Party Times

There's two ways to celebrate New year's eve parties in New York City - Either in Times Square or with Times Square. Much maligned during the rest of the year by New Yorkers as a tourist infested over-priced trap, Times Square comes into its own on Dec 31, with the world's eyes on the dropping ball and the countdown. So, anyway, I'm putting together a 'decent' party for some old friends who're coming in from San Diego just for the New Year.

These are the same guys who took me on a drunken wild goose chase across Arizona, and the very thought of putting them together with my ultra-sophisticated New York acquaintances gives me nightmares. My good friends from San Diego would fit right into the dive bars in Williamsburg, and they'd be more than happy to drink in the park and puke on the sidewalk, and then drink some more. But I wanted to give them a New York New Year's Eve party experience, without getting into the mellee on Times Square.

Point is that I'm poking around the New York hotels, looking for a good one which at least has a big screen with a poolside bar, if not a rooftop one. What people who don't want to join the 1 million people in Times Square do is to put it on the tube, and do their own thing until the countdown begins, and then tune in to what's going on in Times Square. Its better if you can find a hotel which already has elaborate party arrangments, so all you need is a private table.

I went shopping for private tables at pre-arranged parties inside a few hotels near Times Square, but most were either booked solid, or didn't have any special party arrangements. I figured if I could find a good party hotel close by, me and my friends could shuttle between the live action and the party. But it was too late for that. So I headed straight for the Meatpacking District, and the Gansevoort Hotel. See, the Gansevoort is where all the action is, as far as parties are concerned. They have this fantastic rooftop lounge with a great view and a pool and a DJ and all, and the scene is always hot in there. And its huge, by NYC standards, so there's always plenty of space to squezze in, even if it does get rather crowded. Last year, there were tons of celebs in attendance at the Gansevoort, and the.

I hoped they had some kinda arrangement this year too, and that it wasn't sold out. Luckily, all the ducks lined up nicely in a row, and even if it did cost a bit more than waht I had in mind, I'm sure it's going to be money well spent.