Finding My Own NYE Party Fun Even In A Pandemic
In the past, I’ve been to New Orleans, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami and the Caribbean.
With a distant eye looking across the globe from Berlin to Sydney.
I’ve been to promoter parties (one on a boat cruising around a harbor), house parties, pubs and clubs.
New Year’s Eve is the world’s great annual party, a time when anyone and everyone gathers to share one common goal: to say goodbye to the old year and welcome in the new one. (Well, okay, that’s just a grand excuse to party but it’s extra special on NYE night).
But there will be no such parties leading into 2021. The coronavirus pandemic has put the brakes on such celebrations, even as we are all anxious to see the end of 2020 and welcome in the New Year as if it’s a Publisher’s Clearing House prize patrol.
So, with government officials being super-cautious about big parties being COVID-19 “super spreaders” this year, what are my options for New Year’s Eve 2021? (By the way, it’s actually NYE 2020; the NEW Year is the next one, but for some reason Google search recognizes it best as the coming year and not the current one).
In San Diego where I live, the city is closed up like a bar hours after last call. At midnight the streets will be nearly empty. There will be no countdown, no noisemakers, no music and kissing of dates (or hopeful dates) who are out during the evening.
One thing I might to for part of the night is tune into the Eschaton NYE: The Dissolution, which is an on-line nightclub of sorts, as best as I can determine. You can, too, for $25.
What else is there? Well, my options are limited. Everyone I know is going to be hiding at home alone, their door locked and avoiding any visitors. So no house parties are on my agenda (and I love house parties for NYE or anytime).
This is driving one friend of me nuts; for the past week he’s been pacing around the Gaslamp hoping to find one open bar.
So I offered this suggestion, one that will have us outdoor and with a scenic view. I thought it would be nice to walk along the waterfront of San Diego Bay, on the Embarcadero, Seaport Village and the USS Midway. With concealed cocktails in hand, of course. (Hey cops, if you see me, it’s just orange juice, I swear!)
Heck, maybe we even take bikes and ride to the Broadway Pier where there are park benches overlooking the water and docked cruise ships. Then pedal on before pausing at the Portside Pier restaurants. They will be shut, of course, but they are like large glass bubbles sitting over the water and will no doubt shine beautifully against the moonlight on the bay.
The more I think about this idea, the more I like it.
And while I would be preferring to be raising champagne glasses to a toast in celebration (and finding a girl to kiss) at midnight, the enjoyment of life is all about adapting to the circumstances.
This is the best way I can think of to celebrate the arrival of the New Year.
Cheers!
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