New Year’s Eve in New York City is a big deal. The whole world has its eyes on Manhattan for a couple of hours once a year and New Year’s is that time. We get it, all the hype falls around Times Square, but did you know you can have just as much (or more, considering you’re not in a giant crowd of people where you can’t move or go to the restroom) fun being in the city without being in Times Square? How about sipping a beer in one of the Speakeasies in Greenwich Village Hemingway frequented?
Our little Greenwich Village hotel may be a tad biased in suggesting that starting the New Year off in Greenwich Village is the way to go, but we have a couple of fun ideas for you and your friends or that special someone that might just prove our point.
Music
Village Vanguard
Located at 178 7th Avenue South, The Village Vanguard is one of the hottest music venues in Greenwich Village. The Vanguard was booking iconic gigs, such as Thelonious Monk and Miles Davis, in the 1960s and has managed to keep its reputation booking great jazz bands of today, as well as its ridiculously cool 1960s vibe. You can spend this New Year’s Eve listening to The Bad Plus and enjoying light snacks. And don’t worry, if you forget your New Year’s Eve gear, accessories will be provided.
You can read more on the Village Vanguard website.
Zinc Bar
Located at 82 W 3rd Street, Zinc Bar is a cozy jazz club classic. You’ll always find a new kind of jazz playing on different nights. The bar keeps a classy vibe with velvet curtains and leather chairs. This New Year’s Eve, enjoy this classy setting while listening to a full evening dedicated to the great Duke Ellington, an 18-piece orchestral tribute led by Maestro Dr. Gabriel Alegria.
You can read more information on the Zinc Bar website.
Café Wha?
Located at 115 MacDougal Street, Café Wha? is another Greenwich Village classic from the 1960s. This venue was where Bob Dylan was discovered and people like Allen Ginsberg and Jimi Hendrix hung out. As you probably guessed, unlike the other two music venues listed above, Café Wha? is much more rock ‘n’ roll. You can spend New Year’s Eve listening to the Café Wha? House Band, dancing, eating, and drinking your way into the New Year.
You can read more information on the Café Wha? website.
Speakeasies
Chumley’s
Located at 86 Bedford Street, Chumley’s is one of the original speakeasies of Greenwich Village. The bar has seen the likes of Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald. The establishment was recently updated and reopened in 2016, but it managed to keep its speakeasy style, making it a unique and memorable place to ring in the New Year. Who knows what famous writer might have spent one of their New Year’s here? The bar usually offers a New Year’s Eve custom cocktail, so keep an eye out for this year’s.
Little Branch
Located at 22 7th Avenue South, Little Branch is reachable through an inconspicuous brown door, down some stairs. You’ll find yourself in a dimly lit, low ceiling room that will give you a quintessential speakeasy feel. The atmosphere is laid back and the cocktails are handcrafted by expert mixologists. Join your friends at Little Branch’s special New Year’s Eve event which will include something along the lines of an open bar, live jazz, champagne, and small plates for snacking.
The Up & Up
Located at 116 MacDougal Street, The Up & Up is a newer cocktail bar reminiscent of a time past. Its location is the same spot of the historic Gaslight Café, famous in the 1950s and 1960s with performances from Allen Ginsberg and Bob Dylan. Cocktails here taste as good as they look and special snacks are exclusively curated from Greenwich Village’s Murray’s Cheese Shop. If you’re looking for a high-end, low-key New Year’s Eve party then you may want to put The Up & Up’s open bar and midnight toast on your radar.
Dinner
North Square Restaurant and Lounge
Located at 103 Waverly Place, our Washington Square Hotel’s North Square Restaurant will be serving its full menu as well as a special New Year’s Eve menu, which includes specialty entrees such as wild boar, seared venison loin, and surf and turf. Come in and enjoy a cozy, but classy evening in our Art Deco style restaurant. Dinner ends at 10:30 p.m., but our North Square Lounge will be open and serving drinks until 12:30 a.m. We’ll be celebrating the New Year with complimentary bubbly and holiday cheer!
Outdoors
New Year’s Eve Bike Ride (Washington Square Park)
If you’re looking for something extra different this New Year’s Eve, you can make your way to Washington Square Park to take part in a bicycle and roller skate ride all the way to Belvedere Castle in Central Park. All you have to do is show up at the Washington Square Arch by 10:00 p.m. ready to ride.
Visit the Time’s Up website for more information on the New Year’s Eve Bike Ride through Central Park.
Whether it’s lounging with cocktails in hand at a Greenwich Village speakeasy, or kicking up your heels in a swing dance, we invite you to soak in the magical vibe that sprinkles over Greenwich Village every New Year’s Eve. Cheers to 2018!
Photo Credit: Indy Pendent Thinking
