Watching the ball drop in Times Square is not the only way to celebrate ringing in the New Year. Online marketing will promote the “once in a lifetime” sales pitch and convince you to spend a lot of money like thousands of dollars to be part of the 100,000 that squeeze into Times Square to see something extraordinary and Instagram worthy bragging rights.

Heck let’s get real, you could celebrate New Year’s Eve in NYC every year if you wanted to. There are alternative ways of celebrating New Year’s even while indulging and experiencing the Big Apple at the same. I will share a couple of places to visit leading up to the big day with going broke.

Is Watching the Ball Drop Worth It?

I still don’t understand why people brave the freezing cold to stand for hours outside but respect it. I too wanted the Times Square experience. Ever since I found out the glittery Times Square ball was made out of 192 Waterford crystals while doing a factory tour in Waterford, Ireland.

I had it on my bucket list to someday see the ball drop in person. Did you know that Waterford is the oldest city in Ireland?

Unless you live in NYC, for visitors and tourists alike, getting there and staying it is not cheap. In fact, if you don’t do your research and number crunching ahead of time, your NYE dream can turn out to be the worst financial mistake you have ever made.

Well if you are a local, it’s not. In fact, if you live in a space that has rooftop access looking down Time Square as I saw from my hotel window at the Crowne Plaza Time Square Manhattan, you can happily avoid all the crowds, paying $1,000 to see the ball drop and enjoy watching the entertainment below comfortably. I learned that most of the locals avoid Times Square altogether.

As I spent the day looking out my window checking on the morning festivities and see people start to fill up Time Square like ants down below, I faced an interesting dilemma.

I had saved up my hotel points for the last two years and upon checking in, I was upgraded to a room with a view of Times Square because of my membership status. I had no intention of paying $1,000 to stand outside of the hotel, but had planned on getting a bottle of bubbly from the wine shop down the street and watch the ball drop from my room. 60,000 per night well spent.

When I arrived, my mission was to watch the ball drop. I had been saving points from past hotel stays specifically for this event for a couple of years. Because of my membership status, I was upgraded with a direct view of Times Square.

What To Do On New Year’s Eve

I arrived on December 30th and hit the ground running with my travel foodie agenda. Eat at Prune restaurant on the Lower East Side, visit the New-York Historical Society, enjoy chicken and rice from a food truck (something I do every time I visit NYC), get a massage in Chinatown, watch the ball drop and fly out early on January 1st.

While drooling over a bowl of carbonara at Prune, I decided to look up available walking tours to do the morning of December 31st.

I love walking tours. It’s a great way to stretch the legs, learn about some history, and sample some food. At the top of the search was the Brooklyn Bridge Walking Tour, except the tour, didn’t start until 10:30 p.m.

What’s a girl to do? Watch the ball drop from my hotel room or go on a 90-minute walking tour through lower Manhattan and ring in the New Year on the Brooklyn Bridge and watch fireworks?

Perhaps a long subway ride and a visit to the New-York Historical Society will help me decide.

After sleeping in the next day, I looked out my hotel window and watched in curiosity as barricades went up and people started filing in (as early as 10 a.m.). I watched for another couple of hours and made up my mind.

Before the Times Square ball drops, there is a rehearsal in the morning to make sure all the mechanics are in place and everything is in place.

I had no idea there was a rehearsal and missed it because I decided to sleep in. That could have been my chance for bragging rights!

In some ways, I felt I already got the VIP treatment. A week traveling around Ireland, yes, I did spend $1,000 and got the souvenirs to prove it. If you aren’t planning on making a special trip out to Ireland to pick up your souvenir, you can buy a replica on various websites.

I came across one site that offers an initial discount and free shipping, the Cashs of Ireland. The ornaments sell out fast, but if you can wait until the following year, you can get one at a great discount. Mine hangs from a stand on my desk.

As the night the rolled on, those brave souls who had been filtering in since this morning, were eagerly waiting for the musical festivities to kick off. Had someone told me the New Kids on the Block (KNOTB) were performing that night, I would have stayed in my room as planned.

In the end, I chose the Brooklyn Bridge Walking tour and don’t regret it. I was amazed at how I went from being sandwiched between people in Times Square to being able to move freely in the Financial District to get to the meetup point.

I have visited Lower Manhattan many times but did not know the true history of the Financial District, Wall Street, Dutch settlers, and why the area in the 17th century was called New Amsterdam. I should have known better.

$50 for 1.5 hours of walking and learning about early New York City and walking off that glass of bubbly versus paying $1,000 for 10 seconds of fun. Luckily I saw KNOTB in person when I was a kid.

In case if you are wondering how much a room costs in Times Square, depending on the hotel, expect to pay $4-5K for that night. Arriving the day before and after, the cost drops significantly.

After ringing in the New Year, I had to rush back to my hotel, finish packing my bags, and take the train to the airport for a 5 a.m. flight. I slept the whole ride back home.

Other Fun Ways to Ring in the New Year

I have shared two ways to ring in the New Year, but I have two more alternative ways to experience New York City. Heck, throw out “once in a lifetime”, you can make it an annual event.

A third fun way to ring in the New Year is to attend a concert. A couple of years ago, my favorite EDM (Electronic Dance Music) group, Above and Beyond played in my hometown. Now that was an event to remember, unique and different.

A fourth way is to kick off the New Year with a midnight four-mile run among 3,700 of your friends and support free youth and community programs with your entry fee. This is on my list to do in the next year or two. Gotta save up those points again!

There is a fifth way, but it may not be as glamorous. Watch the Times Square ball drop rehearsal in the morning.

All of these are on my list to do in the next couple of years. First, I have to save up those points!

Hints and Tips

Here are a few tips on how to spend New Year’s Eve in New York City without going broke. Don’t pay $4-5,000 for one night. Save up your hotel points and redeem them for this special night. If you don’t have enough, bring your family and friend squad with you and split the cost. The room with the Times Squares Square view has plenty of room.

Book your room one year in advance. This trick has helped me to get good rooms with a view for half the cost for the US Open.

If you do a lot of traveling or have an airline credit card you accumulate points from, redeem your airline miles for a round trip ticket. I do this once a year for the US Open.

Take the subway instead of paying for a car service or Super Shuttle. I love it when I arrive at JFK and get on the E train from Jamaica Center in Queens to Manhattan.

Yeah it takes an hour, but also took a Super Shuttle one time and being packed like sardines was the same, but worse and it still took an hour.

One word of caution, there are the occasional service interruptions. I experienced this when I was on my way to the airport. Make sure you have a plan or else you will be spending an extra night in the Big Apple. Rideshare or taking the LIRR are good alternative transportation options.

Every time I visit NYC, I make it a point to eat at one restaurant, but the rest of the time, I eat at food trucks.

Food trucks are around from when you get up to in the morning and need a smoothie when you stumbling out of the bar and have the munchies craving a hot dog along with food stands that sell fruit.

If you are going to eat out, I recommend becoming a food truck connoisseur, but not in Times Square.

A container of chicken and rice in Midtown and the Lower Manhattan is $6.

In Times Square it cost me $15. Still not that expensive, but still $15 or $6? The large portions can be split with another person or enjoyed over lunch and dinner.

Walk a couple of blocks away from Times Square towards the Hudson River around 48th Street and 9th Avenue for variety and reasonable prices.

You will find grocery stores, daily food specials, pizza, and food trucks all around you. One advice I received from a local is to never pay more than what it costs for a subway ticket $2.75 for a slice of pizza.

Stop hoarding those Starbucks points and waiting for a rainy day. Those lovely points are a great way to treat yourself while traveling. Don’t forget to download the Starbucks app, avoid the lines by ordering ahead as there is a lot of sightseeing to do and not enough time.

Does using the subway make you nervous? The app I use for travel planning around the five boroughs (The Bronx, Queen, Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Staten Island) is the NYC Subway app. The app notifies you if there is a delay and alternative route options. The free version contains ads, but they aren’t annoying.

Keep your energy up and balanced by engaging indulging in a 90-minute deep tissue massage for $58 or foot reflexology for $42at Taiji Bodywork.

Worth Traveling to NYC for New Year’s?

Being up for over 24 hours was well worth it and exciting, but next time, I will plan my stay for four days instead of three from December 30th – January 2nd. I have to hand it to NYC for continuing to hold it down.

A large police presence made me feel completely safe. Even amidst the chaos, they were very friendly and more than willing to give me directions to get to the right subway station in a swarm of spectators.

In my opinion, I don’t feel like watching the Times Square ball drop is a once in a lifetime experience. You can choose to be one of those that decide to stand outside from 10 a.m. until midnight or either watch from a rooftop or a hotel room.

I haven’t given up on seeing the ball drop in person. With the number of folks in Times Square, it would be enough for a person to become claustrophobic and anxious.

Next time I will have that room with a view to watch the folks down below or hustle my way to that rooftop kiddy corner from the Crowne Plaza. I just won’t be paying $4-5,000 for bragging rights.

Whatever you choose to do in the Big Apple, I hope you have a great time and enjoy every moment of the festivities.

Staying more than a couple of days? Click here for more NYC sightseeing ideas.