The only problem was that we really didn’t want to stand out in Times Square for hours on end on the 31st just so that we could see the ball drop. We started looking into restaurants or hotels where we could see the ball drop because we thought that would be a better deal in the long run.

We weren’t overly optimistic though, because we starting planning in September, and had heard that if you wanted to find someplace, you had to book by the spring. We struck out a few times, but, by chance (well, by internet search), we happened to find a restaurant in Times Square called Ruby Foo’s that hadn’t even started taking reservations for New Year’s yet when we called them in October.

They promised to call us back when they were prepared with their holiday plans. As promised, they called back, and we booked a table for that night. It turned out to be one of the greatest experiences of my entire life.

They sent a “permission form” of sorts that we had to present at a police checkpoint in order to get in to Times Square that night, and after being waved over by a metal detector wand, we were on our way with police escort in tow to get us to our destination.

We walked past crowds of people who must have been standing outside since who knows when, and straight to the restaurant. The atmosphere inside was absolutely amazing: the ceiling was covered with black and white helium-filled balloons, there was confetti everywhere, and the menus had been personalized for the event.

One of the best parts about the night was that the food was absolutely fabulous—well worth the expense (and it certainly was pricy, but can you really put a price on such a great experience?).

Our waitress was very personable, and helped add to the festive atmosphere. A little after 11:30, the wait staff began to hand out party hats, horns, and our glass of champagne. We moved towards the doors, and found that there was a barricaded area separate from the rest of the crowd that we were allowed to enter so that we could see the famous descent.

The air was charged and when midnight rolled around, cheers filled the air. Overall, it was everything I wanted it to be. If you are considering heading to Times Square for New Year’s Eve, I would definitely advise making reservations at a restaurant, and I would highly recommend Ruby Foo’s, which was absolutely fantastic all around.

The only downside was that we were pretty far away from the actual ball, but still a heck of a lot closer than if we were watching on TV in the Midwest!

Unfortunately, his very LDS parents, aunt, and uncle came along for the entire trip!! We got to see quite a few sites by taking a tour bus and it gave us a good idea of our surroundings and landmarks, I would recommend this to anyone.

My boyfriend and I did get about four hours to ourselves to walk around the entire city. As we walked into Times Square, the Naked Cowboy stood before us, hundreds of fans waiting to be molested by the sexy cowboy.

I would have to say that was the highlight of our trip. After that we headed to meet up with his family for some dinner in the city.

We made the trip shortly after my husband passed away unexpectedly, so we all needed to have some fun at that point in our lives. My daughter had applied to several art schools and was visiting all of them to decide which school was the best place for her.

Although she chose not to attend the school in the city, our three-day stay was a blast. We arrived at Penn Station and found that our hotel was just a couple of blocks away, a perfect location.

It was also within sight of the wonderful Macy’s department store that I had always wanted to visit! We tried to do all the touristy things we could.

We went to Central Park and an artist drew a caricature of my kids that was funny and perfect. We took a horse-drawn carriage ride around the park.

We visited FAO Schwartz and danced on the huge keyboard like Tom Hanks in the movie “Big.” We went to Broadway and saw the show “The Producers,” and then rode back to our hotel in a bicycle rickshaw.

The top of the Empire State Building was impressive and I had a great conversation with a native New Yorker who was showing his young son the city. He told some great stories and pointed out the best places – the Brooklyn Bridge, the Flatiron Building, and many other sights.

The Friday we were there was my daughter’s 18th birthday, so my son and I put on birthday cake hats, made a poster and went to Rockefeller Center to be in the “Today Show” crowd.

We met Katie Couric and Matt Lauer and got Katie’s autograph on our poster. My daughter slept in, had a room service breakfast and celebrated by not waiting in line in the cold!

Before we left, we went to the Whitney Museum for the Biennial, which was awesome and to Little Italy for some great Italian food! What a fun-filled, busy visit to an exciting city!

I also love going into the statue of Liberty and looking down at the water and the people below. Also, there is always someone seeming to get in trouble so it’s pretty exciting seeing what happens to these crazy people.

I know that New York is an exciting place because there is always something crazy going on. I love the city and it is a very beautiful place.

Some funny things that happened to me were I fell down while climbing these stairs when the tour guide told us to “watch our step”.

It was a great family vacation and I definitely would like to go back again. It was exciting and my time there was fantastic. Spending the whole week with my family, New York, and the crazy people who live there. It is just beautiful….

I myself am from Long Island. I live in the shadow of the greatest city, the city that seriously never sleeps. Being lost in the city, well not really lost but somewhat at 3 am and there still being loads of people out on the streets.

Upstate New York is the complete opposite of the city, it is slow paced and laid back. There are a lot of farms and acres and acres between house.

New Yorkers can be rude sometimes but that’s only because we try to fit a lot of things into our day. We are good workers in that sense.

New York in just such a great state. There’s surfing on Long Island in the summer, Skiing in the winter upstate and all things in between.

Fishing in famous out at Montauk. New York is just a great place to experience various different cultures, religions and scenery. It is such a nice place to live or visit.