New years eve..

My wife and I are going to First Night in Boston this year. I just retired my Minolta XG1 35mm after 30 years and got a CanonXSi with an out of the box Canon 18-55mm lens and a Canon 55-250mm 1:4-5.6 is zoom lens. Between the new gear and also just getting Photoshop 8 I'm bit overwhelmed. I would describe my skills as 'enthusiastic'. Other than my wife's shoulder, I won't have a tripod.
Any advice you can give on night time city lights shooting or a link to a post about it would be appreciated.

Thanks and have a Happy New Year!

Really, the camera does most of the work. Set it on AV, f10 or so, let the meter determine shutter speed. Unfortunately, your wife's shoulder will likely be a poor substitute for a tri-pod (and vice versa). I would not attempt night light shots without a truly steady platform.