New Year's Eve at Pleasure Island

Had planned to spend New Year's Eve at Atlantic Dance Hall. Unfortunately, tickets sold out early and I couldn't even get near the place as Disney Security directed those without tickets to the already full overflow lot. That left few last-minute choices so I headed over to Pleasure Island to see what was happening there. Surely the rumors were true that they'd reopen up at least one venue to handle the masses. Not!

PI was indeed packed last night for New Year's Eve but basically there was little going on. The large majority of people were merely flowing in either direction between Marketplace and West Side. They had a magician working in front of AC. The two bars had fairly long lines. Teens stood in groups in front of PI Live listening to the music and watching the videos.

But entrance signs made it clear that the locations of midnight fireworks did not include DTD. The clubs were shut just as they have been since September 28th. A peek in the windows of Motion showed a normal looking venue that could reopen with a DJ tomorrow. But the darkened hulks of Mannequins and 8TRAX created vast gaps of nothingness as people flowed by. The famous PI entrance sign had holiday paper slapped carelessly across it; the PI map showed that there really is nothing here but a few shops plus Raglan Road. So different from a year ago, so different from just 3 months ago. This was a sad place to be on New Year's Eve. What will be here one year from now?