As another New Year’s Eve comes marching in; it marks yet another year I’ll be at home munching on stale nachos, popping my dinner in the microwave, complaining why there isn’t anything to watch on television; and when the ball finally drops, and the sounds of Auld Lang Syne greets my ears, the depression will really set in, when I’ll ask myself why fate has dealt me such a cruel hand, why I’m not arm- in- arm with a woman, preparing to ride off into the sunset on a picture perfect moonlit night.
        But don’t let my misery and depths of despair stand in your way. There are plenty of people, not so star-crossed, who will be in high spirits, as they welcome in the New Year without a care in the world.
        So if you're in a partying mood, and have deep pockets, here’s a list of the some of the best New Year’s Eve bashes nationwide.
 
Las Vegas

The Lax Nightclub: Featuring Paris and Nicky Hilton. Individual seats are $250; a table of six runs $3500, which includes waitress and porter, 2 bottles of premium vodka, 1 bottle of Dom Perignon, and your own security guard.

Tangerine
Individual tickets are $100; $1950  for a party of 4, which includes 2 bottles of premium vodka , 1 bottle of vintage Dom Perignon, and guaranteed seating on the patio for the fireworks show.

Studio 54 (inside the MGM Grand):
Tickets are $250 at the door, includes complimentary champagne, 9 p.m to midnight, and what promises to be a spectacular ballroom drop with a confetti blast at midnight.

FIX Restaurant
$325 per person (minimum two guests) for a four-course pre-set New Year’s Eve gala dinner, including a champagne toast at midnight. An available wine pairing is available to complement all dinner menus and packages for an additional $85.

Jet Nightclub at the Mirage: James Bond themed soiree. Guests are encouraged to dress like their favorite Bond character, while the club’s servers dress up as Bond pin- up girls.
Cost: $200 per person; Table reservation packages start at $2500 for a group of four, which includes one complimentary bottle of Dom Perignon, standard mixers, six Red Bull mixers, six Evian waters and a personal service team.

New York

Capitale (130 Bowery at Grand Street)
Guests will party with celebs and feast on hors d'oeuvres, buffet dinner, desserts and a 5 hour open bar.
Tickets start at: $195; VIP access - $245; VIP Table -$300

BLVD: (199 Bowery)
$175 per person includes an elegant menu of passed Hors d'oeuvres, televised countdown of the Times Square Ball Drop, and champagne toast at midnight.
Actress Scarlet Johansen is rumored to be planning to stop by, but that has yet to be confirmed.

Temptress Boat Cruise 
Guests will fix their eyes on the fireworks show from the Statue of Liberty, while enjoying a sightseeing tour of New York.
Cost: $225 (expect to pay more at the door), includes buffet dinner, dessert, and a 4 hour open bar.
 

New Year’s Eve Trivia

The New Year's Eve tradition of sipping champagne at the strike of midnight, is thought to have originated with the French

Another tradition holds that Wassail, a drink served on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day, comes from an old Gaelic word meaning "good health''

December 31, 1906 Adolph Ochs, publisher of the New York Times, dropped an illuminated globe from the top of his new building, Times Tower in Times Square on New Year's Eve. This public relations innovation marked the beginning of an annual ritual.

NOTE: The only time the ball didn't drop from Times Square on New Year's Eve (since 1907) were two years during World War II: 1942 and 1943 due to a wartime dim-out.

Guy Lombardo's New Year's Eve Dance was first televised in 1943.

December 31, 1948: CBS broadcast's the first televised presentation of a New Year's Eve celebration from Times Square.

December 31, 1976: Guy Lombardo and the Royal Canadians perform on New Year's eve for the final time; the bandleader died November 5, 1977 age 77 from kidney and heart failure.

December 31, 1995: The New Year's Eve ball in Times Square for the first time goes high tech, when a laser lowers the ball, replacing the six man crew using a pulley.

-Bill Lucey
billlucey@bellsouth.net