# what place really ROCKS in the new year?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-place-really-rocks-in-the-new-year/93021>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [November 13, 2001, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-place-really-rocks-in-the-new-year/93021 "2001-11-13T00:35:12Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 11\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![whatmove](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecc23a/32.png) [@whatmove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whatmove)\
**Post date:** [November 13, 2001, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-place-really-rocks-in-the-new-year/93021/1 "2001-11-13T00:35:12Z")

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This year, due to a discount airline ticket, I have many options for where I can spend New Year’s Eve (and then a week or two). Where would y’all recommend I go? I’ve been mostly considering Europe or Central/South America. I’m a 21-year-old male from the States and I’ll probably be travelling alone. I have a low budget for the trip but I’m not picky about food or shelter.

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**Author:** ![Skip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ebca7d/32.png) [@Skip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skip)\
**Post date:** [November 13, 2001, 11:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-place-really-rocks-in-the-new-year/93021/2 "2001-11-13T11:11:35Z")

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**Cape Town, South Africa** (my hometown!) - It’s summer, it’s beach season, the weather is perfect, the nightlife is great and open throughout the week and the alcohol is cheap. Also with the Rand-Dollar exchange rate (currently R10=$1) you can live like a king on a low budget.

The major cost will be flight tickets (it’s 11 hours from London and they will be scarce especially this late). London-\>CT flights are solidly booked (I’m flying back on the 6th of Dec and if I wanted to fly later I’d have to wait till Jan 2002!) you might have more luck from the States.

[Pics of Cape Town](http://images.capetown.tripod.com)  
[Cape Town Tourism Page](http://www.cape-town.org)  
[Cape Town Metro Council Tourism Page](http://www.gocapetown.co.za)  
[Live Cape Town Webcam](http://www.thecrowsnest.co.za/live)

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**Author:** ![Crusoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/49beb7/32.png) [@Crusoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crusoe)\
**Post date:** [November 13, 2001, 11:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-place-really-rocks-in-the-new-year/93021/3 "2001-11-13T11:16:20Z")

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Sydney, Australia, or Edinburgh, UK. Both are great on New Year’s Eve, although you need a ticket for the Edinburgh street party.

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**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\
**Post date:** [November 13, 2001, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-place-really-rocks-in-the-new-year/93021/4 "2001-11-13T12:44:06Z")

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Sydney certainly does the fireworks, light and laser show, low-flying jet fighters with afterburners bit very well, if you like that type of thing. The location is spectacular, and it’s at must-see at least once.

BUT…

…you have to be willing to put up with five hundred thousand to a million people in a relatively small area, and probably standing for hours on end. Being \<25 helps. A lot of people are very drunk or otherwise off their faces, there are broken bottles, puke, and other stuff that boggles the mind. Getting home is a nightmare. Last time, I went with two girls. To leave, I had to hold each by the hand, and walk slightly ahead of them like a battering ram, kicking beer bottles out of the way. We decided to walk up George St to Wynyard Station, but the crush of the crowd literally pushed us a whole block to the left and we walked up Pitt St.

I always swear I’ll never do it again. This time for sure. I think I’ll stay home this NYE.

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**Author:** ![scotth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b9e5f3/32.png) [@scotth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scotth)\
**Post date:** [November 13, 2001, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-place-really-rocks-in-the-new-year/93021/5 "2001-11-13T13:06:55Z")

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Las Vegas and New Orleans.

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**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\
**Post date:** [November 13, 2001, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-place-really-rocks-in-the-new-year/93021/6 "2001-11-13T13:12:18Z")

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Koh Samui Thailand

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**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\
**Post date:** [November 13, 2001, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-place-really-rocks-in-the-new-year/93021/7 "2001-11-13T14:02:32Z")

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I second New Orleans. It really rocks in the New Year and it should not be that uncomfortable being alone because the drunken tourists and locals tend to be pretty outgoing.

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**Author:** ![Eonwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eonwe/32/240_2.png) [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\
**Post date:** [November 13, 2001, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-place-really-rocks-in-the-new-year/93021/8 "2001-11-13T15:12:38Z")

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I don’t know, but Neil Young definitely ROCKS in the free world…

:d&r:

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**Author:** ![whatmove](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecc23a/32.png) [@whatmove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whatmove)\
**Post date:** [November 15, 2001, 6:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-place-really-rocks-in-the-new-year/93021/9 "2001-11-15T06:58:21Z")

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hahahahahahahaha!!!

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**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\
**Post date:** [November 15, 2001, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-place-really-rocks-in-the-new-year/93021/10 "2001-11-15T15:16:44Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Shagnasty \*  
> \*\*I second New Orleans. It really rocks in the New Year and it should not be that uncomfortable being alone because the drunken tourists and locals tend to be pretty outgoing. \*\*

I’ll third that. This might just be the result of a UL but some 10 years ago there was talk of closing Times Square because of insurance issues and moving the national broadcasts to the roof of the Jax brewery. Leave it to New Orleans to create a shopping mall out of a brewery.

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**Author:** ![Anahita](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a9a28c/32.png) [@Anahita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anahita)\
**Post date:** [November 15, 2001, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-place-really-rocks-in-the-new-year/93021/11 "2001-11-15T15:34:43Z")

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Jost Van Dyke

A small island in the British Virgin Islands where the only way there is via boat. Here is the link to paradise. Have a flying fish sandwich at the Soggy Dollar for me!

[http://www.b-v-i.com/JostVanDyke/default.htm](http://www.b-v-i.com/JostVanDyke/default.htm)

It is just wonderful, can’t say enough. Koh Samui was great about 6-8 yrs ago but has been taken over by not-so-nice tourists.