Visiting Brooklyn: New Year, New York

“I’ve more or less lost track of writing down the correct year.” – Old Sean

Visiting Brooklyn: New Year, New York

There is no place more iconic than Times Square in New York to usher in the New Year. Lights, blaring sounds, extended dance numbers, rotating cameras, numbered glasses and bits of blinking plastic and hoards of crowds define the New Year experience.

I steered clear.

After being invited to New York by my friend Em, I drove north through rain and fog, heading into Manhattan to celebrate the New Year. It was a soggy New Year celebration in New York with sporadic but strong rain channeled into the city.

A New Year Night

After hacking my way through a skyline city of traffic and red lights, I scrambled to the Ritz Carlton Hotel, where Em was staying for the evening. We met at the bar, put my car in valet and started walking around the city in a small rainstorm.

New York at night turned out to be extraordinarily pleasant. The sun set quite early, giving the city its famous, ever-bright glow of skyscrapers. Christmas lights, remaining up past their specific holiday, continued to add further light to the city.

I don’t like New York much. I find the city boisterous, loud, overly-active and packed. The heavy rain mitigated this somewhat, but I still felt drained after our short explorations.

Finally, we returned to the hotel and wandered up to the rooftop for the New Year countdown, grateful to avoid the mess at Times Square. TV screens showed crowds of dripping people in ponchos jumping enthusiastically for the camera. The count began to dip low and cheers could be heard from other buildings and rooftops, a rising crescendo of rumbling, lowering numbers. Light parties on adjacent rooftops began flailing and flashing wildly.

The clock hit zero. The ball dropped on TV. Fireworks began to crackle over the Hudson.

2022 has vanished. Onward to 2023.

Oof. Not enthusiastic about running into this year. Good luck to us.

A Swift Start

The next morning, Em and I started wandering around New York City. Though we had both been around Manhattan a few times, Em was visiting from China and wanted to see a few of the nicer sites. Since the day was sunny, we walked freely.

In the morning, we stopped at a small diner, sipping coffee and chatting with a traveling waitress who had just returned from Thailand. We then continued walking, eventually reaching the High Line.

The High Line is a nice decommissioned railroad above the city streets of New York. It weaves towards a series of buildings and river overlooks with graffiti and kinetic artwork accenting the walk.

There are a lot of nice things to see along the High Line, but my favorite is the interactive walking structure “The Vessel.” This structure is an open-air spiral where visitors can walk upwards for views of the city. It was, unfortunately, closed. Em and I ended up walking through a shopping mall instead.

We moved inward, visiting various shops in Manhattan. The city was clear and growing in sound, many shops open despite the holiday. Not many stand out, but I discovered a place called Harry Potter New York. The shop is full of wizard paraphernalia with phoenixes, griffon guards, wand stacks and plushies. The nicest part includes an ice-cream shop which serves Butterbeer Ice Cream and Butterbeer Tankards.

I grew a little fatter and a little happier.

For the rest of the day, Em and I wandered the parks, shops and restaurants of the city.

Atop the Ritz

I was very lucky to be lodged in the upscale rooms of the Ritz-Carlton. The hotel with it’s various features was nicer than I imagined. I was drastically underdressed, but there are enough tech-geniuses out there in nothing but hoodies. Therefore, my lack of upscale attire was acceptable.

Em booked us a table at the rooftop lounge where we ordered fancy beverages and slurped down a plate of oysters spiced over a cloud of mist and ice.

As the sun began to set, all of Manhattan began to churn bright orange, rays of sunlight creating artificial canyons of darkness and bright, light-catching roofs.

The sun continued to sink and the city began to grow with light once more. Em and I weren’t booked at the hotel for the night, and instead moved to our new accommodations in Brooklyn. The valet summoned our car for a whooping $98 plus tips.

The car was loaned to me by my roommate Roy, so I carefully maneuvered it through the city heading back to Brooklyn. When we finally found our room, we ordered dinner and settled in for the night. Em was still jet-lagged, so we called it an early evening before saying goodnight.

A Brooklyn Breakfast

For my last day in New York, Em and I wandered down to Dumbo, getting photos of the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridge. We stood on the shore, ate ice cream, browsed food trucks and walked past goth nut-cracker decorations.

By the end of our morning, Em was eager to take a ton of photos. She was recreating a trip her friend had taken previously, so we were regular shutter-bugs all morning.

Em also wanted to see Coney Island, so we ended up driving that direction as well.

Coney Island is a massive disappointment in the winter, which I mostly expected. The vast majority of rides are shut down, stiff breezes come off the ocean, most shops are closed and the nearby streets have fallen into disrepair.

Despite this, Em seemed to enjoy herself. We walked the beach, followed hoards of seagulls, passed remote-controlled Dune Buggies and snacked on chicken.

By the end of it, I was due back in DC. We drove back into ventral Brooklyn, stopping at a park to see a large Christmas tree before returning the hotel. We had to hammer through a fair amount of late traffic, so we stopped for ice cream before finally resting.

As far as New Years go, this was a pleasant one. I don’t make it to New York often, so the trip was memorable, if short. I’ve turned my borrowed car south again and I’m starting to drive.

Back to DC. Until my next trip.

Best regards and excellent trails,

Old Sean

Written January 3rd, 2022

Visiting Brooklyn: New Year, New York