Times Square New York City
Times Square is one of New York's best attractions
New York’s Times Square is one of the most famous tourist attractions in NYC. While it is technically a major commercial intersection and neighborhood in Midtown Manhattan, the junction of Broadway and Seventh Avenue attracts tourists from all around the world. More than 50 Million people visit Times Square annually with more than 60 Million passing through its highly frequented subway station “Times Square / 42nd Street”. Approximately 460,000 people, many of them tourists, pass through Times Square on its busiest days.
Times Square was originally named Longacre Square, and only received it new name once the New York Times moved into 1475 Broadway (also known as 1 Times Square). The New York times stayed in the building (which has now been repurposed as an advertising platform) for less than 10 years, yet the iconic name had already caught on.
Times Square has come a long way…
Times Square is one of the world’s busiest pedestrian intersections and also the hub of the Broadway Theater District making it a major center of the world’s entertainment industry. 40 theaters are located around Times Square, each one contributing to the fact that the famous theater district is so well known globally. With sales of $1 Billion per year, the Broadway shows are another commercial hub of NYC.
As early as 1960, 42nd Street between Seventh and Eighth Avenue, was described by The New York Times as “the ‘worst’ street in town. Times Square in that decade, as depicted in Midnight Cowboy, was gritty, dark and desperate, only to get worse in the 1970s and 1980s. Crime was at an all time high here and in the rest of the city things were worse still. By 1984, an unprecedented 2,300 annual crimes occurred on that single block, of which 460 were serious felonies such as murder. Today Times Square is a very safe place. The NYPD shows their presence 24/hours and you cannot compare it to the past anymore.
In the 1980s, a commercial building boom began in the western parts of Midtown which came together with a long-term development plan under Mayors Ed Koch and David Dinkins. Security was increased, pornographic theaters were closed, and “undesirable” low-rent residents were pressured to relocate. After this themore tourist-friendly attractions and upscale establishments were opened in the area.
Cheap tickets for broadway shows
TKTS Discount Booths are the perfect way for everyone to experience the arts in New York City at affordable prices. Choose from a wide array of Broadway and Off Broadway musicals, plays, and dance productions on sale every day with 20% to 50% off their regular prices. You can find the TKTS Times Square booths in the middle of the square – you can’t miss them!
