Thursday, December 14, 2006

The Most Overrated Night of the Year

So I decided to be extremely controversial (at least to my group of friends) and write about whether it’s better to go out to a club/lounge/bar on New Years Eve or go to a dinner. Or maybe this is a lame attempt to outline a pros and cons list and try to start yet another dialogue. This is to be an aerial view and nothing to do with the politics of any current situation.

Last year, my group of friends went to Level V and had a great time getting sloppy wasted. I, of course, lost all the contents of my bag on the floor—which might I add was an inch thick with some sort of liquid said to be the exploded tap at the bar. On my hands and knees (in a dress!) searching for my beloved cell phone and camera was not fun. But being as drunk as I was, my tears soon stopped and you can find me on the dance floor shaking my ass to any song that came on. And then, of course, the rumors started flying that I made out with a friend of a friend (a guy you just simply don’t hook up with!). In any case, I still stick to my story that it never happened… well maybe just the prom-style dancing. I guess I can’t argue with photos. In any case, the night was fun and memorable. But when is the age cut-off for this type of behavior? I can only think we have only so many years left to act like complete idiots and for it to be acceptable or semi-acceptable. Okay. Sometimes.

So cut to this year…prices for tickets to all the ‘hot-spots’ have jumped about 50 bucks. Spending $175 on the most overrated night of the year is hardly anything ideal. But spending that sort of money on a ridiculously good meal might be more acceptable. There are so many amazing places in New York to try and there are not many nights that everyone is willing to throw in the big bucks. Deciding on this ‘amazing’ place is another big ordeal though. And I begin to wonder—are we going to be the youngest people there? Is this like something young married 30-somethings do? Would a group of young 20-somethings feel out of place and yearn to go back to the club to go blackout? (Well at least I know Ginger’s goal of the night is to blackout; she’s mentioned it in an email already).

Even though this is literally the most overrated night of the year and bears nothing on the rest of the year, the big question still remains—do you act unreasonable: spend the ridiculous amount of cash, party all night with your friends, and possibly not remember half the night the next morning? Or put the money to good use, eat and drink well, but possibly yearn for the night to forget? Putting it into this type of perspective, there are only so many years to act like intoxicated children and create stories as to what REALLY happened on New Years Eve.

5 comments:

Lo said...

I am just about ready to slit my wrists over this night. But at least your friends bother to have a dialogue, where as mine just ignore the fact that I'm trying to make plans and don't answer me.

KILL ME. I'M STAYING IN NEVIS EVERY YEAR FROM NOW ON. I can black out there too and be a lot saner than I feel right now!

Anonymous said...

All good points my dove...
Unfortunately, I maintain my indifferent position. If we choose to do a restaurant- then I am sure I will transform into an opinionated whore- as there a significant margin for error when going that route, but I feel if we do that right it could be fab. Tenjune will be fab already due to the flowing booze, music, and bitches.
Again, it all comes down to what is easiest and if you prefer to be sexually assaulted by me in a restaurant or a club.

Melis said...

First I want to say, Horneymanatee, I love the work that you do on your website. Really great stuff. Second is that I think you are absolutely right..dinner could be great if done the right way..and you will become an opinionated whore if we do choose restaurant. and i know i have no choice but to give in to your sexual assalt..as the duty of being your date.

Anonymous said...

i agree with all of the above and in reality, both options could be very fun if done the right way. i think the real issue with new years (aside from the money) is the planning involved. its difficult to get everyone on the same page. as lo said, sometimes its difficult to get people to even talk about it! it might be easy to think of a great idea abstractly, but once all the details are needed, many plans tend to go awry. not to mention, there's not many people that want to go in search of those details to begin with. who wants the responsibility?

new years eve is a very overrated night... to some extent. however, while some people may be happy throwing their hands in the air and not doing much to celebrate, i am not one of those people. whether its dinner or a club, i need to do something fabulous to celebrate the old and welcome the new. (even my parents still do it up. i mean, my dad wore a clown costume to welcome 2005!) as much as it hurts me to spend my student loans on an overpriced new year's ticket, i know that the pain will be long forgotten... while the night will be remembered. we spend large amounts of money on all forms of unecessary things. why not a night out on freakin' new years eve? at least this way we can form prom dancing memories for years to come.

back to the issue at hand... personally, i see tons of fabulous new year's eve dinners in my future, but not too many black out nights at tenjune-like establishments past the next few years... so i'm (sadly) forking up the cash and preparing to piece the night back together on january 1, 2007.

despite all the bullshit and stress that comes along with new years, it usually turns out to be a very fun night. i think as we get older, the controversy will subside and everyone will just do what they want to do and focus on the postive aspects of the night. maybe next year? oh wait, i'm going away next year...

Anonymous said...

Okay, so not that you all don't know my opinions already, as I've been running my mouth about this for quite some time, but since Melis believes that I am not being truthful, I wanted to officially reply on her fabulous blog about my feelings towards this oh so very overrated night. You are right Melis- last year we did the whole club thing and had a wild night (half of which we don't remember) and it was fun. However, I had been living in the city for a very short amount of time prior to this night and city nightlife was relatively new to me. Now after another year of working, living, and partying in the city I am totally over it! We would not pay a dime to get into a club any other night of the year, and I really don't think New Years is an exception. We go to these type places all the time for free and I see no reason to waste what I consider a great deal of money on going to one on the most B&T, touristy night of the year. Another point that relates to this is that I have been working (struggling) really hard this past year and have developed principles regarding money. I do not value one night of partying at $175. It is my opinion that the money that I work so hard to earn should not be crapped away on going to a club. I would rather spend it on something that has value to me (aka can hang in my closet). Just kidding. Honestly, I really dont think I am being unreasonable about this. It's really not about being cheap (if I really thought a club was worth $175 I definitely have that much money); however, it is about my personal views about the value of money. Bottom line: I will be happier when I wake up on January 1st and have that extra $200 rather than a raging hangover. That money could be spent on things that I personally consider more important. I'm not trying to be preachy about this, but again, to me it's just a matter of principle and I won't compromise my values for a club! Thus, for all these reasons I am perfectly content to stay home. I know there is pressure to keep the group together on NYE (Liz especially is upset with me that I am being so difficult about this), but at this point everyone should just do what makes them happy, pressure free.