44 W 63rd St., 12th floor
New Yorkers lead fairly busy lives. So busy in fact, we often don’t realize what day it is until we get to the office and, upon seeing nobody else there, kick ourselves for waking up early on Saturday, head back home, get into bed, and sleep through the rest of the weekend pretending it never happened.
That said, when New Year’s Eve came around, I did not see it coming until it was literally 48 hours away. I had been so busy just trying to get through Thanksgiving and Christmas, New Year’s Eve was the last thing on my mind.
I debated standing in Times Square with one million strangers for 9 hours, but decided against it due to a lack of public facilities and the chilly weather. My next option was buying tickets to a party at a bar/ lounge. My budget for the night was $150. Anything on 42nd or near Times Square was out of the question due to the massive crowds. I decided upon Stone Rose Lounge, an upscale bar overlooking Central Park on Columbus Circle. When I went to buy tickets the night before New Year’s Eve, the price was jacked up to $195 from $150 earlier in the afternoon. Sir Fancy Pants suggested the Empire Hotel Rooftop bar. He had been for a company party and said it was nice and featured spectacular views of New York from the Upper West Side. It was late, I was running out of options, and tickets were $125 each for the rooftop party. Empire Hotel it was.
After taxes, our tickets came out to $140 each. We arrived about 10:00 p.m. on New Year’s Eve. The lounge was smaller than I expected, two rooms, and about half full. The following is a list of pros and cons from the evening.
PROS:
1) Views: Lincoln Center, CNN Tower, Dakota Building, Upper West Side.
1) Views: Lincoln Center, CNN Tower, Dakota Building, Upper West Side.
2) Proximity to Empire Hotel sign. Bar opens up to outdoor deck where sign is located.
3) Two full bars. Did not experience long lines to get drinks at all throughout evening.4) Music was good- mainly older stuff from the past several years and some rock music.
5) VIP admission. Doorperson gave us pink VIP wristbands because she misread our tickets. VIP allowed us access to the second room of the bar, enclosed entirely in glass windows on one side.
6) The furniture was modern and spacious with many oversized chairs in the VIP area.
7) Crowd was cool and friendly.
CONS:
1) Appetizers included in price of ticket were far and few between. When servers did come through with plates of food, people attacked them, leaving crumbs in their wake.
2) No champagne toast. We ended up paying $20 extra at midnight for ONE glass of champagne. We then split that into two glasses to ring in the New Year.
3) No television screens. We did not get to watch the ball drop on New Year’s, as many other bars featured live feed of the ball dropping in their evening’s activities.
4) Due to the heat from the overcrowding of people, the windows showcasing the spectacular views were completely fogged up in the VIP area. Sir Fancy Pants said when he went the ceiling was open, allowing for some impressive views of Manhattan. The only way to get the views on this evening was to walk outside to the outdoor deck. The weather was freezing, so I did not last more than a couple minutes both times I went outside.
5) Lack of dance music/ eurotrance. I do not remember the DJ playing any techno/trance/dance music during the evening.
6) No dance floor. You danced where you were standing.
7) Half the bartenders did not know how to make a Tom Collins; it was hit and miss all night. For those of you wondering, Tom Collins is 3 parts club soda, 2 parts gin, 1 part sour, and sugar if you have it available.
1) Appetizers included in price of ticket were far and few between. When servers did come through with plates of food, people attacked them, leaving crumbs in their wake.
2) No champagne toast. We ended up paying $20 extra at midnight for ONE glass of champagne. We then split that into two glasses to ring in the New Year.
3) No television screens. We did not get to watch the ball drop on New Year’s, as many other bars featured live feed of the ball dropping in their evening’s activities.
4) Due to the heat from the overcrowding of people, the windows showcasing the spectacular views were completely fogged up in the VIP area. Sir Fancy Pants said when he went the ceiling was open, allowing for some impressive views of Manhattan. The only way to get the views on this evening was to walk outside to the outdoor deck. The weather was freezing, so I did not last more than a couple minutes both times I went outside.
5) Lack of dance music/ eurotrance. I do not remember the DJ playing any techno/trance/dance music during the evening.
6) No dance floor. You danced where you were standing.
7) Half the bartenders did not know how to make a Tom Collins; it was hit and miss all night. For those of you wondering, Tom Collins is 3 parts club soda, 2 parts gin, 1 part sour, and sugar if you have it available.
I did have a good time but I feel like the evening could have been had anywhere rather than where it actually took place, in New York City. We left around 2:00 a.m. By that time, most of the crowd had cleared out. The place also had a fireplace, which is always a nice addition to any bar. The women’s restroom had four stalls and a bathroom attendant. I did not wait longer than 7 minutes to use the restroom. I cannot vouch for the men’s stalls.
I would not mind going to Empire Hotel Rooftop Bar again given the right occasion, such as a networking event, to impress out of towners, or warmer weather, but I will not be returning for another New Year’s Eve celebration nor recommending it to any fellow New Yorkers for New Year's.
VERDICT: Go when it’s warmer
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