badWaddy

Ok, I've read the Times Square Alliance FAQ for New Years Eve, and I see that there are no public restrooms. Revelers are encouraged to drink lots of water to stay hydrated. I see also that someone who leaves her place in a viewing area will not be permitted to return.

So . . . do people just hold it for six or eight hours until the ball drops?

Thanks to all of you who help with this forum--it's great!

sf7307

Yup.

vjpblovesitaly

"do people just hold it for six or eight hours until the ball drops?"

if you're lucky

nytraveler

This is just oneo f the reasons that being in that mob is not a great idea. Don;t know why you need to worry about being hydrated (since you're not allowed to drink in public and the temps will likely be very cold - not hot).

Aduchamp1

So . . . do people just hold it for six or eight hours until the ball drops?


So to speak.

K_brklyn

They either hold it, spend $7 for a cookie to use a restaurant's restrooms or get creative.

Standing in Times Square for NYE is great to do once, if you are interested in that sort of thing.

I did it once, will never do it again, but glad I did it. Yes it was a mob scene, but I had a great time with the friends and strangers around me.

nytraveler

Well I did it once - when I was in college - and it was a warm year - temps around 40. But - that was back in the last ice age when you didn;thae the type of securit that you have now - and you weren't penned into little boxes like catle for the slaughter.

And even that was too long on my feet - and I was 20.

Aduchamp1

Lived here all my life and have never done it. But then again I do not get excited because I just ripped a page from my calender.

travelbuff

There are porta potties along the street. I don't know if you have to through security to get to them, but there are alot lined up along Broadway. Also figure there are several hundred thousand of your closest friends shoulder to shoulder to shoulder to shoulder to shoulder.......more fun to watch it on TV nice and warm and a cold glass of champagne......

ellenem

And if you left to find a restroom, chances are you would be unable to return to the same spot.

Cyanna

Are astronauts' diapers available for retail sale?

nytraveler

It's not a couple of hundred thousand- it's a million or more - unless te weather is truly awful. And most people have no access to porta-potties - that would owrk only if you had tens of thousands of them.

dbdurand

I recommend you wear a disposable diaper. They're in the incontinence section of any drugstore. There are a lot of people, mostly elderly, who use them because they have to, for various medical reasons. Count yourself lucky that you don't have to use one. But they're reasonably comfortable and work well. I'm not a stranger to them. Forget about that hydration nonsense. I'm a former long distance runner and have run marathons with very little fluid intake during the race. And you're not running, just standing there. A few beers afterward will suffice to make up for the loss of fluid. That should work for you, and is appropriate after the ball drop. Recent studies have shown that the theoretical dehydrating effect of the alcohol in beer is insignificant compared to the amount of water in the beer. But don't drink it until you can get to a restroom, of which I suspect there are many in the bars in Times Square.

The preceding is said seriously, not tongue-in-cheek.

I'll be watching on TV from LA, time shifted of course, sipping champagne, and marveling how many stupid people there are in one of the premier cities in the world.

Aduchamp1

I'll be watching on TV from LA, time shifted of course, sipping champagne, and marveling how many stupid people there are in one of the premier cities in the world.
_____________
Many come in from California.

J62

So . . . do people just hold it for six or eight hours until the ball drops?

Depends...

owlwoman

Aduchamp1....LOL that's a great comment!

Nikki

J62 wins.

sf7307

>>

Agreed!

K_brklyn

No people don't just hold it for 8 hours. An informal buddy system often forms, where people hold your spot, you go two at a time, etc. It just takes a long time to get to the bathroom and back to your spot, but no one is going to stop you. It works the same as any large outdoor concert does with no assigned seating.

I stood in TS in 2005 after the extra security and arrived well after 8 pm. The power of persuasion and quick feet got us into TS after that time.

nytraveler

Sorry - the police have pens made of sawhorses and once you're in the pen you're there. If you leave there is no going back in - the police will stop you even if the other people packed in won't. As to where to go- either the stroes are closed or restaurants charge a fortune on New Year's Eve - and they don;t want hundreds of random strangers coming in to use their restrooms.

Perhaps the poster above was in a pen that had a coffee shop or something open that would let you use a restroom for amodestpurchse- but most pensdon;thave that. And the police are strictabout controlling the crowds - tieh sawhorse pens and real horses (mounted cops) topush people back if necessary.