Where to go in NYC on NYE 2008

As the days of 2007 begin reaching a mere few, you might be reflecting on 2007, making resolutions for 2008, or you might be preoccupied with… What are we doing for New Year’s Eve!? New York City is so electric, so outrageous, so chalked full of fun events, we decided to help narrow it down for you. So grab the champagne and a loved one to kiss because we have prepared a list of some wonderful ways to ring in the New Year in 5, 4, 3, 2 …

Classy and Sassy Spots

Cipriani 42“Posh” is the name of the game. This is one of the most beautiful and sought out event spaces in New York. General admission tickets are $165 for a 6-hour open bar (9pm-3am), passed hor d’oeuvres and party favors. Sure to be a supremely glamorous affair.

110 E 42nd St bet Lexington & Park Ave (212) 499-0599

The Altman Building

A national landmark building where luxurious soirees are frequently held all year long. On NYE, $100 will get you through the red rope, a gourmet buffet dinner, a champagne toast and 5-hour open bar (9pm-2am).

35 W 18th St bet 6th Ave. and Broadway (212) 414-4693

The Hotel Gansevoort

If you feel like splurging you can party into 08’ with Kid Rock at the Svedka Vodka-sponsored New Years Eve extravaganza. The always-hip Meatpacking District hotel will be opening up their exclusive zones, Rooftop, Ono, G Spa, Lobby, and the Pool Area for $200 a pop. That includes, top shelf open bar 9pm-3am and cuisine by Ono. For a VIP table, prices reach $350 for the Rooftop.

18 Ninth Ave. at Gansevoort (212) 206-6700

Floating in the New Year
The Circle LineFantastic views of the Manhattan complete with DJ’s cocktails and hor d’oeurves. $120 a ticket. All aboard at 9pm. The boat will not leave the harbor until 10pm and returns at 1am.

Pier 83 West 42nd Street (212) 563-3200

Getting Jazzy With It
The Blue NoteIf it’s fine music you want then check out Chick Corea Elektric Band at this infamous jazz club. There are performances at 7pm and 10pm. Ideally situated in the heart of the West Village making it easy to jump around to many fun neighboring bars. You’ll be singing all the way to 2008.

131 W. 3rd Street between Macdougal Street and 6th Avenue(212) 475-8592

Ball Drop
This legendary event takes place right in the center of it all. If you have the wherewithal to stand in the cold surrounded by thousands of people then go see the infamous ball drop in Times Square. People start to arrive at noon. By the early evening most of the area gets blocked off so in order to be a part of this event you have to be willing to get there early and wait.

08’ in the Park
Tavern On the Green

This beautiful restaurant in Central Park offers you 6 hours of open bar (9pm-3am), 5 hours of buffet dining (9pm-2am), a continental breakfast at 3am, 2 DJ’s and a chance to watch the midnight fireworks go off in the park at the stroke of Midnight. General Admission is $150. VIP tables available.

Central Park West @ 67th Street (212) 873-3200

Laugh in the New Year
Caroline’s on Broadway

You can have a hearty chuckle at either the 8:30 or 10pm shows then dance to the music of live DJ’s after midnight. This is your chance to spend NYE enjoying a show and a party without ever changing venues.

1626 Broadway bet 49th and 50th Streets (212) 757-4100

Bring the Kids
The Big Apple Circus

The circus will start at 9:30pm and end just before midnight so the whole tent can count down together. It’s a fun-filled New Year’s Eve for the whole family. Tickets range from $45 to $125.(212) 268-2500

Sarah Polonsky is a native New Yorker and journalist who has contributed to The New York Post, The National Enquirer, Life & Style and OK! Magazine. She happily shares her savoir faire and joie de vivre as an editor of My Urban Sherpa.

New York Movies

There is a reason so many major films shoot in New York City – New York is a great backdrop. In addition to the iconic locations we’ve seen on the silver screen time and time again in Woody Allen films, there are locations that only a local or a location scout could find. From independents to blockbusters, Oscar winners to box office duds, a film forum of movies have been shot in the Big Apple. If you’re a movie buff you will enjoy this selection of locations, famous with New Yorkers, and made famous on the screen.

1. If you are feeling peckish on the Upper West Side, stop by Café Lalo. You might remember the scene from You’ve Got Mail that was shot here; Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan when she was still the Queen of the romantic comedy. Try some cheesecake with your cappuccino.

Cafe Lalo, 201 West 83rd St.
(Amsterdam & Broadway)
New York, NY 10024

2. Sticking to the romantic comedy/Meg Ryan theme, a trip to the Lower East Side is incomplete without a stop at Katz’s Deli. While the Jewish Deli seems to be an endangered species in NYC, Katz’s still thrives on the old reliables. Go for fare that New Yorkers have been enjoying since 1888: pastrami on rye, knish or matzo ball soup.

Katz’s Delicatessen
205 East Houston Street
New York, NY 10002

3. Even though it was nominated for a few Oscars, Working Girl was one of the more underrated movies of the 1980’s. There are quite a few NYC locations in this film. Start with the Staten Island Ferry – the location of the opening and one of the most spectacular views of Manhattan. A sad side note is that the lobby of the office building in the film was the doomed 7 World Trade Center, destroyed on 9/11.

4. Tootsie made such a lasting impression that it was selected by the Library of Congress for its National Film Registry. It’s also a classic New York story that so many of us can relate to. So why not head to another classic, featured in the film – The Russian Tea Room. You are transported from Midtown to Moscow just by walking through their opulent doors.

Russian Tea Room

150 West 57th Street Ave.
NY, New York 10019

5. Neil Simon’s The Odd Couple has been a film, a television series, and a Broadway play. One of the great scenes in the film has Oscar and Felix at Shea Stadium for a Mets game. As a Yankees fan, I normally wouldn’t mention this – but Shea is soon to be a thing of the past, set for implosion after the 2008 season.

6. I don’t have to tell you what Wall Street is about. Just know that a sequel is in the works and I hope it’s as good as the original. Wall Street itself is a tourist mecca – as everyone heads down there to see the financial capital of the world. The goings on of interest take place in glass corner offices, high above the street traffic. For a view at the power brokers in town, head to the 21 Club in Midtown where a scene from the film was shot. It’s old school New York at its finest. Men: Jackets are mandatory.

21 Club

21 West 52nd Street
New York, New York 10019

7. If you came to town via JFK, you’ve already seen this location. The old TWA terminal was a perfect setting for Steven Spielberg’s Catch Me If You Can. Not only was the architecture ideal for the 1960’s-set film, but it was virtually empty since TWA was bought out the prior year. You’ll see a whole new Terminal 5 soon as JetBlue re-opens it in 2008.

8. Ghostbusters featured New York City as a character and a location. The firehouse that served as Ghostbusters Headquarters is my favorite. This very real and very small firehouse epitomizes the Tribeca neighborhood it protects.

Hook & Ladder 8
14 N. Moore Street
New York, NY 10013

9. If you couldn’t tell, I am a huge Neil Simon fan, including Barefoot in the Park. This film resonates today – 40 years after its release. Plus you just can’t deny how damn good-looking Redford and Fonda were in their day. Check out the building where the Bratters lived – which they probably could sell today for a few million bucks.

111 Waverley Place
New York, NY 10011

10. As we have the holidays around us, our review wouldn’t be complete with one of the funnier movies of the last few years, Elf. The department store in the film is actually the CUNY (City University of New York) Graduate Center, and was called Gimbels. Gimbels was Macy’s biggest competitor for many years and played a key role in Miracle on 34th Street – yet another holiday classic. The CUNY building, pictured above, was once Gimbels flagship store before the company went out of business some years ago. If it’s shopping your are after – you can head to Macy’s.

CUNY Graduate Center
365 5th Avenue
New York, NY

Our film editor Jeff Mandell is a native New Yorker whose recent accomplishments include loosening up his Mid-Western born wife to honk and curse at cabbies. He has spent the last 10+ years working in television production on a variety of subjects, some interesting and some obviously not. When not offering an opinion on the subject at hand, Mandell cooks, roots for the Yankees and walks through Times Square pretending to be a Belgian tourist.

A vegan in New York?

What’s a vegan? Well…for starters, we don’t eat meat, chicken, fish, eggs,

dairy products, or any other animal-derived food. Of course, there’s much

more to this lifestyle than can be covered in a single blog post—e.g.,

vegans also don’t “wear” animals (wool, fur, leather, down, etc.)—but what

we’re here to report is that our fair city is nothing short of a vegan

paradise.

 

East Side or West Side, Uptown or Downtown…beneath NYC’s concrete façade

lies a vast array of strictly vegan eateries along with an incalculable

number of vegan-friendly establishments. Fast food, slow food, organic food,

raw food…no one does the vegan thing like NYC.

 

From A (Angelica Kitchen) to Z (Zen Palate), no major metropolis on the

Whole Earth (Bakery) can hold a Candle (Cafe) to Gotham City. You can even

make certain your shoes won’t Moo.

 

So, for those who may judge a city by how its subway smells, check your

preconceptions and your steaks at the door and get ready to take an

animal-free bite out of our Big Apple.

 

A list of vegan restaurants we recommend can be found at My Urban Sherpa.

Our vegan editor Mickey Z. can be found on the Web at http://www.mickeyz.net