No, I have never gone to Times Square for New Year Eve. In fact, Soren and I have a tradition for staying as far away as possible from the midtown craziness. We enjoy a celebration just as much as the next person, but hanging out in the cold with no champagne does not sound like a fun time to me. Since we have moved to New York City, we somehow even find ourselves nowhere near a television set to watch the ball drop, which may seem like the most anti-New York thing, but hear me out.
New Years Eve is really one of my favorite nights out of the entire year. No matter whats going on in your life, what your background is, where you are from, its the one night where every is out to celebrate a new beginning or fresh start one way or another. I love the way you feel when you begin to countdown into the new year, joyously toasting with loved ones and also complete strangers.
This year for New Years, we decided to head to one of our new favorite bars that is just a short walk from our apartment. It was just the two of us, as other plans had fallen through with friends, but hey we still knew how to have a memorable evening. Blacktail had just opened up in the Pier A building in Battery Park City this past summer, same owners as world-famous Dead Rabbit bar in Financial District. Blacktail is inspired by the period when Americans were taking trips down to Old Havana, Cuba in order to quench their thirst during the American Prohibition, and some even left those cold shores of NYC in the exact spot of today's Pier A. If you are in the area and haven't tried it yet, I highly recommend a visit. That New Years Eve we especially felt transported by the live 1920s Jazz band, Cuban Art Deco furnishings, and complimentary welcome daiquiri and champagne. The service is warm and friendly, and always makes us feel like we are more than just dining guests.
We didn't have to fight through the tourist crowds, freeze outside in the cold, pay an arm and a leg to get into a club, or watch Ryan Seacrest in shock after Mariah Carey's New Year's Eve performance. So I'd say it was a pretty spectacular night, we were in the perfect place at the perfect time to celebrate 2017 together. New York is such a vibrant blend of cultures, and so those things that may seem anti-New York to visitors, really isn't at all. Immerse yourself in a new experience and check out the local happenings, you never know which part of New York City history you may unlock.