So much to do, so little New Year's Eve. To better enjoy the night, find your personality type and consider the following itineraries:
Type B
You'd rather be home watching a "Three Stooges" marathon, but your darling partner wants to go out.
In the early evening, view the "Give Us Peace" ice sculpture by Eric Fontecchio and Alfred Georgs in Copley Square. Catch the Family Fireworks on the Boston Common at 7 p.m. Wander through the Hynes Convention Center to check the various offerings. Head to the Park Plaza Hotel for the 10:30 p.m. performance of Valerie Stephen's tribute to Nina Simone. Give your partner a big smack at midnight and head home.
Type A
You want to get a real taste of New Year's Eve in the Hub.
Head out in the late afternoon to check out the ice sculptures and installations on Boston Common, including "Mangrove," a tribute to the Everglades by sculptor Donald Chapelle, and Evelyn Elias's re-creation of a giant ice-cube tray. At 6 p.m. walk to Marlborough Street to enjoy the guitar music of Santiago Diaz at the First Church in Boston. Walk the six blocks to Newbury Street for the 7:45 p.m. show of Birdsongs of the Mesozoic With Oral Moses at Emmanuel Church. Then stroll to the Hynes Convention Center for the 10 p.m. ImprovBoston show in Hall C. Afterward, go to Copley Square for the countdown to midnight with the Downbeat 5.
Type A+
You want to get as much as you can out of that $15 button.
Starting around 1 p.m., stop into the Hynes and check out various events, including "Picasso's People" at 2:15 p.m. in Room 302. As the sun starts to set, stroll through Copley Square to the Boston Common for art and ice-sculpture viewing before staking out a spot on Boylston Street for the First Night Grand Procession, which begins at 5:30 p.m. At 6:30 p.m., warm up at the Old South Church with Old South's Brass Organ and Timpani. But don't get too comfortable, because you'll want to head back to the Hynes at 8 p.m. for "An Evening With Nora Joyce." It should be finished in time to rush to the 10 p.m. show of Nathan and the Zydeco Cha Chas at the Castle at Park Plaza. Afterward, scurry back to Boston Public Library for the 11:15 p.m. show of "Beyond Broadway." Just before midnight, head to the Parkman Bandstand on Boston Common for the countdown to midnight accompanied by the funky street sounds of the Revolutionary Snake Ensemble. Can 2008 be that hard after accomplishing all this?
You can also go to firstnight.org to devise your own itinerary and e-mail it to yourself.
— STEPHANIE SCHOROW
