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New Year’s Eve partiers paying up to $12,500 to ring in 2024 at Times Square locations of chain restaurants
Some New Year’s Eve revelers say you can’t put a price on the experience of watching the Times Square ball drop live and in-person on December 31.
But business owners in the tourist mecca have done just that — with prices of up to $12,500.
Hotels and restaurants near One Times Square, the site of the famed New Year’s Eve ball drop in Times Square, are offering exclusive New Year’s Eve party packages, with tickets costing between $450 and $12,500. The tickets typically include access to food, drinks and live entertainment, while some offer views of the Big Ball.
Although attending the world famous event is free for those watching from the sidewalks below, some people are ponying up for NYE party packages in Times Square that offer a little extra comfort.
Here are some spots in Times Square that are offering some of the more expensive ways to kick off 2024.
Olive Garden: $450
At Olive Garden’s Time Square location, New Year’s Eve revelers can welcome 2024 at a slightly more modest price point than some of the other chain restaurants and hotels. Tickets cost $450 each, according to the event organizer’s website.
The ticket includes a complimentary buffet, open bar, live entertainment and a complimentary champagne toast at midnight.
However, a live view of the ball drop is not guaranteed, according to the event’s organizers.
Applebee’s: $799+
Party people with more money to burn can ring in the new year at one of two Applebee’s locations in Times Square. Tickets start at $799, event organizer Ball Drop’s website shows.
The restaurant chain’s New Year’s Eve package includes a buffet with entrees such as steak and salmon, hors d’oeuvres, a house DJ, party favors, a champagne toast and a “top shelf” open bar, which is open from 7 p.m. to midnight. The ticket also includes an escort to the street to catch a glimpse of the ball drop.
Bubba Gump Shrimp Co.: $1,015
Bubba Gump is another restaurant chain offering ball drop views at jaw-dropping prices.
The restaurant’s all-inclusive ticket costs $1,015, the company’s website shows. The admission price covers live entertainment, party favors, a champagne toast and a full buffet, in addition to hors d’oeuvres.
Knickerbocker: Up to $3,995
The Knickerbocker Hotel, a member of the The Leading Hotels of the World, is hosting a swanky rooftop party just 150 feet from the Times Square Ball. Tickets cost between $1,995 and $3,995, depending on the package, the hotel’s website shows.
The Knickerbocker’s NYE Platinum Party package includes a cocktail party, dance floor with DJ and a banquet dinner with caviar, seafood and roasted meats. At the end of the night, attendees toast each other with glasses of Dom Pérignon champagne.
Marriott Marquis: Up to $12,500
The Marriott Marquis hotel is offering New Year’s Eve experiences for between $1,350 and $12,500, depending on the package, according to Ball Drop.
The Prime VIP Couple’s Package, which costs $12,500 for two people, guarantees seating next to floor-to-ceiling windows looking out onto the Times Square Ball. Its other perks include a bottle of champagne, butler and coat check services, hors d’oeuvres and access to an open bar and dinner buffet.
As of Wednesday afternoon, the Prime VIP Couple’s Package had only one ticket remaining.
NEW YORK — Former New York Gov. David Paterson and his stepson were attacked in New York City on Friday night, authorities said.
The incident occurred just before 9 p.m. on Second Avenue near East 96th Street on the Upper East Side, according to the New York City Police Department.
Police said officers were sent to the scene after an assault was reported. When officers arrived, police say they found a 20-year-old man suffering from facial injuries and a 70-year-old man who had head pain. Both victims were taken to a local hospital in stable condition.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the former governor said the two were attacked while “taking a walk around the block near their home by some individuals that had a previous interaction with his stepson.”
The spokesperson said that they were injured “but were able to fight off their attackers.”
Both were taken to Cornell Hospital “as a precaution,” he added.
Police said no arrests have been made and the investigation is ongoing.
The 70-year-old Paterson, a Democrat, served as governor from 2008 to 2010, stepping into the post after the resignation of Eliot Spitzer following his prostitution scandal. He made history at the time as the state’s first-ever Black and legally blind governor.
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A 17-year-old boy was critically injured and a person is in custody after a gunman opened fire on a SEPTA bus in North Philadelphia Friday evening, police said.
At around 6:15 p.m., Philadelphia police were notified about a shooting on a SEPTA bus traveling on Allegheny Avenue near 3rd and 4th streets in North Philadelphia, Inspector D F Pace told CBS News Philadelphia.
There were an estimated 30 people on the bus at the time of the shooting, Pace said, but only the 17-year-old boy was believed to have been shot. Investigators said they believe it was a targeted attack on the teenager and that he was shot in the back of the bus at close range.
According to Pace, the SEPTA bus driver alerted a control center about the shooting, which then relayed the message to Philadelphia police, who responded to the scene shortly.
Officers arrived at the scene and found at least one spent shell casing and blood on the bus, but no shooting victim, Pace said. Investigators later discovered the 17-year-old had been taken to Temple University Hospital where he is said to be in critical condition, according to police.
CBS Philadelphia
Through their preliminary investigation, police learned those involved in the SEPTA shooting may have fled in a silver-colored Kia.
Authorities then found a car matching the description of the Kia speeding in the area and a pursuit began, Pace said. Police got help from a PPD helicopter as they followed the Kia, which ended up crashing at 5th and Greenwood streets in East Mount Airy. Pace said the Kia crashed into a parked car.
The driver of the crashed car ran away but police were still able to take them into custody, Pace said.
Investigators believe there was a second person involved in the shooting who ran from the car before it crashed. Police said they believe this person escaped near Allegheny Avenue and 4th Street, leaving a coat behind.
According to Pace, police also found a gun and a group of spent shell casings believed to be involved in the shooting in the same area.
“It’s very possible that there may have been a shooting inside the bus and also shots fired from outside of the bus toward the bus,” Pace said, “We’re still trying to piece all that together at this time.”
This is an active investigation and police are reviewing surveillance footage from the SEPTA bus.