As with all things New York, you have to make your own fun.....if you dont go up and talk to people yourself, especially on a weekend or big holiday when people are out in large groups, then you are likely , like you did, to sit at the bar alone.

New Yorkers are not rude, we just can't be bothered to be friendly to all of the thousands of tourists that are out on any one night, especially New Years Eve when we just assume everyone out is a tourist.

Also note that New York is the city that never sleeps and unless you're still out at 3 or 4 am, you're not likely to run into the "looking to hook up" crowd

Dinner time is 10pm here, no one drinks til 1am.