Chicago Sun-Times: More staying home tonight while others ready to party

Brooke Leviton is starting out the New Year with a good deed-- she'll be baby-sitting.

The 30-year-old Chicago woman is looking forward to a quiet New Year's Eve.

"Everything is twice the price, you can't find a cab and it's cold," said Leviton, a program coordinator. "The glamor of New Year's Eve is over."

It appears that many people have similar feelings, and it may not be such a happy New Year for large parties.

According to a poll by Hotwire and Harris Interactive, only 1 percent of those polled plan on joining the crowds for an outdoor activity like the Times Square celebration or First Night.

Of those who already have plans, 31 percent are going to a party but 41 percent said they'll be home watching television.

Need more proof that New Year's Eve is becoming a couch potato's holiday? Check out these facts:

*Domino's Pizza reports it will have a record night: About 1.1 million pies will be sold. As a result, Domino's Pizza stores nationwide are doubling their staffs and ordering more dough, sauce and cheese to take on the surge of orders anticipated. Domino's expects to sell 50 percent more pies than the number sold on a typical Tuesday.

Statistically, there will be a pizza coming out of the oven every two minutes in every one of the 4,800 Domino's stores across the country.

*Blockbuster is expecting a big night New Year's Eve. This is the biggest rental week of the year for the chain.

"What most people are looking for is an oldie to watch with their kids," said Liz Greene of Blockbuster.

*TV executives expect lots of viewers, and many are offering special programming. The Game Show Network, for example, is showing a special Playboy Playmate edition of Russian Roulette, a game show. The Travel Channel will be showing New Year's Eve fireworks from around the world.

*Spending on holiday parties, such as New Year's Eve shindigs, is down this year, according to PriceWaterhouseCoopers' hospitality group. They estimate Americans will spend $2.5 billion this month on parties, down some 15 percent from the millennium year of 2000.

*Even Mr. New Year's Eve, Dick Clark, acknowledges that "more people stay home to watch us than go out."

Hosting his Times Square party for 31 years now, Clark says he's seen the evening change from "an unruly alcohol-laden celebration to a much more controlled event in which everyone disperses by 12:10."

Most of those who are staying home cite price and lifestyle as the reasons.

"I am kind of sick of what New Year's Eve has become," said Joe Chiarito, 32, of Downers Grove. "They try to lure you out with a balloon drop at midnight.

"I've got to pay a couple of hundred dollars to watch 10,000 balloons drop. No thanks."

As of Monday, Chiarito hadn't decided what, if anything, he was going to do to ring in the New Year. He is considering just a quiet dinner with his fiancee.

Some of the reason for the dwindling numbers may be the uncertainty of the future. A year ago--the first holiday season after 9/11--most Americans were numb, reaching out to friends and embracing families.

This year finds them trying to learn to live with the likelihood of more strife. A war against Iraq seems likely. The government warns of "spectacular" terrorist events. The economy is erratic. The stain of corporate scandals continues to undermine faith in institutions, while lurid accounts of sexual abuse by priests continue to shock the nation.

A Gallup Poll conducted earlier this month found that 54 percent of Americans think the economy is getting worse; 78 percent say it is not a good time to find a "quality job"; 51 percent are dissatisfied with the direction the country is going.

Major worries: the economy in general (30 percent), fear of war (20 percent), threat of terrorism (18 percent).

"Americans have no reason not to be nervous," says pollster George Gallup Jr. "In every department, things are spooky. One would be hard- pressed to find reasons to be really ebullient."

But don't write off New Year's Eve for Chicago's hotels and restaurants. They may not be packed to the brim with partyers, but hoteliers say some are still venturing out to find someone to kiss when the clock strikes 12.

The Peninsula, one of Chicago's most luxurious hotels, is offering some pricey packages. Ticket sales have been hot, said Carilyn Platt, a hotel spokeswoman. It is offering New Year's Eve black-tie celebrations at its restaurants ranging from $98 to $250, and that doesn't include a room.

"People are definitely going out," Platt said. "We have a few seats left, but that is probably just for the early seatings."

And how does a New Year's Eve baby celebrate the holiday?

Paula Reynolds can tell you. It's her 47th birthday today. She will spend the day at a salon getting a manicure, pedicure and her hair styled.

Then, at night, "I am going to be in a hot tub under the stars," said Reynolds, of Chicago, who also bought a $75 bottle of Veuve Clicquot on Monday at Binny's downtown. "I want to be out of the city's hustle and bustle."