USA 08: New York City - Times Square for NYE

Monday, December 30, 2024

Our flight landed in Newark, New Jersey this morning shortly after 05:00, and we were both still exhausted. After getting our bags, we went out to catch the airport express bus into the city, which would drop us off one block away from our hotel. It was difficult to stay awake while we were waiting for the bus, and we had a long day ahead of us since check-in at the hotel wasn’t until mid-afternoon. The bus picked us up around 07:00 and we set off for the city. Thinh fell asleep during the ride, but I woke him up as we got close to the Lincoln Tunnel so he could see it.

We were dropped off at Bryant Park in midtown Manhattan around 08:00 and we made the short walk over to our hotel on 45th Street. We had made this hotel reservation on New Year’s Day so we could attend New Year’s Eve in Times Square this year. We had planned to do it last year, but changed our minds because it would have just been too much, especially since we were staying out in Connecticut last year. This year, we were just a block from Times Square, making it easier to get there in the morning to stand in line and to get back after the ball dropped at midnight.

To our surprise – and great relief – we were able to check-in early! We went up to our room and got some rest for a couple of hours, which was exactly what we needed before heading around the city for the day. Today was our only full free day in the city to see and do things. Thankfully we did almost everything we wanted in terms of sightseeing during our visit last January, so today was just about enjoying our time in the city.

After resting, Thinh and I went out to get bagels for a late breakfast. We ended up walking over to one of the bagel shops that we had eaten at last year because we both thoroughly enjoyed their food. The bagels were every bit as delicious as we remembered. Energized, we now set off to walk around the city for a few hours. We first walked down to 34th Street, where we gazed at the Empire State Building again, and then we admired the holiday window displays at Macy’s. We were both surprised that their reindeer, Tiptoe, was nowhere to be seen this year! The window displays were still quite nice, but we both agreed that last year’s displays were better.

Thinh and I then set off to walk up to Rockefeller Center. Predictably, the plaza was packed with tourists all vying for a view of the gigantic Christmas tree. We navigated our way through the crowd and managed to get some good views of the tree, along with the skating rink beneath it. I hoped to catch the holiday light and sound show at the Saks Fifth Avenue store just opposite to the Rockefeller tree, but shockingly the store was not putting on a display this year! Their decision to forego their traditional holiday show was met with considerable criticism and I was disappointed to not have a show to see this year.

We then walked up towards Central Park and walked by the Louis Vuitton building, which was undergoing renovation. During the work, the exterior of the building had been covered and decorated to resemble a Louis Vuitton bag, which was quite creative. It had become world-famous thanks to social media. I led us over to Columbus Circle, where we hopped on the subway to head to the Upper West Side. Our destination was Chips cookie store, where I wanted to buy some cookies for us to enjoy during our time in New York. These cookies are outstanding and a treat not to be missed whenever I’m in the city. We got a half-dozen variety of cookies and then took the subway back to midtown.

Thinh indulged me as we walked back towards our hotel, making a slight detour so we could walk by the nearby Hilton Hotel. It was outside this hotel that Luigi Mangione had shot the CEO of United Healthcare. We found the exact spot where the murder had taken place and I snapped a quick photo – I didn’t want to stand around for too long. We then returned to the hotel for a little bit before dinner.

For dinner tonight, we both wanted to get New York-style pizza and so we walked over to a nearby 2 Bros Pizza. They have consistently served good quality pizza at cheap prices. We each ordered two slices of pizza and a drink for dinner. Even though it was just pizza, it was a fantastic dinner!

Thinh and I went for a short walk around midtown after dinner so we could see some of the sights at night. In the distance we could see the Empire State Building, brilliantly illuminated in holiday colors. We also visited the Rockefeller Center tree, and Grand Central Station during our walk. It was a nice way to spend the evening. We then went back to the hotel to relax – we were still quite tired after not getting much sleep the night before.

At 23:45, we walked over to Times Square so we could watch the “Midnight Moment” that I had recently heard about on social media. Every night, for three minutes starting at 23:57, the majority of the digital displays in Times Square turn off their ads and show a coordinated, synchronized art display. The art runs nightly for a month at a time, showcasing artists from around the world. Right on time, the screens switched from their ads to a countdown and then images of different women were shown on the screens for the next three minutes. It was incredible to see this art display take over Times Square and I was glad that we were able to see it this evening.

When the Midnight Moment ended, we walked back to the hotel so we could get to bed. We had a long day ahead of us and we needed to catch up on our sleep so we could be ready for the big day!

 
Tuesday, December 31, 2024

New Year’s Eve!

Thinh and I were up at 08:00 this morning so we could prepare the long day ahead of us. After showering and dressing warmly, we left the hotel at 09:30 and proceeded to walk towards Times Square. Today we would be standing outside all day until midnight so we could watch the famous ball drop at midnight to ring in the new year.

I had done Times Square New Year’s Eve once before, back in 2013 and I had prepared Thinh for the long struggle ahead of us. When we got closed to Times Square, we noticed that it was already blocked off to pedestrians and that a long queue had formed on 6th Avenue. We quickly joined the queue… and the long wait began.

When I had done this last, the crowds had been let into Times Square around 10:00, being herded into the fenced-in pens for the duration of the day. Once inside the pen, spectators were not allowed to exit and re-enter: if you left, you could not get back in. I had to stand in the pen for nearly 14 hours back in 2013, with no access to bathroom, food, or anywhere to sit down since we were packed in tightly. It had been a true test of endurance and it had been miserable for much of the day.

Everything was different this year, much of it for the better! The crowd was kept from entering Times Square until 15:00, so we spent much of the day waiting in the long queue along 6th Avenue. While this may seem like the same kind of dull, mundane waiting as with my previous experience, this year afforded us more options that simply standing around. For instance, we could take breaks and sit down in the chairs in a nearby square (which we did, taking turns so one of us was always holding our place in the queue). This alone was game changing and a welcome relief from the hours of standing. Additionally, people could get food from the many food stands along the street, and people could make use of the bathrooms in nearby bars. Overall, this was a massive improvement to the experience.

Our entry point to Times Square was on 49th Street and we began the morning standing at 46th Street, so we weren’t too far away from the entrance. Aside from passing the time talking to one another, Thinh and I also spent much of the time people watching – and we had some amusing people around us!

The first person to draw our attention was a younger 20-something woman behind us who was crying. She was there with who appeared to be her boyfriend, who was standing stoically next to her while she cried into her phone. She was on the phone to her dad, crying and whining about the entry process to Times Square. She kept saying things like “This isn’t what I wanted!” or “We’re not going to have a good spot at all – I won’t be able to see the stage!” Her attitude was that of a spoiled brat who simply had to cry to her dad as a kid to get whatever she wanted. She was trying the same tactic now, but obviously her dad couldn’t do anything to change the situation. She was clearly angry with her boyfriend because they had to wait in the long queue, blaming him for it somehow (she even said she wouldn’t speak to him again after this). It was all very funny and we had zero sympathy for the brat. Later on, she calmed down and was having fun with her boyfriend. It was then that we noticed that they both had backpacks with them – backpacks were explicitly banned from Times Square (along with umbrellas and a few other items). I was curious to see what she would do once we were allowed inside.

For some inexplicable reason, a few hours after we got in the queue, the crowd in front of us all began surging forward, running to keep pace with the people in front. Thinh and I joined in the rush as we ran forward two blocks, only to have the momentum just as suddenly stop and we were back to waiting in the stagnant queue. It wasn’t exactly clear why we were able to move up so much, so quickly, especially since it was far too early for us to be allowed into Times Square. We were now between 48th and 49th Streets, quite close to the entrance!

Due to the surge forward, we were not behind a group of friends who would be our new source of entertainment. This group of six people were supremely trashy people. The women were dressed up, wearing ridiculous heels and lacking warm winter clothes, all to look fashionable for New Year’s Eve or something. The worst part were their fake eyelashes, which were so long and blatantly fake – they were trashy looking. The men in the group were just as bad, though it was due to their behavior more than anything. They were making crude jokes and comments to one another. They took turns going to a nearby bar to drink and use the bathroom, returning to tell the others about how good their experience in the bathroom had been. Trash people. At one point, two of the people in front of us (a couple) began to argue, quietly though so others couldn’t hear (we could though!). They were both being childish in their behavior during the argument; Thinh and I both agreed that their relationship wouldn’t last for long.

During all this time, Thinh and I were in good spirits, not suffering too much from standing and waiting. There were some chairs and benches nearby to where we were standing, which we took advantage of to sit down briefly. We had brought some snacks with us to eat throughout the day, which we rationed and nibbled on. I was tempted to get some food from one of the food trucks, but we both decided against it in the end. We didn’t want to eat too much and risk needing to use the bathroom later on once we were inside Times Square – by then we would be stuck in our pen and we couldn’t get back in if we left.

The weather was thankfully not too bad during the morning and afternoon. It was cool, but not freezing cold whatsoever. When I had done this back in 2013, the weather was markedly colder, which added to the misery of standing around all day.

Finally, at 15:00, it was time for the crowds to be allowed inside Times Square! There was a massive rush towards 49th Street as everyone ran forward, pushing everyone aside so they could get in faster. Thinh and I darted forward and found ourselves in a small square with a large stone planter blocking our way onto 49th Street. All around us people were scaling the planter and we tried to climb up as well. Next to me, some Indian man grabbed the woman in front of him and pulled her back so he could get in front of her – it was pandemonium! I thought that would start a fight, but thankfully nothing happened.

Abandoning the planter area, we ran around the sidewalk to get onto 49th Street the proper way. We simply had to go down one block (from 6th to 7th Avenues), but this one block would prove to be the worst part of the entire day.

We made it about a quarter of the way down the block before all movement stopped. The entire street was packed with people impatiently waiting to get into Times Square. Ahead of us was the security screening (apparently – we couldn’t see anything) and now we had to wait to pass through security. There was a large group of young Japanese girls behind us who were the rudest people in the entire crowd. They constantly kept pushing against Thinh, me, and everyone around us. Several people around us politely asked them to stop pushing, to which they pretended to not understand English. This turned out to be a lie because we later heard them speaking very good English! The girls kept trying to push their way forward, but I kept blocking them from getting in front of us (as did several other people around us). Everyone was understandably eager to get into Times Square, but no one else in the crowd was so blatantly trying to cut ahead of others.

The wait along 49th Street stretched on for three and a half hours – just to go three-quarters of a block! This was all so the police could screen everyone, but the process was so chaotic and disorganized, which is what caused the wait to drag on for so long. Once we got up to the screening area, the police were checking bags and people before permitting them to enter Times Square. Rather than having roped-off queues for people to get in to help organize the process, the mob was just pushing forward and whoever could get up next would be screened. It was ridiculous and disappointing, especially given how organized the preceding few hours had been.

The police were very strict about not permitting any prohibited items into Times Square. People were being forced to throw away umbrellas and large bags. I had my shoulder bag with me, which the police said was too big. I was thankfully able to take everything out and put it into my coat pockets. We had lost track of the crying brat and her boyfriend from earlier in the morning, unfortunately; I wanted to see how she would react when she was told her couldn’t bring her backpack in with her! There was some famous Japanese TV comedienne in front of us, along with her crew, and they were forced to throw away several of their large bags. I was surprised that so many people were unaware of the banned items since the list is very clearly published online.

With security behind us, Thinh and I made our way into Times Square. As we walked in, we were given some free schwag from some volunteers: a silly New Year’s Eve had emblazoned with Planet Fitness logos, and a light-up necklace. The route into the square was one-way and we were led into a large pen at 48th Street – a good view of the ball to be sure! This viewing position was already several blocks ahead of where I had watched the ball drop in 2013, and we could clearly see the ball, so we were both happy. We were at the very front of the pen too, so there wasn’t anyone in front to block the view.

A few minutes later, a police officer approached and said that he was opening the barrier so we could move forward to the next pen! He stressed that everyone needed to walk, not run, as we moved forward. Most people were good about walking, albeit speed walking, into the next pen. Our next position was slightly worse than the previous one because there were some wires that were suspended from the nearby building, leading to the stage, that were interfering with our view of the ball. I felt bad because I had insisted upon not rushing forward when we’d been allowed into the next pen, and I wanted Thinh to have the best experience in Times Square.

As luck would have it, we were then permitted to move forward again and this time we rushed along with the crowd. We were now between 46th and 45th Streets, at the side of the new pen with an amazing view of the ball! We couldn’t have asked for a better spot to watch the festivities! The only bad thing was that we were behind the performance stage – literally right behind it – and this we couldn’t see any of the acts performing. They weren’t why Thinh and I had come to Times Square though, and we could watch them on the many screens around the square.

It was 19:00 by this time and we settled in to wait the remaining five hours until midnight. As in previous years, there is a mini-countdown at the top of each hour and the main display screen displays how many hours remain. The crowd in our pen wasn’t packed in too tightly and we were able to maneuver around and sit down on the pavement, which was a blessed relief from the hours of standing. The sitting was to be short lived.

Shortly after 20:00 it began to rain. It was a light rain at first, but we soon had to stand up as the rain increased and began running along the street. Thinh and I put on the free hats we received at the entry as they had wide brims, which helped keep the rain off of our faces. Since umbrellas were banned from Times Square this evening, we had no choice but to suffer and get soaking wet at the rain increased. Some people brought up umbrellas that they had managed to sneak in, but they were quickly approached by police who told them to either put the umbrellas away or they would be confiscated. The rain continued for the next two hours, varying in intensity, but getting us thoroughly soaked.

Once the rain let up at 22:30, it began to get slightly breezy – not a lot, but just enough to make our soaking wet clothes freeze. Thinh and I had our winter coats on, which were semi-waterproof, but our pants were soaked. I ended up just standing in place because any movement brought my legs into contact with the frigidly wet jeans.

It was during this hour that I began to falter and almost feel like calling it for the night. The rain and then the cold afterwards had made the standing and waiting miserable. I was not going to make that decision though – this was about Thinh and making sure he had the experience that he wanted. By the time 23:00 struck, I had recovered, and I knew that we could make it through the final hour.

Excitement built up during the final hour, and Thinh and I were getting eager for midnight to finally arrive. Volunteers had thrown bags of balloons into the crowd during the evening and several people were holding them up, waiving them around, in front of us, blocking out our view of the ball. As midnight approached, we politely asked them to keep the balloons down during the ball drop; the men gave us strange looks and seemed insulted that we would ask them such a thing. Thankfully, they did lower the balloons.

The final 60-seconds saw the countdown begin properly. Thinh and I counted down with everyone else, getting more and more energetic as we neared zero. We watched as the ball slowly lowered down the pole. 10…9…8…7…6…5…4…3…2…1…Happy New Year!! The crowd erupted in energetic cheers and tons of confetti rained down upon us. Thinh and I (along with countless couples around us) shared a kiss at midnight – 2025 was going to be our year!

Fireworks, confetti and music continued to entertain the crowd in the square. After the obligatory “Auld Lange Syne” at midnight, the song “New York, New York” played as well. Thinh was thoroughly enjoying the midnight celebrations. The long day of standing and waiting had been well worth every second. The crowd began to thin out slightly, giving us more room to move about. We remained in Times Square for several minutes after midnight to take photos and videos of the celebrations.

Finally, it was time to head back to the hotel. Thinh held on to me as I pushed our way through the crowd. We walked over to 46th Street and proceeded to walk towards 6th Avenue. To my surprise, getting out of Times Square was very simple and just required us to navigate our way through the crowd. When I had done this in 2013, all nearby streets had been blocked off with six-foot tall fencing; I had been crushed up against one of the fences by the crowd behind me constantly pushing forward. It had been awful and I was glad that nightmare did not repeat itself tonight.

When we reached 6th Avenue, Thinh and I decided to get something to eat at one of the food stalls since we were both very hungry. We each got a kebab pita and then we made the short walk back to the hotel on 45th Street. Once back in the room, Thinh realized that the food stall had massive screwed him over when they charged us for the pitas, but there was nothing we could do about it now.

The first thing we both did upon reaching out hotel room was to take off all of our wet clothes and put on dry, warm clothes. It was so nice to put on my warm pajamas after standing in the wet jeans for the past several hours. Everything we were wearing was thoroughly wet and we did out best to get things to dry out by putting them on the radiators. Everything hurt has we change clothes – especially our legs. Every muscle was sore and it was with great relief that we stretched out on the bed as we sat down to eat. We then ate our kebab pitas, which were very good despite being overcharged for them.

By 01:30 we were both in bed and drifting off to sleep. It had been a long day, to be sure, but I was so glad to be able to share this with Thinh and ring in 2025 together. This truly was going to be our year.

 
Wednesday, January 1, 2025

Today, Thinh and I had no plans until the evening, so we didn’t have to rush around whatsoever. We slept in a bit, then packed our bags and, at 11:00, we checked-out of the room. We left our bags at reception and then went out for a little while. Our wet clothes from the day before were still quite damp and we knew that flying with them still wet wouldn’t be a good idea, so we set off in search of a laundromat where we could dry them properly.

Since today was a holiday, we had a hell of a time finding a laundromat that was open. We tried calling several, but received no answer, and the few we walked by were closed. Thinh eventually found one that was open in the Lower East Side, thankfully. We walked over there and were lucky to find the place nearly empty, meaning we didn’t have to wait to get our clothes in the dryer. The woman running the place was very helpful and friendly. Once we got the dryer going, we left to get something to eat nearby.

We were quite close to Thompson Square Bagels, which I think is one of the best bagel places in the city. When we arrived, the place was packed and the queue was out the door, so we opted to go somewhere else. Luckily there was another bagel show nearby that wasn’t too crowded. After ordering, we managed to grab the one remaining table so we could sit and enjoy our food. It was a very tasty brunch! Walking back to the laundromat, we stopped at Target to get some drinks and Thinh also bought an umbrella (it looked like rain today).

When we got back to the laundromat, our clothes were still being run in the dryer. We checked on them and found them to be entirely dry, so we took everything out so we could fold and pack them up. The clothes were incredibly hot straight from the dryer, so we let them cool down a bit before packing them up in my backpack. We thanked the woman for her help and set off for the hotel.

Thinh and I stopped off at Starbucks to relax for a little while. We didn’t have to leave for the airport until 18:00, so we had plenty of time to hang out. It was nice to get out of the cold for a while as well. The weather had been good during the past two days, but today was markedly colder (thankfully today and not yesterday during the wait in Times Square!). We then returned to the hotel, packed our dry clothes in our bags and set off for the airport.

We took the Long Island Railroad (LIRR) from Grand Central out to JFK Airport, which was a very quick and convenient commute. It took us 20 minutes or so to reach the airport sky train, which was much faster than taking the subway!

Check-in at the airport when smoothly, but the line for security was chaotic. I managed to get through the TSA Pre-Check line with relative ease, but the standard line for Thinh was anything but easy. It was difficult to know exactly where the line was, and then some TSA agent took them all to another floor where another security screening area was located. It was all a bit strange.

We were departing for Edinburgh this evening, where we would be getting married in just a few days! My parents had landed at JFK a little while ago and were waiting for us at a nearby gate. I went over to meet them while we waited for Thinh to get through security. I felt bad that I couldn’t do anything to help him. After about 30 minutes he finally made it through security and met up with us at the gate. My friend Susan, who lives in Buffalo, was also at the airport and was spending the time before the flight in the Delta Lounge. She had paid for my parents, Thinh and me to join her in the lounge – which was incredibly generous of her – so we all set off to meet up with Susan.

I had first met Susan in 2017 when we were on a tour of Mongolia together. In the years since, we have traveled together through Tunisia, the Grand Canyon and Las Vegas, and she has come to visit me in Vietnam. She has such a positive, vibrant energy and I thoroughly enjoy getting to hang out with her. I was thrilled that she was flying to Edinburgh with us to attend our wedding.

Sunsan greeted me with a big hug and I introduced her to everyone before we sat down in the lounge. The lounge itself was huge, with a large buffet area with food to snack on. We all grabbed a plate of food and some drinks, and then sat down to chat. Susan has the ability to socialize with just about anyone – a gift I wish that I had – and she was soon deep in conversation with Thinh and my parents. When I went up to get a glass of wine, Thinh joined and he ordered a Long Island Iced Tea – the first one he had ever had. He wasn’t really aware of what a Long Island Iced Tea was, so Susan and I clued him in. Thinh is not a big drinker, so I was curious how he would react to the drink. Surprisingly, he thought it tasted very good, but he wasn’t able to drink much of it.

Our flight boarded at 22:00 and everyone was scattered about the airplane. My parents were sitting together near the front, Susan had a seat in the middle, while Thinh and I were sat together closer to the rear of the airplane. It had a strange seating configuration of two seats, four seats, two seats – I hadn’t ever seen a plane with just two seats on the sides as it’s typically three. Thinh and I had the two seats together, so no one else was sitting next to either of us.

The flight departed at 23:00 and soon after we were served a meal. After eating, we both went to sleep so we could get some rest during the journey.