themicah

Your optimism is refreshing, I have to say. My impression is that most restaurants in Times Square probably don't have much of a view of the ball, and those that do probably have very few tables that are near windows, so the image of a thousand faces pressed up against the window pyramid-style doesn't seem all that far-fetched to me.

Tour Times Square in Google Streetview and you'll see that most of the buildings are completely covered with opaque billboards for the first four or five floors. Therefore any restaurant that's not above the level of the billboards is going to have very little--if any--view.

Most windows with a view of the ball are either TV studios, office buildings or hotel rooms.

I believe there is a rotating restaurant on top of the Marriott Marquis that should have good views, but I'm sure they charge a fortune for NYE. I'd probably try the other hotels in the square (Doubletree, W, Marriott Marquis, Renaissance, maybe even the Sheraton NY way up on 53rd St, the Westin way over on 8th Ave, or the Millennium, which is a little outside the square) to see if any have restaurants with a view of the ball, since they seem more likely to have restaurants above the billboards. But I'd be sure to confirm that you're getting a view of the ball at midnight if you're paying anything significant.


And your priorities are totally in the right place. I just wish the request was a little easier for us to help you with.

erik123

You could try and call some of the hotel concierges in the TS area - some of them must have heard this question before. Even if you're not staying at their hotel they will often be more than happy to help.

ehlfg

We're also going to be in the Times Square area over New Year's Eve (staying that week at the Westin Times Square). But unlike the OP, we don't *have* to see the ball drop -- we just would like to find an enjoyable way to celebrate New Year's Eve in NYC. (Standing in a cow pen for six hours doesn't qualify...)

Even though it sounds like a mob scene, we were thinking it would be easier to stay in the Times Square area anyway. That way, we wouldn't have to go elsewhere and then fight traffic, crowds, and barricades to return to the hotel. Is that a reasonable assumption?

We're also looking for a family-friendly way of spending New Year's Eve, as we have both a seventeen-year-old and a nine-year-old. (We'll be on West Coast time, so midnight shouldn't be an issue.) That rules out all the events that are 21-and-up.

I asked the Westin concierge, who mentioned that there will be fireworks both at Central Park and at Lower Manhattan. In the Times Square area, the concierge suggested Tony's di Napoli, which has a entertainment/food/bar package for $350 that apparently also includes going out to a designated spot on the street to see the ball drop. $350/person for a family of four is a bit steep, though.

What would people suggest as reasonable ways for us to spend NYE, given that we'll be staying at the Times Square area?

BTW, the concierge said that Foley's is no longer. There's a restaurant there now called "The Restaurant at the Renaissance Hotel," but there's supposed to be a new pan-Asian restaurant named "Chop Suey" opening there by the end of December.

Blumie

I walked through Times Square on Thursday. (I actually walk through it almost every day, but this time I paid attention!) There is no restaurant worth eating at with a view. (Isn't that always the case?) It appears that the Olive Garden at 2 Times Square (bounded by W. 47th Street to the south, Broadway to the west, and 7th Avenue to the east) has a window with a view (albeit four blocks away). Bubba Gump Shrimp Company, at 1501 Broadway, also looks like it may have some tables with views.


I suspect getting to and from the Westin will be doable, since it's over on 8th Avenue, a long block away from the choas in Times Square, with easy access to the A/C/E trains right below. If it were me, I'd get the hell out of Times Square via the subway.


Skip Tony's. I wouldn't be surprised if the concierge gets a commission (aka, a kickback) for every guest he sends to that lame excuse for a restaurant.

themicah

You'll probably have a lot less hassles if you leave the Westin by mid-day and stay away until 12:30 or 1am, returning by subway.

By about 12:30am Times Square gets very, very quiet--almost deserted, as all those people who were standing in corrals for the last 6-12 hours are quite happy to disperse quickly after midnight. A couple times I've emerged from the subway at 50th and Broadway not long after 12am to find almost nobody on the street except the cleaning crews hard at work sweeping up confetti.

There are some family-friendly ideas at http://www.theinsider.com/nyc/fun/3newyears.htm

You might also want to see if you can get ahold of a copy of the winter Time Out New York Kids whenever that comes out. And there is usually a "what to do on NYE" issue of the regular Time Out NY magazine that comes out a few weeks before the end of the year.

Personally, I'm a fan of NYE rock concerts, of which there are usually quite a few in NYC. You might try seeing if there's something that all four of you can agree you might like (although that can be a challenge with a 9yo).

Blumie

Do you disagree with me that the Westin should be relatively easily accessible by A and E trains all day and night? Given that the station basically is in the basement of the Westin, and the Westin is a decently long block away from the chaos of Times Square, I would think one could come and go as they please. Yes, there will be crowds, but it should be manageable. I also would expect the Westin to have extra security to assure that only hotel guests go up to the lobby.

themicah

I agree with you. The Times Square Alliance FAQ says:

"It is expected that the MTA will keep all subway stations open on New Year's Eve. Some entrances and exits may be closed as crowd conditions require. After 7 p.m. on December 31st, the N and R train station at 49th Street and Seventh Avenue may be closed until after midnight. Trains may also bypass some stations, depending on how the crowds build."

In other words, the A/C/E should still be stopping at 42nd St, and I would guess that the 8th Ave exits (particularly on the west side of 8th Ave) would be kept open all night.

Worst case scenario is if they do shut down the 42nd St station, you could take the A/C/E to 34th St and walk up the 8 blocks.

Blumie

I don't have first hand experience of Times Square on New Years, but I'd be very surprised if they shut down the 42nd Street station of the A/C/E. I would expect the N/R/1/2/3 to be disrupted, so the A/C/E side of the station would -- I would guess -- be a critical alternative.

ehlfg

Thanks for the advice. That's what we suspected about Tony's, though it did sound family-friendly. The reviews also sounded better than for the various chains in that area, and the prices for NYE are comparable.

It does seem a bit crazy to spend that much money for an evening at one of the chains like Olive Garden or TGI Friday's, even with entertainment.

Thanks for the suggestions -- the Central Park event (parade, run, and fireworks) cited at that URL sounds like a good alternative, though it also sounds crowded. We're not runners, but I assume we could just watch. No cattle pens at Central Park, right?

I like concerts, so that sounds appealing as well. We'll have to see who's playing, to see if that's an option for us.

themicah

Some more NYE events (some of these are wrong, however--James Brown is dead, for example):

http://gonyc.about.com/od/newyearsev..._York_City.htm

Some more NYE NYC concerts:

http://jambase.com/shows/Shows.aspx?...enum=1&pasi=50

And another list:

http://pollstar.com/tour/searchall.p...By=All&PSKey=Y

Blumie

The Dickie Betts show, with the Rebirth Brass Band opening, at BB King's likely will be a great show. BB King's is half a block from the Westin. Some shows at BB King's are cabaret style, so you can reserve a table. At other shows, they clear out all the tables and it's SRO (with the exception of a few booths in back IIRC). You can call the club to find out what they're doing for NYE.

Edited to add: I should have checked the club's website before posting. No cabaret seating for Dickie Betts. And Rebirth is playing after (at 1:30am, according to the website) Dickie Betts, not before. If you can stay up late, it will be a great show. Rebirth is awesome!

http://www.bbkingblues.com/schedule/...fo.cgi?id=2670

ehlfg

Many thanks for the links -- those are very helpful. I was looking for a site listing upcoming concerts but could only dig up the first one -- which seemed a bit unreliable, given the current status of James Brown.

Sounds like you're a Rebirth Brass Band and Dickie Betts fan! I sadly don't know much about either of them, but I do like quite a few of the old Allman Brothers Band songs. Can't ask for much better in convenience than half a block away from the hotel, either. SRO may be a bit difficult for my wife and the 9-yo, though.

It's a sad indictment on state of my musical knowledge, but I don't know much about any of the other bands listed. Just from the descriptions, Gov't Mule and Moe. look interesting. Looks like both Gov't Mule and Moe. are on eMusic, so I'll guess I'll give them a try in a couple of weeks when my downloads open up again.

Thanks again for all the help!

themicah

I own CDs by both Gov't Mule and moe. They're both firmly in the "jamband" world (Grateful Dead, Phish, etc.), which means the crowd will be up on their feet and dancing for much of the show--makes for a fun NYE.

Gov't Mule is a power trio with a little more of a hard-driving southern feel to it (think Hendrix meets the Allman Brothers). The leader, Warren Haynes, has actually played guitar in most of the recent incarnations of the Allman Brothers Band. If you like guitar rock and lengthy jams, you'll probably like them. They tend to draw a pretty wide range of ages, from veteran Deadheads to college age hippie wannabes, although I'd say it skews more toward the veteran Deadhead end of the spectrum.

mrsmicah and I actually went to a Gov't Mule NYE show a couple years ago at the Beacon, and we had a good time. We've also seen them at Bonnaroo and seen Warren Haynes in a couple other settings. I'd recommend bringing earplugs, as they're pretty loud.

moe. is similarly southern-rocky, but a little younger and a little more out there, perhaps a little bit more of a 90s "alternative rock" feel? I haven't been to any of their shows recently, though, so I'm not sure exactly who they're drawing these days.

Note that despite the NYC smoking ban, where jambands go there are always at least a few fans who insist on smoking pot during the show. This probably won't bother most adults who are into that kind of music, but you will want to discuss with your wife whether you're comfortable going to a concert with your kids when odds are good there will be people smoking pot pretty close to you. Some parents might be horrified at the thought of exposing their 9yo to such a thing. Others may see it as a good opportunity to have a serious, appropriate conversation with the kids about drugs.

ehlfg

Interesting that Tony's has been getting some love on the Midtown restaurants thread.

In case the OP is still around, the general manager at Tony's says that they usually watch the ball drop from the corner of 43rd and Broadway, which "offers a great view." If that isn't possible for some reason, they go up to the roof and watch from there.

Thanks for the rundown -- both bands some very interesting. Gauging from one of the web sites, Gov't Mule will be doing three sets on NYE, which sounds pretty good.

The wife isn't keen on going somewhere where there's pot smoking, however. So we'll probably have to keep looking to see if there's something more family-friendly.

ehlfg

Just an update to say thanks to Blumie and themicah for their musical recommendations. After listening to some tracks from eMusic and checking out videos at YouTube, it became clear -- Gov't Mule is one smoking hot band.

Checked it out with the family, and Gov't Mule met with both the wife's and the 17-year-old's approval (even though he's currently more into trance and electronica). The nine-year-old basically doesn't listen to any rock music, so I guess we'll see how she does and play it by ear. She's a musical theater sort of girl right now (Wizard of Oz, Disney musical tunes), though she also has a disturbing tendency to sing 70's Bee Gee's disco tunes ("Ah, ah, ah, ah. Staying alive. Staying alive.").

There were still tickets available at the official Beacon site, so we went ahead and bought loge seats, at the far left of the theater. Sight lines might not be best, but we were hoping that it might be a little less crazy there for a family.

Once again, thanks for all the recommendations!