way
the rest of the world is seeing
the world's biggest party.
See
the Holiday Lights at the Zoo
When the nights grow chilly
and dark comes early, what better way
to brighten your spirits than
at the Bronx Zoo's
Holiday Lights extravaganza!
Holiday Lights is the only place in
New York where you can visit reindeer,
camels, tigers, reptiles, and monkeys,
all while enjoying the sights of
larger-than-life lighted animal and
holiday sculptures. Free nightly
entertainment includes carolers, stilt
walkers, ice carvers, costumed
characters, arts & crafts and
storytelling. This fun family event is
the perfect way to kick off the New Year.
The lights go on at 8:00 p.m. when the
Zoo starts to count down the final days
of 2007 and welcome 2008 with a costumed
character parade on Astor Court. Special
craft activities include party glasses
and hats.
Enjoy Concerts
Galore
True to its tradition as a
Mecca for wonderful music, New York
offers a number of great concert
opportunities. Here are two of our
favorites:
- The New York
Philharmonic New Year's concert
is a classic event (dancing
across the plaza afterward is
optional, but after this program,
we think you'll probably want to
spin around in a waltz or two).
Visit the Philharmonic's web site or call 212-721-6500
to order tickets.
- Bargemusic, the
delightful floating chamber music
hall on the Brooklyn side of the
East River, is offering an all
Bach concert. The concert starts
at 7:30 pm, which means that
you'll have time to head over to
the nearby Brooklyn Bridge to
watch the fireworks as midnight
approaches. Visit the Bargemusic web site for ticket
information and directions.
Race into the New
Year
Start your New Year's
resolutions early by running through Central
Park with the New York
Road Runners Club. The Emerald Nuts
Midnight Run party
starts at 10 PM with a DJ and dancing at
the Central Park Bandshell. A costume
parade and costume contest (with prizes)
follows an hour later. Then, at the
stroke of midnight, the four-mile run
begins. There will be fireworks, music
and an enthusiastic crowd to cheer you
on. Visit the NYRRC web site to
register or to learn more.
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