I told you all a little about my New Year's Eve plans in a previous post - just hanging out with friends and being silly together. I realize that not everyone has the same attitude towards the New Year as I do. Some people view it as a chance to go out with a bang, and party like no other night.
If you grew up in the city, you already know what New Years Eve's are like there. For those of us who come from suburbia like I do, think about what you see on that night back home. You always see the hungover individuals in the diners on New Year's Day, nursing a plate of cheesy fries as they recount what they think happened the night before. You also see a evidence of a few individuals who drove home a little too early - shattered glass on the pavement, garbage pails knocked about, and occasionally a tragic news story.
All these things are real risks, both in suburbia and in the City. However, in the City, you've got a few million more people to worry about.
I recently read a duet of articles by a writer named John Skylar. Normally, I stick to his fiction pieces, but he writes some choice pieces on life in New York City. One is intended for the tourists who visit, "Welcome to NYC During the Hellidays", and the other is "Leave Me Behind! Save Yourselves: A Native New Yorker's Guide To Surviving The Holiday Crowds". Both of these are pretty relevant to myself and my fellow transplants. As New New Yorkers, the tourist attractions still have an undeniable allure, and it sometimes feels as though you are a tourist.The article intended for tourist's has a great crash course in NYC etiquette in it, as well as a post entitled "New Yorker's Aren't Rude. You Are." I wish I had taken the time to read the newer articles before the debacle with my parents a week ago, but they likely wouldn't have listened to me anyways. Ah well, there's always next year.
I've paraphrased some of his advice, but don't think this means you shouldn't read his articles. He's considerably funnier than I am.
1. Don't do the Time Square spectacle. Find a nice party to go to, hang out with friends, and enjoy a New Year's celebration. (He gives a couple resources in the New Yorker's post if you want to check them out!)
1.5 If you don't listen to 1, do it once and be done with it. Its a grueling experience, according to him. I have never had a desire to go, so I will simply follow his first bit of advice.
2. Be prepared to deal with drunk people. Cabs seem like a good idea, until you get into the wee hours when you need to worry about the drunken drivers. At that point, a subway is likely a better bet. And of course, having friends to have your back never hurts.
3. Add a little time and double check your commute route, if you have to get anywhere. Tourist-inspired traffic snarls occur, and your life doesn't stop because of them. I've waxed poetic on HopStop and NextStop before, but really - they're amazing tools.
4. If you're going to be doing "tourist" activities, remember you are now a NYC resident. Act like it.
5. You know where the tourists go, so avoid them. Don't walk into the middle of Macy's Santa-land and complain that there are too many tourists. You're just being silly. There are 4 other boroughs - go explore them.
Skylar closes with what is possibly the most common-sense ideas. "All my advice for dealing with NYC this time of year can be summarized as “plan ahead.” It never hurts the rest of the year, either. Be prepared and alert, and you’ll have a much easier time of things. Easier means more fun, and if you manage to have fun this time of year, I’d say you’re doing it right."
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