With the cold snap covering the East Coast in freezing temperatures, it seemed appropriate to embrace the weather by going to Bryant Park's Winter Village, also known as "Midtown Manhattan’s winter wonderland." The Winter Village includes artisanal boutiques selling unique apparel and decorative goods, local food vendors, a rinkside eatery, and New York City’s only free admission ice skating rink. This 17,000 square foot rink offers high quality rental skates and features free skating shows and special events. Most importantly, there's plenty of room for me to perfect my triple salchow. (Pretty sure I still have time to qualify for the Winter Olympics.) What else am I going to do in this cold!
Happy New Year!
Lights on London's Regent Street, famous for its holiday decorations.
It's been another exciting year for us at the Daryanani Law Group. From a new partner climbing a volcano to the H-1B cap; from key additions on our staff and weddings to a visit from Roger, (not to mention our name change), it was eventful, to say the least. We look forward to 2016, whatever it may bring. From all of us here at DLG, we wish you and your family a Happy New Year!
New Year's Eve Around the World
Santa has come and gone (obviously, he uses Global Entry). It's time now to decide how to celebrate New Year's Eve (for those of us on the Gregorian calendar). In the always-delightful-never-crowded New York City's Times Square, you can watch that famous ball drop. This ball (a geodesic sphere, rather) is twelve feet in diameter, weighs 11,875 pounds, and is covered with 2,688 Waterford Crystal triangles. Before you go make sure to have some some black-eyed peas and collared greens for good luck and fortune in the new year. Approximately one million people are expected in Times Square. There is no alcohol allowed.
In Paris at midnight, the Eiffel Tower will have a light show "offering a truly festive and magical sight for the eyes!" If your eyes survive, take a walk down the Champs-Élysées and have a glass (okay, bottle) of Champagne. Or avoid Paris and go to Plérin in Brittany for a New Year's Eve swim in the freezing sea. Better have a drink after that. Salut!
In Beirut, smash some china with Orthodox Christians (or how about some celebratory gunfire?). In Spain, as the clock strikes midnight, eat twelve grapes keeping time with the striking clock to have twelve prosperous months. Or gather with the locals in the plaza where bars typically stay open all night. In Japan with your family, watch NHK's Kohaku, "a marathon TV show in which J-pop stars reprise the year's most nauseating hit singles." In Mexico City, wear red underpants, run around the block carrying an empty suitcase, and eat twelves grapes (okay, sounds familiar) in quick succession each time making a wish for the coming year.
In Rio de Janeiro, wear newly-purchased white clothing, cleanse yourself in the ocean, and throw small mementos into the surf making a wish (if the waves do not bring the mementos back, the wish will be granted), and, of course, head to Copacabana Beach for the fireworks display. In Santiago, wear yellow underwear (if you're a woman looking for love), eat twelve grapes (yes, again), and head to Valparaíso for the reportedly largest fireworks display in South America. In Bangkok, for a Times-Square-like countdown party, go to Central World shopping mall for friendly crowds, live bands and DJs, and more fireworks.
Or you can take comedian John Oliver's sage advice and skip all New Year's Eve celebrations. But whatever you do, Happy New Year!