Results tagged “newyearseve”

New Year's Eve celebrations might turn out ending a little earlier this year, because the number of New York area bars that have applied for a special permit allowing them to keep serving booze until 8 am has plummeted by 60 percent. According to the Post, the number of "night permits" that extend the last call by four hours fell from 388 watering holes in New York City, Long Island and Westchester last year to just 165 this year.

NYPD's Internal Affairs is looking into a Bronx family's charges that when cops came to break up their New Year's Eve celebrations, they crashed more than just the party. Emilio Serrano says that cops immediately started hitting him when they arrived to respond to a noise complaint. He tells 1010 WINS, "They just came and starting beating me with sticks, punching me in the face, kicking me." He says that a security video (captured on four cameras set up inside the apartment) shows police throwing guests down violently and spraying them with mace. He apparently had to get a staple in his scalp and has bruises on his face from the incident. Cops however say that the video will only vindicate them, showing that guests were acting belligerently toward them and that the Serranos were illegally using their apartment as a nightclub. It seems that parties this New Year's Eve just wouldn't wind down quietly—in Staten Island, a landlord is accused of breaking into a tenant's home and firing off a shotgun in order to put an abrupt end to the festivities.

             

It was a cold start to 2009, but it was worth it for the reported hundreds of thousands that flocked to Times Square to ring in the new year. The temperature was about 0 degrees, when counting the wind chill, and the revelers made the best of it. One told NY1, "I just feel like it's something you have to do once in your life," and another added, "I mean, growing up as a kid you always got to watch the ball drop, right? So I'm like, why not do it in real life?"

       

It's New Year's Eve and the "Crossroads of the World" (at least, that's what a subway conductor calls Times Square) is ready to celebrate the close of 2008 and to welcome 2009! The New Year's Eve Ball was tested yesterday—it seems to be working just fine—and workers were getting balloons ready for the revelry.

Scrambling for some New Year's Eve plans? We recommend you stay indoors and avoid the amateurs running amok, but if you want to be out there when the ball drops—or even when the sun comes up—here are some alternatives to the Jonas Brothers Times Square extravaganza.

Was your New Year's resolution to forget about Diddy in 2009? If so, God bless and we're sorry. Diddy is making sure the Bad Boy brand is coming strong into the new year by bombarding the town with attention-grabbing gimmicks for him and the vodka he's the sponsor for. First he announced that they'll be passing out $15 debit cards in Chelsea and Times Square just before midnight that can be redeemed in cab rides home because as Diddy says, "a sophisticated holiday celebration doesn't just end when the ball drops, but when everyone gets home safely." And if that's not enough, Diddy and the vodka brand are offering $1 million to the city to "take over the New Year's ball." Because when you're Diddy, you can just do things like that, right? On the takeover, Diddy said, "I'm going to give every adult in America a taste of what it's like to enjoy a sophisticated celebration with Diddy, and what better time than while ringing in the New Year." Earlier in 2008, Diddy made headlines for stepping in dog poo.

Does the NYPD need to set up a special unit to battle...Jonas Brothers fans? People is reporting that the trio has "struck fear into the hearts of New York City's finest" in anticipation of their upcoming appearance in Times Square on New Year's Eve. While the men in blue have "heroically handled terrorist attacks, blackouts and riots without a whimper"--a tween mob scene is nothing scoff at, folks. While they plan to beef up security, the mag also notes that Mother Nature may help them out with some freezing temperatures and a wintry mix--but those fans are hardcore, and we're betting a little frostbite won't stand between them and their Jonas's.

2009 will start with a bang in Times Square, where former President Bill Clinton and incoming Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will push the "ceremonial" button to signal the lowering of the New Year's Eve Ball at 11:59 p.m. The indomitable power couple will be joined on the Nivea Countdown Stage by Mayor Bloomberg, who said in a statement, "I can't think of anyone I would rather stand at the crossroads of the world at the beginning of this new year than Bill and Hillary Clinton." (Not even Caroline Kennedy?) Other luminaries expected to be in attendance include Carson Daly, Ryan Seacrest, Ludacris, Jonas Brothers, and the "world-famous New Year's Eve confetti." It's also supposed to be windy with temperatures in the teens, so dress warmly if you're going to join them!

Just when you thought you could sit this New Year's Eve out, the Knitting Factory pulls you back in. It's no easy task dragging us out of the apartment on amateur night, but this full-club show, curated by Akron/Family, boasts a lineup we couldn't refuse: Dirty Projectors, Deerhoof, Megafaun, Deer Tick and a cast of thousands will invade TriBeCa for what's sure to be an unforgettable night of idiosyncratic alt-indie revelry. It's also the last concert ever at the Knitting Factory's storied Leonard Street location; next year the owners will move to the promised land, across the East River to Williamsburg. Earlier this week, we spoke with Miles Seaton from Akron/Family about the upcoming gig, the forthcoming album, and the best New Year's Eve ever.

The best place to dine on amateur night is obviously in the comfort of your own home, with the doors locked, windows sealed, a six pack of Drank by your side, and BetaMaXmas flickering on ye olde laptop. But you'll inevitably get dragged out by someone who can't resist the Gregorian calendar's charms, and you'll have to eat something to pad your stomach. Assuming that someone is "someone special," here are a number of dining options to make the best of it (and we also stand by last year's index). Time to start making reservations!
• Gothamist favorite Knife + Fork, that romantic little nook in the East Village, is doing a five course tasting menu with wine pairing. Chef Damien Brassel's menu that night will begin with Pacific Coast oysters with sweet and sour fennel, tarragon oil and peppercorn apple salad with wasabi fish roe. $85 later it culminates with warm chocolate, fondant five spice creme brulee and dried lemon panna cotta.
• L'Absinthe Brasserie: Don a blue blazer and khakis and go old school at this dramatic, ornate brasserie. L'Absinthe has a sexy website but an ancient, old money clientele that makes for fun people-watching. Chef-owner Jean Michel Bergougnoux's menu skews classic French with a bit of an edge, and it's not cheap. But judging by the NYE menu [PDF], you'll be getting your money's worth with his $84 three course prix-fixe. It's got a wide range of haute options, from his signature Dover Sole Meuniere, to a light poached Halibut, to the hearty Venison and Foie Gras Pie. Also, eight different varieties of absinthe.
• Or if you're in the neighborhood and want to go in the complete opposite direction, Slice organic pizza is offering a 5% discount on all take-out and delivery on December 31st.

     

Last year the "8" in the New Year's 2008 sign headed to Times Square via subway (the 6 train to be exact). This year, it took to the seas and traveled by boat. 9's publicist tells us:

It was a NY Waterway boat that picked up passengers in Weehawken and then came across the Hudson to the Waterway’s Midtown Terminal at W. 39th and the West Side Highway.

Continue reading "New Year's "9" Has Arrived"

Here rookie, have a machine gun. NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly is making sure 1,000 rookie police officers assigned to Times Square on New Year's Eve are ready to rock with M4 automatic machine guns. Recruits at the academy will get three days of training to familiarize them with the weapon, which until now had only been used by officers in the NYPD's elite Emergency Service Unit. The New York Post exclusive is a bit vague on whether the cops will be given the machine guns during the festivities or if they'll only be armed in the event of a Mumbai-inspired massacre. Either way, isn't it a comfort to know that Ryan Seacrest, Taylor Swift, and The Jonas Brothers could all go down simultaneously in a blaze of Barney Fife automatic gunfire? (You know Dick Clark isn't sweating it; that dude's like the Highlander.)

Bad news for cocaine dealers: with less than a day left to apply, only a few dozen spots around town have submitted the necessary paperwork in order to stay open into the night on New Year's Eve. A new, earlier deadline and the State Liquor Authority's tightening the leash on which places they'll let stay open until 8 a.m. has led to only 39 bars filing for permits. Last year there were 400. And even among those 39, six have already been denied. Rob Bookman from the New York Nightlife Association thinks the new deadline is responsible, telling the Post, "It used to be that you didn't have to file until 10 days before New Year's Eve. There was no outreach besides the SLA's Web site, which no one reads."

There's a new New Year's Eve ball in town, and it's bigger and brighter than the one of year's past (12 feet in diameter, 11,875 pounds, and containing 32,000 LED lights and 2,668 pieces of crystal). One Good Morning America viewer, where it was unveiled earlier today (video), tells us that while it can "do patterns (sun, water, rainbow, American flag)"...it's "ugly" and lacking the charm that the old school ball had. However, the Waterford crystal sphere that will ring in 2009 will remain in Times Square year round! Crazy, right? Newsday reports that the ball will also be in place to "celebrate other holidays including Valentine's Day, the Fourth of July and Halloween." It's the seventh one in the 101-year history of the ball drop, and the several million dollar price tag is being taken care of "privately" (according the the ball's publicist!). Now, the big question is, when will we see the 9 riding the subway?

A 22-year old Manhattan deli clerk that took the late shift on New Year's Eve lucked out when he bought himself a winning scratch-off ticket. While everyone else was welcoming 2008 with friends and family, the Yemen native's wife and baby were still living a world away, so Waleed Alsaidi bought himself a little present at his family's deli in Harlem to pass time on the lonely shift.

After Page Six alluded to The Gansevoort Hotel staff as being just a tad anti-semitic, the hotel retorted saying that the incident on New Year's Eve that led to the allegation was a misunderstanding. Their side of the story includes having to kick out a yarmulke-less (and apparently racist) "ill-behaved boyfriend of a member of Kid ['I love Jewish people'] Rock's PR team." Today Grub Street asked "which member of Kid Rock’s PR team brought in this ruffian," saying they were "not at all surprised that it involves Kid Rock."

Thank goodness WCBS 880 updated its story about a stray cat who was seen in NJ with a bottle stuck on its head. Raritan Township Animal Control and ASPCA helped save the cat!

Page Six has reports of some nasty antisemitism that went down at the Hotel Gansevoort’s regrettably named G-Spa lounge. A witness tells the Post that a Jewish guest – who had paid for a ticket to the festivities – was insulted by the club’s staff for wearing a yarmulke.

The Time Warner on-screen guide simply said "Tila Tequila" on MTV when the clock struck midnight last Monday, leading a casual observer to assume they were blowing through a marathon of her depressing reality show. But oh no! The oddly shaped, elfish face of the network apparently gets sole, top billing over the biggest night of the year as the host of MTV's annual New Years Eve party. She was mostly responsible for stumbling through some lines on her way to introducing the lineup of bands on tap, including the likes of Good Charlotte, Kid Rock and a somehow still relevant Wyclef. While those in attendance seemed to be having a fine time, it may pain music fans to see the network has no sign of changing their tune in the new year, rolling out the same rehashed schlock they've been shoveling for most of the decade. Cobra Starship summed it up best in their post-balldrop interview: "A lot of bands are trying to be credible...we wanna be in-credible in '08!" No word yet what role Gabe Saporta will play in "Shot of Love, Season 2." (pic via MTV)

• Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: a bank robbery on 20th Ave. and 37th St. in Queens, a hate crime on East 9th St. and Ave. H in Brooklyn, and a missing child on Decatur Ave. in the Bronx.
• Hyperactive performer Robin Williams is David Letterman's guest tonight, in his first new show in weeks. Letterman, as well as Craig Ferguson, have worked out pacts with the Writers Guild of America, allowing writers to come back. Jay Leno and Conan O'Brien are crossing picket lines to come back. Riffing on Robin Williams' routines are not as funny when hard to distinguish from KKK impersonations in the deep south.
• A Port Authority policeman in the department's K-9 unit was involved in an auto accident that killed the woman driving the other vehicle. The officer was hospitalized and his partner was taken to a veterinarian for treatment.
• A man with a hunting knife was arrested after entering and then exiting Hillary Clinton's Iowa campaign headquarters. There was no overt violent action, but local police described him as a local unpredictable character.

When it came to New Year's Eve countdown broadcasts, we were traditional and stuck with Dick Clark's Rockin' New Year's Eve. Which means we missed out on $275-million man Alex Rodriguez counting down with Carson Daly on Daly's New Year's Eve program.

For New Year's Eve this year, we served a multi-course meal, full of complex and labor-intensive dishes. What had our guests raving and demanding seconds and thirds, though? These simple little flans, which we threw together on a whim the day before.

New Year's Eve wasn't all confetti, LED-lit crystal balls and...diapers; despite the impression Dick Clark gives to the world at large, there's always just as much excess, overcrowding and diminished expectations to be found outside of Times Square on Amateur Night.

With news that Mayor Bloomberg is planning to attend a meeting about a possible third party bid for the White House, the mayor's possible presidential aspirations finally enter 2008. If he does plan on running, he's lucky he has his billions to get the hundreds of thousands of petition signatures to get onto ballots across the country.

• Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: a person struck by a train at 14th St. and 8th Ave. in Manhattan, a shooting on Flatbush Ave. in Brooklyn, and a shooting on Houston St. in Manhattan.
• Yet another reason to celebrate: today is the 110th anniversary of Richmond County joining us as the 5th borough of NYC. The Staten Island Advance features a picture of a general store with a wooden Indian in front of it to remind readers what the county was like at the time.
• Queens Crap hands out its annual overdevelopment award. Crappy New Year Councilman John Liu!

Was your New Year's Eve a recipe for a hangover? Luckily there are a few recipes to cure what ails you, too. Last year we found some facts about hangovers, but learning isn't going to make that first headache of '08 go away.

What happens when more than one million people pack in to Times Square to watch the ball drop (and spend all day long awaiting the 60-second plunge)? For one thing, there are long bathroom lines, if not a complete lack of bathrooms all-together. The NY Post reports that many channeled the spirit of Baby New Year and one of 2007's big news stories: Lisa Nowak.

"I wear a diaper," the 30-year-old musician from Tokyo proudly declared, adding that his traveling pals, brothers Taro and Shinsuke Koyama, used the same strategy.

Continue reading "Ringing in the New Year With...Diapers"

Tonight at 11:59 pm, all eyes will be on the illuminated Waterford crystal ball that takes sixty seconds to descend, announcing a new year. It's an annual ritual shared by more people than could possibly pack into Times Square since the advent of television, and what is often overlooked or unnoticed is the building that the illuminated sphere is perched upon. 1 Times Square was the eponymous address of the crossroads of the world. The New York Times was written there and printing presses churned out issues from the basement.

Happy New Year's Eve everyone! Are you at work today, or lucky enough to have the day off? There's only about half a day left in 2007, how will you be ringing in 2008 tonight? Here are some ideas if you're still looking for a place to toast champagne at midnight.

You'll have to excuse Gothamist if we seem a little disoriented this morning. No, we didn't mistake last night for New Year's Eve, it's just that the weather forecast has been changing back and forth so rapidly the past few days that we've gotten a little dizzy. The forecast have finally settled down and 2007's weather should end on an uneventful note. Clear skies for the rest of the day and a high in the mid- to upper-40s. If you're foolish enough to be in Times Square at midnight it should be clear and around 40 degrees.