Day 32: New York (New Year's Eve)

OMG! OMG! OMG!  I cannot believe that I actually got to spend New Year's Eve in Time Square, New York.  And boy did it live up to all expectations.  It's hard to believe that after so many years of watching images of the ball drop I was actually right in the middle of Times Square and just metres from all the action.

The amazing view from just outside Bubba Gumps - 1501 Broadway (Btw. 43rd & 44th)

Months earlier, my research started when I knew I'd be in New York for NYE.  There were so many options out there (and as I quickly discovered that while many were legitimate, others weren't), but a friend had celebrated NYE at Bubba Gump's at Times Square the previous year and having read reviews on sites such as TripAdvisor, I just knew it was where I wanted to be to celebrate. However the trick was going to be securing a ticket as they only sell 250 on a first in, first served bases.  If this plan fell through I had a couple of other options, but this was the place I wanted to be.

As luck would have it, the email advising of the process to get tickets was sent through early morning Australian time at the beginning of November, and I just happened to be online, so I was literally able to respond in seconds.  I'll be honest that the ticket price freaked me out a little, but I knew that it would more than likely be a once in a lifetime experience so I went for it.  And thankfully I didn't think about it for too long as tickets sold out in just a couple of hours.

After spending Christmas with Beth in Pittsburgh, I arrived back in New York on Dec 29th and I collected my ticket and instructions for the night . On Dec 31st I did some sightseeing before heading back to the hotel to get ready.  While I had a little bit of trouble getting back to the hotel due to street closures, I was able to sweet talk some of NYPD's finest and showed them a letter given to us by the hotel.  I was eventually able to get back to prepare for the night.  The meeting time wasn't until 9pm, so I was even able to catch some of the "Marvin Hamlish tribute from Lincoln Centre" featuring my main man, Josh Groban.

View looking towards Times Square from my room at the Milford on 8th Ave.

We were met at the appointed time by an employee of Bubba Gump and were lead through the closed streets to our fabulous location.  I had to pinch my self, especially when I saw the crowd for the first time.  I have no idea how long they'd already been there for, but I'm sure it was had been hours.  We were ushered inside and met with the first of many drinks for the evening.  Our ticket for the evening was inclusive of food and drink and we had the added advantage of being out of the cold, with easy access to bathrooms - luxuries that the crowds outside could only dream of.

Great food and an open bar...

At around 10pm I ventured downstairs to see what it was like outside and the atmosphere was quite electric.  After a couple of minutes I headed back up stairs where I had a slight drama when the zip in my boot blew out.  Just what I needed, but thanks to the ingenuity of one of the staff members we soon discovered there was nothing a bit of grey gaffer tape wouldn't fix.  It probably looked pretty bizarre, but I knew I'd never see these people again, so I just didn't care.

So many great memories...

The MTV Studio was just across the road from Bubba Gump.
Snooki & JWoww from "The Jersey Shore" were the hosts of their broadcast for the evening.

At around 11:20pm I ventured outside again to stake out my position for the main event - the midnight ball drop.  It was a little cold but it wasn't too bad (although I'm thinking that perhaps my alcohol consumption was helping to keep me warm)...  We saw many celebrities that were part of the TV broadcast on the big screens, including Taylor Swift and Psy, the Korean pop star responsible for Gangnam Style.

Part of the TV broadcast...

I'm sure the temperature was below zero degrees Celsius, but I wasn't feeling it.  While inside I didn't need a jacket, but the one I had with me was put to good use as we waited for the final moments of 2012 and this is those final few seconds was like -

The crowds quickly dispersed - no surprise really given most had been out there for hours.

The whole night well and truly lived up to all expectations and was so worth the money.  I stayed outside for a little while before heading back inside to warm up and have some more drinks were the fun continued into the early hours of 01 January 2013. Even though I was at the party by myself I had an absolute blast.

Time for the party to continue...

The party wrapped up at around 2am and thankfully my hotel was just a block away so it was an easy stroll (stumble) home.

The 2013 NYE Low Down:

• What: New Year's Eve Party, Bubba Gump Shrimp Company
• Where: Times Square New York
• Cost: It was expensive, but for me it was a once in a lifetime experience and felt it was well worth it and would absolutely do it again without hesitation.
• Inclusions: NYE party from 9pm to 2am (5 hours) | Escort from a central meeting point to the venue | All you can eat including seafood, salads, hot & cold dishes and dessert | Open bar (my drink of choice for the evening was a Mojito | DJ for entertainment | Gift bag including Champagne glass and NYE T-shirt | Access to street level to watch the ball drop (not guaranteed, but we had no issues at all), closer to the ball drop than the general public that have been lined up for hours in the cold without access to food or bathrooms.  The staff were fabulous and really got into the spirit of the evening. 

I understand that for this year (New Year's Eve 2014), the process changed to a lottery system and all tickets have now been allocated.  I guess this new process gives everyone an equal chance of attending so I'm really thankful I was able to attend when I did.  If I'm ever heading back to NY for NYE I'd certainly try and get tickets for this event again.

And for me, now that I've done New York, I really must get myself organised and see in the New Year in Sydney sometime soon, after all it's somewhat closer than a 24hr plane trip to New York.