NYC for New Years?
 

Hi! We will be in NYC for 3 nights Dec 30/08 to Jan 2/09
Will restaurants/major stores/theatre be open on January 1? I am thinking that stores will be closed but restaurants & theatre will be "business as usual".
What are theatre "must sees" in 56th/ between 7th & Broadway area?

Some but by no means all restaurants will be open. I think you'll find the theters closed on New Year;s day - but you can check playbill.com for any that might be open.

so stores are closed?

Department stores and chain stores (Gap, etc) will definitely be open.
Pretty much the only days they are all closed are Thanksgiving, Xmas day,and maybe Easter
Small privately owned stores will be opened or closed at the discretion of the owners.

January 1 is a Thursday. Most of the big stores will be open, though probably many smaller stores will be closed. Some attractions may be closed as well, though most are open on New Year's Day.

Theaters will be business as usual. The top ticket in NYC right now is South Pacific, but I'm pretty sure it's sold out through January. Another top seller is Billy Elliott, which has not yet opened. A lot of shows are closing soon or in January. I guess the main question is whether you want to pay full price or not. But if you want tickets then, you should buy them now.

Thanks for the replies! I wld like to buy our theatre tix now but I don't know what to buy! We wld like to go Wed, Dec 31 & Thursday, Jan 1 afternoon or evening...doesn't matter. What is the best web site for theatre ticket purchases?

The best site for purchasing theatre tickets is the only authorized site for each theatre -- either Telecharge or Ticketmaster depending on the show. Go to www.playbill.com and it will link you to or tell you the appropriate ticket booking for each show.

But do go to broadwaybox.com or theatremania.com and look for discount codes for shows you want to see (although they might be pretty slim pickings for that time period). You still book through Telecharge or Ticketmaster, but you give them the code for a discount.

I post this every year and have had a few fodorites take me up on the offer, so let me know if you are interested.

St. John the Divine, hosts a major concert (free) called The Concert for Peace on New Year's Eve starting about 7pm. The church holds several thousand, and is ALWAYS full.

There is a chorus (I'm a soprano), full orchestra and usually Broadway or Met Opera soloists, (not announced yet who will be performing, but Lauren Flannigan is a regular.

The concert is hosted by Harry Smith of CBS.

The concert is always a nice way to start off the New Year. Friends and Family of the chorus get great seats so if you are interested, please let me know.

travelbuff - I won't be around, but that is such a generous offer - it sounds wonderful!

It really is a great concert and a nice evening.

We usually sing Beethoven's 9th, not sure if that is included this year, and it should be even better because the cathedral is having a grand "reopening", after the fire a few years ago.

All Fodorites WELCOME to come so please just let me know how many tickets you might need.

travelbuff, will the choir include any of those (besided you) at your home who sang the a cappella "Happy Birthday" to Lee? If so, the audience is in for a treat.

Yes Lee, most of my "gang" that you met will be singing New Year's Eve. It's always a fun evening, and we get out early enough to do more celebrating. The concert goes from 7-9pm.

Thank you so much, travel buff. I will let you know.

Travelbuff,
I would love to take you up on that offer of tickets! Could you hook me up with 2?
Thanks!

Sure, 2 tickets no problem. We start our rehearsals for the concert just after Christmas and we can pick up the tickets a during rehearsals, so I'll keep a running tally of the number of tickets.

I can meet up between dress rehearsal and the concert. I'm usually at the cathedral for most of the day, and easy to spot in the crowd (brigh red hair).

We can meet up after the concert if you would like at the cafe across the street.

For anyone reading this thread looking for a good party in NYC on 12/31, I suggest:

www.newyearsnation.com

New Year's Nation events are extremely well-done, with great food, top-shelf booze, and plenty of bartenders.