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The New Year influx started earlier this year than I have ever seen.

Last Friday, crowds started thickening, and every day since then, it has gotten more and more crowded in the city of Las Vegas.

Tonight … Tuesday Night … is arguably the busiest night I have experienced in this town so far this year.

Check-in lines are long, and traffic on The Strip reminds me of a weeknight in 2006.

Take a look at the photos, and see what you think.

It is exceptionally crowded because room rates for New Years Eve are down 20%-50% this year compared to last year, and it is once again affordable to ring in the new calender in Las Vegas.

People are rightfully taking full advantage of the low rates to celebrate here in town.

I’m not real big on traditions, but I always have had my little customs. One of them was making it to Times Square at least a half hour before the damned ball dropped. When I lived in Brooklyn I took the subway to 42nd street in about half an hour, and when I lived in DC I took the Amtrak to Penn Station in about three hours.

Of course, the commute to NYC from the West Coast is a bit extreme, so the last time I actually celebrated in The Square was at the turn of the century … when 1999 turned into 2000.

I figured the century celebration was the logical ending point of the Times Square tradition, and the next year I moved to the West Coast.

On a side note, it is of interest that despite media claims to the contrary, I actually was a victim of Y2K. After the ball had fallen and the confetti stopped raining, I took the train to Greenwich Village to hit one of my favorite pizza joints. I stopped at the Village Citibank ATM at about 1am, and my Citibank ATM Card had indeed “expired” even though it was good for another three years. I literally had to borrow money for food because my money was tied up in the 1900′s, and it was not straightened out until the next business day.

I know few people who were actual victims of Y2K, but I do indeed hold that dubious distinction.

Anyway …

Since I moved here, the tradition has switched up. I have spent every NYE … you guessed it … on the Las Vegas Strip.

One thing that strikes me here is that the crowds are very different than they are in New York.

In general, the Times Square crowd is happy, jovial, and with a few exceptions … everyone gets along and there are rarely any issues.

Las Vegas has usually had a completely different vibe. Namely, much more hostile and confrontational.

People get angry if they get bumped into, and I have witnessed numerous shouting matches and altercations. The cops are also very belligerent to the crowd.

Since most of the people are from elsewhere, there is no sense of community or “this is our city” kind of vibe here, and everyone kind of looks at everyone else with contempt and as a potential enemy.

There is also a large gang-thug element down on the street. Basically, there is a lot of tension.

The times I have been in the mosh pit crowd on the Boulevard have been very disharmonious, and not really “fun”, IMHO.

You keep looking around for the next cop to shout at you, or the next drunken brawl to break out between the Mexican Mafia and the Bloods.

There is much more dim-witted bravado and “Fuck you, get out of my way!” stuff here … whereas New York is a more “Hey, we’re in this mess together so let’s have a toast!” kind of attitude.

That’s just my observation.

I’m sure it is far different when watching it from a hotel room, or with a group of friends around you … but the “general admission” crowd that roams up and down The Strip before and after the stroke of midnight has never been a pleasant group in my opinion.

After reporting from last years New Years Eve, I decided to retire this particular tradition as well. I got all that I could get out of it, and I was tired of spending the evening with the worst group of tourists in the USA.

I’m also getting old. I turned 40 this year, and in my opinion, forty is the age at which people should start to wind down their more youthful traditions in a graceful manner … accept their oldness … and move on. There is nothing more pathetic than watching an old person trying to hang onto their youth like grim death.

I’ve done things in my forty years of life that, by all accounts, should have killed me three times over. I’ve got nothing left to prove. Now it’s time to sit back and try to mitigate the damage that I have done to myself. I’ve seen and been in more crowds than fifty average Americans combined. It’s time to retire.

Age is “not just a number”, and you are “not only as old as you feel”. Old people invented those sayings to make themselves feel better about being old, but it’s nonsense.

Each time you add a number to your age, you are one year closer to death, and you are as old as that number says you are. No more, no less. It doesn’t matter how you feel … your ass is still old.

I decided last year, that I would spend this year huddled around my television watching New Year’s Rockin’ Eve. At my age, it’s the right thing to do.

This year, some guy is doing a motorcycle jump over the Paris casino arch, but those stunts really don’t do anything for me, and they are best seen on YouTube anyway. At least you will be able pause the video at the exact moment the guy splats against the side of the arch.

Motorcycle stunts weren’t enough to get me over there again.

The Strip will also be launching fewer fireworks at 300 feet lower in altitude this year than in years past.

They are citing “fire concerns” for this change, but the scale down is disappointing. All the more reason to stay warm this year.

Then it occurred to me …

I’ve never spent New Years Eve in Downtown Las Vegas.

All of these years I have parked myself on Las Vegas Boulevard or in one of the buildings on The Strip, but I have never experienced the mayhem under the Fremont canopy for myself.

Dammit … retirement postponed for one more year.

Therefore, my plans for tomorrow night will be to greet 2009 on Fremont Street in Downtown.

By all accounts, I picked the perfect year for this little exercise.

While the Downtown New Years Party usually costs money to attend, this year they are going to admit Las Vegas residents completely free of charge. They are trying to get the locals crowd involved this year, and that is something I want to support.

I’m tired of dealing with assholes from other parts of the country. If I have to deal with annoying drunks, I prefer them to be local drunks who share the commonality of calling this hellhole “home”.

Not only will Downtown be free for locals, but there will be a couple of unique events that are making their debut in 2009.

For the first time ever, Downtown is going to launch real fireworks under the canopy. These fireworks will literally be exploding right in front of my face.

As if that weren’t reason enough to attend the celebration, the Fremont Street Experience will debut a new overhead light show called “Kiss Las Vegas” … a new light show based on … you guessed it, the band KISS.

And what red blooded male over the age of 39 doesn’t like KISS?

Downtown seems to be making more of an effort this year than is The Strip, and as a local, I would like to support that effort and show my appreciation. I will try to do some gambling and buy a thing or two to support my city the best I can.

For once, there may actually be a real sense of community here on NYE. Or maybe not.

It could be great, or it could be a complete disaster. There are no guarantees in this town.

Either way, I will provide live, wireless updates here on CasinoGuide, and will fill in the post with better photos, video of the new attractions, and a full report on the experience sometime on New Year’s Day.

Stay tuned.

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