Ever spent New Year's Eve in Times Square?

[bobbiwoz]

We did it! We were three couples, ate dinner at the Plaza, and then went to Times Square. Luckily after the ball dropped we were in the crowd that was making the way to Port Authority because no way would we have been able to buck the crowd!!

It was a “once in a lifetime” experience, and glad we did it!

 

[mousefan73]

Yes from the best spot ever. My friend back then ( I was in my 20s) did an internship for the French Foreign trade office and their offices overlooked times square. We were able to get escorted through the crowds and went up in the their offices and had the best view ever with floor to ceiling glass windows. Best benefit was 1. warm, 2. bathrooms easy. 3 BYOB alcohol
I recall looking down at the MASSES of crowds thinking boy have I got it good.

 

[1GoldenSun]

We were in Times Square for NYE once when my kids were young. We splurged on a room at the Marriott Marquis overlooking Times Square (by far the most we've ever paid for a hotel room) and it was incredible, with a huge wall of windows looking out on Times Square. We could see everything and we had the tv broadcast turned on so we could hear everything (but at the volume WE wanted). We did spend some time outside but it was absolutely freezing so most of the time we just stayed in the room. But there were sort of corridors blockaded off for all the hotels along the square to use and you had to show your room key to get in and out of them, so it was fairly easy for us to walk around outside when we wanted to. We didn't get mixed up in that huge crowd though, oh no. It was enjoyable just being somewhat "out there" in all the festivities without standing in that crowd in the cold for hours. We brought in food from various local restaurants, picked up one of those NYE party packs at the drugstore with the paper crowns and noisemakers and streamers and stuff for the kids and had a fantastic party in our room.

It's a wonderful memory that we all still talk about from time to time but I don't really have any interest in doing it again.

 

[Luv Bunnies]

DS24 and his GF recently moved to NYC. We visited last month over Thanksgiving week and decided to brave the Macy's parade. We ended up choosing the perfect spot by Central Park. We were right in front of a barricade and could easily get to the restrooms and concessions in the park.

We were right next to a really nice family from New Jersey and the dad gave us his take on the parade and NYE. He basically said: You have to analyze the risk/reward benefits of these things. The parade is easy enough. You get up really early and stake out your spot. But if you know where to go and when to get there, you'll have a relatively easy wait (he was impressed that we had done our research and chose the optimal spot on our first time out). Besides getting up at 4:30 a.m. and a few minor annoyances, the risk is low and the benefit is seeing an iconic parade. You can be back home or at your hotel in a decent amount of time to enjoy the rest of your day (or take a nap, as we did!).

NYE, he said, is a totally different story. You have to stand in a sea of humanity for hours on end with no restrooms. Consequently, you don't want to eat or drink much so you start feeling weak and getting cranky (as does everyone else around you). Although the countdown is fun and exciting, it's not enough of a reward to compensate for the hours of discomfort you have to endure in the preceding hours. Then you have to fight your way out to get back to a hotel or the subway or wherever you parked your car if you drove in. You might get home before dawn, if you're lucky.

DS and his GF plan to stay in their apartment on NYE. In fact, DS says Times Square is his least favorite part of the city. He says it's just a tourist trap. Apparently he's become a local already!

 

[Imzadi]

Just curious if anybody here has ever done the ball drop in Times Square on New Year's Eve.

Pretty much EVERY YEAR.

As in

I have never been in Times Square but I have friends who apartment overlooks it so we’ve done NYE at their place.

Only, not a friend, but ME. I have an apartment that has a partial view of the ball as it drops.

I took this photo 2-3 days ago. I happened to be walking by Times Square on my way to the subway station. I saw a sight I'm not used to. Usually, the ball is lit, year round, once it's dropped. And the lighted Year is right below it, also lit up.

They took the ball down the day before, cleaned it, replaced some of the Waterford crystals, and hung it back up at the top. They turned off the lighted year and changed the year, of course. You can see them both MISSING at the top of the lighted blue rectangle in the center. However, if you are able to zoom in, you will see the new year there, ready to be turned on at Midnight.

This is tonight, from my window. You can see part of the PINK ball of light, which is the ball, up at the top. It will drop down, above that clock that says the time from half an hour ago. (It used to be the blue rectangle sign.)

Closer view. I have a GREAT Samsung camera this year! The ball flashes and changes color. It's now white.

I'm hoping to get some photos of the fireworks later. It will be in that sky area, just above where you see the pink ball. It's not as spectacular as on TV, which shows ALL the fireworks. I only get a slit of it, from my angle. But, it's LIVE.

And of course, from here, I can hear the countdown, and the crowd roaring, all the way from 43rd St to 59th St along Broadway.

 

[pooh2001]

Our friends did - they have an apartment in Manhattan
They carried light
Only had a subway pass on them to get home and a drivers license for ID

 

[Imzadi]

BTW, it's been around 53 degrees here in the city, and raining all day. Nice-ish weather for all those waiting since 4pm for the ball to drop. Better than the 20 degrees it was here a few days ago, with a windchill in single digits.

The neighborhood goes on lockdown, starting at 3:30pm. They do it, street by street, as Broadway fills up from 43rd St up to 59th St. By 6:30, the whole area is on lockdown. There are more cops on EVERY street corner of surrounding streets, then there are ants coming out after a rainfall. And since Sept 11th, I see more and more concrete barricades, homeland security teams, etc., on each corner.

​

 

[Imzadi]

Our friends did - they have an apartment in Manhattan
They carried light
Only had a subway pass on them to get home and a drivers license for ID

Several years ago and for years, also after Sept 11, I needed ID to be able to cross the street to get to my block. I had to prove I lived in the neighborhood. They relaxed that as there are twice as many cops on each corner, and there is now camera surveillance everywhere.

This year, even though it's raining, no one in the ball drop penned in areas were allowed to bring umbrellas with them. They just had to wear waterproof clothing.

 

[Imzadi]

Our friends did - they have an apartment in Manhattan
They carried light
Only had a subway pass on them to get home and a drivers license for ID

Several years ago and for years, also after Sept 11, I needed ID to be able to cross the avenues to get to my block. I had to prove I lived in the neighborhood. They relaxed that as there are twice as many cops on each corner, and there is now camera surveillance everywhere.

This year, even though it's raining, no one in the ball drop penned areas were allowed to bring umbrellas with them. They just had to wear waterproof clothing.

 

[brockash]

Just curious if anybody here has ever done the ball drop in Times Square on New Year's Eve.

We're actually here right now. Sitting in my room watching all the crazy crowds. We're at the corner of 7th and Broadway. We can't see the ball from our room, but we can see one of the stages with the. music performances and that's good enough for us lol. I thought I was at Disney this morning...we could see from our window when they started letting the crowds and it looked like rope drop with ppl. running for front spot at the stage. This was at 1015 this morning. Have no idea what they did all day in the drizzle/rain. There was a line blocks and blocks long to get in to the blocked off area basically all day. Our st./hotel is also blocked off and you have to show a pass to get in which is kinda nice because once you're there you have all the room in the world -kinda peaceful compared to everywhere else.

We've never been here before for NYE and I can't imagine will be again, but we got a pretty decent last min. military discounted room in Times Square and with pretty nice weather this weekend (for us this time of yr. we decided to go for it.)

One thing we've found funny is how many times they practice the countdown lol...I always assumed it wasn't that hard and pretty simple, but I can't tell you how many times I've heard it tonight already lol.

 

[Imzadi]

Have no idea what they did all day in the drizzle/rain. There was a line blocks and blocks long to get in to the blocked off area basically all day.

They just stand there all day. I heard they are given passes to go out of the pens to go to the bathroom and get back in. (That part may have changed as I've also heard some people wear adult diapers.) But, that's IT.

One year, when the weather was in the teen, I was doing my laundry downstairs in the building. I got on the elevator to go up to my room when a guy got on. I was standing 3 ft from him on the other side of the elevator, yet I could feel the cold EMANATING off of him, I knew he had been in the cold for HOURS, he was that cold.

I asked if he went to see the ball drop. He did. He was from New Zealand and in visiting a friend in the building, (who did NOT go) and didn't want to miss it, even though he had to stand there since 6pm.

 

[kdonnel]

Yes

I believe our experience is documented somewhere on here in a thread.

Glad we did it but will never do it again.

 

[brockash]

They just stand there all day. I heard they are given passes to go out of the pens to go to the bathroom and get back in. (That part may have changed as I've also heard some people wear adult diapers.) But, that's IT.

One year, when the weather was in the teen, I was doing my laundry downstairs in the building. I got on the elevator to go up to my room when a guy got on. I was standing 3 ft from him on the other side of the elevator, yet I could feel the cold EMANATING off of him, I knew he had been in the cold for HOURS, he was that cold.

I asked if he went to see the ball drop. He did. He was from New Zealand and in visiting a friend in the building, (who did NOT go) and didn't want to miss it, even though he had to stand there since 6pm.

Yeah, to me it's just crazy. There have been ppl. waiting in the pen since a lil after 10am. this morning. I just don't think I could do it. At least it's not cold though.

 

[Imzadi]

I actually took a video. But, the DIS won't let me attach videos from the computer.

Fireworks in Times Square after ball drops:

 

[pooh2001]

Happy 2023 to all

 

[Skippy918]

I did back in 1998 with some friends. it was so crowded. We were so far back we couldn’t even see the ball so we left.