Hipployta's Lounge Spot: Why I will likely NEVER do New Years Eve in Times Square again..

One of my best friends Lamont [pictured above around 4am on New Years with me in my house] drove up to visit me for New Years from North Carolina. The original plan was to spend New Years in the Square and then head out to a club. He was originally supposed to bring his significant other with but instead brought our friend Amy, and his two cousins I didn't know but that was okay....the problem was that the cousins were 17 and 15 and most definately NOT club aged....so the plan was amended to just going to the Square although Lamont said he'd leave them outside the club or in the car. My response...the car will be in Jersey and what makes you think I will give my car keys to two children I don't know??

Okay so I drove into Hoboken, NJ and left my car at the Hoboken Train/Bus station. I take the Path into the city and get out at 33rd street and walk around Manhatten Mall a bit

Did I mention it started snowing on our way to Hoboken?

Then comes the next change in plan...Lamont wants to travel uptown to 155th street in Harlem to visit his Great Aunt...now this is all well and good except it was already 3pm we needed to get a spot in the Square....

Well we head on the D train up to 155th street...EXCEPT in the station there were fliers clearly stating that the D train would be skipping 155th street...so when get off at the stop before it, 145th street, I'm looking around for the C trains schedule because I'm fairly certain it would take up to 155th street...BUT the people I'm with [whom have NEVER used NJ/NY transist] insist we go up to street level and walk it.

Well thank goodness the snow had stopped....unfortunately it left ice and puddles EVERYWHERE and soon enough ALL of our feet were soaked....during a 10 block walk that is NOT a good thing

To skip the nightmare of that little side trip let's just say that we were on West 155th and WAY up on the hill when we needed to be on the bottom...luckily Lamont's cousin was willing to come get us...and we hung out there for a few hours before walking back to the 155th station to head to 42nd and 6th avenue: Times Square

I was bored there so I took a few pictures, here's a couple

Unfortunately this was around 830pm or so and a TON of blocks were already closed off. You see on New Years the cops close alot of the streets around the Square. Plus they only let in a certain number of people before they close that block off and you have to keep going until you get to a certain block because they won't let you in unless you a have reservation to a hotel or restaurant and they'll only let you in on that particular block [example if you have a reservation on 47th street don't try to get in down on 44th street because it ain't happening]

So guess what street we had to walk down to?

59th FREAKING STREET!!!! To say I was pissed is not saying enough...anyway we're walking and I'm like let me stop at a vendor or a restaurant and grab some hot chocolate or some food because it was really cold out there. I stop at a vendor on 46th street and grab a dog...I turn and they are NOWHERE to be found...so I shrug and start walking....

Around 56th I still hadn't seen them so I reach into the purse to pull out the mobile and call them and realize it's dead [it still won't charge up for some reason]

Well I finally get to an open block and it's 59th street, I cannot tell you how annoying it was to have to walk that far...17 freaking blocks to watch a ball drop

So I end up borrowing a phone from a nice boy in blue...NYPD blue that is...and find out that my they are on 59th too..and just barely made it in before the cops closed it up again....I find them waiting at the gate to walk up to 58th

We end up turning left and walk down another block to Broadway because Lamont was searching for a Western Union...and ended up getting blocked out again have to walk 4 blocks back up to 59th to get back in....

We end up stuck in the crowd around 57th street....15 blocks from the ball drop

We take pictures of the crowd because there's really nothing left to do but wait and get smushed

Eventually I get tired of the cold and declare that'd buy our dinner if we get out of the cold. I wanted to go to Cafe Europa but we go across the street to the Brooklyn Dinner...which a $15 per person min. absolutely insane if you ask me...

That was around 11pm...at 1159 I'm paying the check and running down the block...I get there when everyone is on the number 8 for the countdown....I took pictures but it's all blurry due to the crowd and lights

We ended up heading down Broadway because it was a mess all over the place and the police weren't letting us past 53rd BUT I got a few more pictures before we started walking. We were closest to the Port Authority station so I said forget about your PATH tickets were hoping on the 126 bus back to Hoboken..so we walked back up to Port Authority and got on a bus

Everytime I go to the city I tell myself to take pictures for the blog but I never do...I'm annoyed with myself because after 53rd street we just started having fun on our way to the station
Trying to catch a cab we ran into this guy from Philly named Antionus who was waiting outside one of the police precints in the area...apparently some girl he was with got arrested for fighting and then telling the cops to go do themselves while she was resisting arrest...he was told by the cops to get out of the station because he was VERY messed up...I mean he was so drunk was speaking incoherently at times...at the same time he was a VERY funny drunk so we were cracking up hanging out with him until we gave up on getting a taxi and just hoofed it back to Port Authority...by the time we managed to get to the bus waiting area I was VERY footsore....but what do you expect walking around in four inch stilletos for 9 hours... so we get back to the Hoboken bus terminal and I drive us on down the turnpike back to my house...around 4am, after taking the pictures ya'll saw at the top, I go to sleep...ONLY to be woken up by my phone ringing ALL night