By Christopher Muther

The empty champagne bottles and noisemakers had yet to be swept up from New Year's Eve 1999 when we started hearing the mantra that would haunt us all year. Every restaurant, club, cruise ship, dance club, and gathering place would be booked up long before New Year's Eve 2000. If you didn't book early, you might as well cozy up with Dick Clark and a bottle of Pepsi (all varieties of champagne will be out of stock).

Evidently the hype reached the 97 percent of us who didn't have New Year's plans by late July. Fearing the worst, we simply didn't bother to look. As a result, galas all over the city still have room for last-minute revelers.

Instead of spending New Year's Eve huddled among canned goods and generators, get out and party; you won't have it this good for another 1,000 years.

There's no end to extravagance this New Year's Eve. If you fear the apocalypse and want to go out in style, take in one of the many dinner and hotel packages ($6,000 at the Ritz-Carlton, anyone?). For the rest of us, some of Boston's finest restaurants still have tables available for multicourse meals, followed by sinful desserts and champagne.

The Watertown restaurant Le Bocage has New Year's Eve openings for seatings between 5:30 and 11:30 p.m. The seven-course meal will be prepared by four generations of the Tolini family and includes lobster, salmon, or lamb. $185 per person; call 617-923-1210.

Icarus in the South End still has openings for its five-course meal, which includes pheasant, rack of lamb, or striped bass - topped off with dancing and a champagne toast. $200 per person; 617-426-1790.

Up Stairs at the Pudding in Cambridge has an early seating (between 5 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.) for $150 per person. A later seating was nearly booked at last check, but a few of the $300 seats were still available. 617-864-1933.

Pho Republique is hosting a millennium party featuring a four-course prix fixe dinner, a DJ, and a Vietnamese contortionist; it's $75 per person. If you simply want to drop by and check out the entertainment, there's no cover to spend the night sipping cocktails in the lounge. 617-262-0005.

29 Newbury is serving a five-course meal including lobster. $125 per person; 617-536-0290.

Les Zygomates holds a continental party, first ringing in the New Year in Paris with a 5:30 p.m. seating, and then holding a second party with a 9 p.m. seating. The four-course dinner (which includes five champagnes) and entertainment is $250 per person.

No matter how late you call, you may find a seat at your favorite restaurant. The week before Christmas, many restaurant owners were bemoaning the slower-than-usual reservation rate this year.

Penny-pinching parties

Finding cheap New Year's Eve parties this year is a challenge, but look closely enough, and you'll spot a few.

Local punk favorites The Shods and rockers Man Or Astro Man? are headlining at the Middle East in Cambridge. The $30 show includes a buffet, party favors, and a champagne toast. 617-931-2000.

Great Scott is also holding a bargain party. For $20, guests can dance to the band Apartment 3. Admission includes hats and a champagne toast. 617-566-9014.

In New Bedford, Gallery X is holding a Millennium Masquerade Ball for young and old. Admission is free with a First Night New Bedford button ($2 in advance, $5 Dec. 31; buttons can be purchased at the gallery the night of the event). Silver Branch and Pumpkin Head Ted will provide the music and the Miracle Fish Puppet Theater will entertain. 508-992-2675.

Brookline Irish pub O'Leary's is hosting a party with a buffet, champagne, and music by the Paul Rishell and Annie Raines Band. $10; 617-734-0049.

Fajitas and Ritas in Boston is bringing in the Buck Dewey Big Band, and offering a buffet and a midnight toast. $30; 617-426-1222.

Offbeat ideas

There's no rule dictating that New Year's Eve has to be spent eating, drinking, or looking fabulous.

Those seeking to try something a little wild can start their day at the Franklin Park Zoo, which is holding a Conservation Countdown from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. You'll get face time with animals and hear talks from staff members. $6, children $3; 617-541-5466.

The Lizard Lounge hosts "Marlene Loses It at the Millennium." The show is a reprise of the popular weekly cabaret series that ran between July and December last year. Imagine "The Ed Sullivan Show" on LSD, and you've got the picture. Live music, spoken word performances, and drag queens all populate the stage, while a Marlene Dietrich look-alike prowls the floor. For the special New Year's Eve show, Seks Bomba, Wide Iris, and the Shelly Winters Project provide the music, with entertainment by tap dancers, comedians, and puppeteers. The show will fill the Lizard Lounge, plus upstairs at the Cambridge Common Restaurant. $40 in advance, $50 at the door; 617-547-0759.

Looking for cheap glamour? Strap on the stilettos and head over to Jacques in Bay Village. For $10, the night includes complimentary champagne, a special drag show, and a performance by the always intoxicating Ivana Cocktail. Recommended only for those with an adventurous spirit. 617-426-8902.

Let the music play

Virtually every club in Boston is hosting bands and DJs. Among musical standouts:

Hometown hard rock heroes Godsmack play at the Bayside Expo Center. $35 and up; 617-825-5151.

Club Passim hosts a stellar folk line-up of Ellis Paul and Rachel McCartney. $25; 617-492-7679.

Boston Baroque plays a New Year's Eve show of baroque fireworks at the Sanders Theatre in Harvard Square. $21-$45; 617-496-2222.

Local teen heartthrob and former New Kid Joey McIntyre plays two shows at the Paradise, 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. $50; 617-562-8800.

The Roxy and its downstairs neighbor, NYC Jukebox, join forces to present '70s relics Evelyn "Champagne" King and The Trammps $200; 617-338-7699.

For $10, dancers and potential dancers can check out Swing City Dancing at the Mount Auburn Post VFW in Cambridge for swing lessons at 7:30 p.m. followed by dancing from 8:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m.; 617-277-3777. The Fairs and Squares club hosts a square dance at the Plymouth Church. $16 per couple, reservations required; 508-626-0327.

The morning after

Some of the best New Year's parties are happening the first day of the year. Flora in Arlington is holding a recovering tea and lunch featuring "luxurious leftovers" from the New Year's Eve party, 12:30-5 p.m. $40; 781-641-1664.

Old Sturbridge Village still has openings for its 2:30 and 3:30 p.m. First Day Brunch. $16, children $8; 508-347-3362, ext. 325.

Daddy-O's in Cambridge holds its annual Lower East Side Classics New Year's Day lunch. The menu includes bagels, lox, scrambled eggs, and chopped liver sandwiches. 617-354-8371.

To help you work off all that New Years' Eve grub, the Waverly Oaks Athletic Club in Waltham is hosting a 4-mile road race at 11 a.m. There's also a 1.2-mile fun run/walk at the club for those who are still seeing pink elephants. 781-894-8584.