DOWNTOWN While the gregarious types will be hitting the local hot spots to ring in the New Year, undoubtedly spending wads of cash on dinner and drinks, Stacey Smythe will be cuddled up on her couch watching Dick Clark count down from 10 as the giant Waterford Crystal ball drops on New York City’s Times Square.
“I just want to have a relaxing New Year’s this time around,” said the 28-year-old retail manager. “Ever year it seems like people want to make a big deal out of it. They get all excited, spend so much time trying to find the perfect outfit, the perfect party, and then they spend all this money only to be disappointed.”
Smythe said she will be “just fine” with spending the night with two of her girlfriends at home with some hors d’oeuvres, a little champagne and some board games.
Collin Pickering is on the opposite end of the spectrum. The 24-year-old college student has been planning his New Year’s celebration for weeks. He’s hired a limo driver, bought a new suit and has saved up more than $200, which he intends to spend on drinks at a nightclub in Venice so cool it’s called Air Conditioned.
“It’s a lot of money to spend, but it’s New Year’s Eve, man.You’ve got to do it up,”Pickering said.“I look at it like this: It’s kind of like saying good-bye to all the crap that happened in your life over the past year and celebrating all the great things you have to look forward to. It’s like you get a clean slate so why not celebrate.”
Then there’s people like Ravi Kannan, who is going for something in between. He plans to throw a party at his home in Westwood, complete with a valet, finger foods and a full bar,
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on December 31, 2007. Read the original PDF.