Play in Times Square

Spend New Year’s Eve in Times Square without subjecting yourself to the outdoor wait. Lucky Strike is opening its 26-lane bowling alley to an all-night dance party, complete with six-hour open bar, dinner and a champagne toast at midnight (7pm–4am; $75–$295, tickets available through newyears.com). If you’d rather play Skee-Ball or Big Buck Hunter, pick up a Power Card at Dave & Buster’s (7pm–1am; $75–$785, tickets available through joonbug.com): Its five-hour open bar starts at 8pm, but have an after-party backup plan ready if you want to celebrate late. Finally, if 2012 isn’t futuristic enough for you, check out Mars 2112, a 35,000-square-foot red-planet-themed restaurant and nightclub, which comes outfitted with faux-tabloid Mars Today and Mars TV—but something tells us they’ll still broadcast the ball drop from Earth (8pm–4am; $75–$195, tickets available through newyears.com).