Top 20 NYC New Year's Eve Party Picks

1. New Year's Eve at Hotel Gansevoort

Spend New Year's Eve at the only luxury resort in the Meatpacking District. The New Year's Eve bash will take over the Hotel Gansevoort -- from the Underground Ultralounge all the way up to the rooftop and pool deck. Enjoy a 6-hour top shelf open bar and catering by Ono. Three DJs will spin a mix of hip hop, rock, and dance music. General admission tickets are $175 and table servcie will cost you $275-$375 per person. Reserve your tickets or find out more.

2. Times Square All Access Pass

Go party hopping right in Times Square this New Year's Eve with an all-access pass that gets you access to open bars at six Times Square clubs (including Hudson Terrace, Hawaiian Tropic Zone, and Eden) and free admission to 9 more cash bars in the Times Square area (including Tonic Bar, and Village Pourhouse). Early-bird tickets are $195 per person as of December 11, 2008 but ticket prices will go up as the big night gets closer.

3. New Year's Eve with My Morning Jacket

After selling out their first appearance at Radio City Music Hall, My Morning Jacket will be back in New York to perform a special New Year's Eve show at Madison Square Garden. Book early if you want to hear My Morning Jacket's unique blend of country, folk, and rock live. Tickets are $49.50 and can be purchased online.

4. Hilarious New Year's Eve

Start the New Year laughing. At yhe New Year's Eve Comedy Spectacular, you can see a great improv show, followed by a party with the cast. Tickets are just $79 and include admission, a catered buffet, and a champagne toast at midnight. Buy tickets online or call (212)629-5202. You might also want to check out the New Year's Eve comedy shows at Gotham Comedy Club ($60-$100 + drinks) and Comix, where Greg Giraldo will perform and you'll pay $100-$160 for the show plus a prix-fixe dinner. At Carolines on Broadway in Times Square, you'll pay $103 for the comedy show and dancing (dinner and drinks are extra) and you may get to view the ball drop from the street outside the club (crowds and NYPD permitting).

5. New Year's Eve at Bryant Park Grill

According to NewYears.com editor Annsley Chapman, Bryant Park Grill hosts one of the best New Year's Eve parties in New York City every year. "The event draws a diverse mix of singles, large groups, and couples, and nearly everyone will be under 30," says Chapman. "It's your safest bet for a classy-but-not-stuffy New York New Year's."

6. New Year's Eve Cruises

Spend New Year's Eve on the water and enjoy dramatic views of the Manhattan skyline and the New Year's Eve fireworks at the Statue of Liberty from the dance floor. NY Waterway has 2.5-hour cruises departing at 10PM from Pier 78 (West 38th Street and 12th Avenue). Tickets are $99 per person and include a champagne toast, noisemakers, coffee and dessert bars, and a live DJ to keep the party going. All participants must be 21 and over and advance reservations are strongly recommended. Circle Line also has a three-hour harbor cruise for $120 per person, which includes an open bar, great views of the fireworks, hors d'oeuvres, and a live DJ. Circle Line tickets must be purchased in advance.

7. New Year's Eve At Marquee

Spend New Year's Eve at the Chelsea lounge The New York Post calls "the hottest club in the known universe." Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, and all of your other Page Six favorites have been known to stop by Marquee. The 2008 New Year's Eve bash will be hosted by Mario Lopez and will feature five hours of premium open bar and a midnight champagne toast. A "surprise" world-renowned DJ will spin the music. General admission is $165 per person, Ultra VIP and Platinum VIP Table tickets are $275 and $350 per person. The after-party starts at 3AM and tickets are $35. Buy tickets online.

8. New Year's Eve Midnight Run

Get the New Year off to a healthy and energetic start by joining the New York Road Runners' 4-mile Emerald Nuts Midnight Run in Central Park. The fun begins at 10 pm with a DJ spinning tunes to get you warmed up. At 11 pm, there will be a costume contest and parade. And at midnight, runners take off from the 72nd Transverse at Bethesda Terrace while fireworks explode overhead. You can register online before December 23rd to run in the race, but all are welcome to join the fun and cheer the runners on.

9. New Year's Eve Concert for Peace

Ring in the New Year at the Concert for Peace at St. John the Divine in Harlem, the world's largest Cathedral. This year's concert takes place in the newly cleaned and restored Cathedral and begins with Aaron Copeland's Fanfare for the Common Man. The Cathedral will mark the ninetieth anniversary of the birth of Leonard Bernstein, who originally conceived the Concert for Peace, with vocal excerpts from West Side Story. Also on the program will be the world premiere of Songs of War, Remembrance, and Hope by Glen Cortese, conductor and Cathedral Artist-in-Residence. Arrive early for free general admission or order tickets online (limited number of reserved seats are sold). For more information, call 212-316-7540.

10. New Year's Eve With The New York Philharmonic

Acclaimed mezzo-soprano Susan Graham will ring in the New Year with Lorin Maazel and the New York Philharmonic. The program will include selections from Bizet's Carmen, the Composer's Aria from R. Strauss's Ariadne auf Naxos, and Vilja from Lehár's The Merry Widow. Tickets range in price from $65 to $250 and can be purchased online.