Crossroads of the World, or perhaps it is center of the universe!
Whatever you call it, Times Square is one amazing and busy place.
We’re going to bring you now on a detailed exploration of this unique intersection in
the middle of Manhattan.
Electric heart of the city packed with honking taxis, pedestrian mobs, giant billboards lighting
the sky, Broadway shows all around, performers of all kinds out on the sidewalk putting on
a show, and drawing big crowds.
(yelling, cheers) 350,000 people passing through every day, many of them locals on their way
to work.
How busy is it?
Times Square is the most visited place in the world, packed with over 131 million people
each year – a mix of locals and visitors.
That's according to the official organization, the Times Square Alliance.
22% of all money spent by visitors in New York is spent within Times Square, totaling
5 billion in annual retail, entertainment and hotel sales.
Not surprising, considering how many hotel rooms are available in this neighborhood,
and how all the Broadway theaters are right here.
A ticket will cost you $250, but there is a way you can buy it for half price, as we
are going to show you right now.
Get the tickets for half price on the day of performance at the TKTS booth here at 48th
Street.
There's normally a long line of bargain-hunters which you can minimize by showing up when
they open, or just before closing.
Their hours are 11 to 7.
If you are coming back to purchase for a second show during your visit you can cut to the
front of the line by speaking to the agent and showing your old ticket, so be sure to
hang onto that ticket.
You're in the heart of theater district, so take advantage and go to a couple of shows.
Steps above the booth are a great place to sit and enjoy the perfect view.
And come back again in the evening for the dazzling light show.
We will show you a lot more of Times Square at night coming up in a few minutes.
Nearly all of the theaters are within three or four blocks of Times Square, so it makes
it very easy to get there on foot – can't show you any theater scenes here because photography
is not allowed during the performance, so you'll have to go there in person.
Musicals and comedies are always the popular favorites.
Another fun activity is a city tour on open top bus.
You'll notice there's a large pedestrian area here.
It used to be different.
Broadway was opened to traffic 7th Avenue, also, lots of cars, trucks and buses going
by, and you just have the sidewalks.
But, in 2009 Mayor Bloomberg decided, with careful planning, to shut down Broadway, keep
the cars off the road and turn it over to the pedestrians – a bold move that was originally
opposed by local businesses and traffic interests who thought that it would hurt business and
create gridlock on adjacent streets, which were already overcapacity, but the mayor persisted
and it became a big hit, immensely improving the experience.
Success of this pedestrianized project has become a model for other cities around the
country.
If it can happen here, it can happen anywhere.
Even before this pedestrian transformation, a lot of efforts were made in cleaning up
Times Square.
Now it's clean and safe, loaded with family entertainment.
Times Square is the antithesis of what it once was, yet still bursting with raw urban
energy.
The merchants got together and formed an association that has revitalized this area as one of the
major commercial and entertainment districts of the world.
In the 1980s, the clothing chain Gap was one of the first businesses to set up a brand-new
retail shop, recently expanded to become that chain's largest outlet, and it's open every
day until 2 AM.
The first Gap got the rejuvenation off to a great start, followed by Disney who, bought
out the Amsterdam Theater on 42nd Street in the mid-1990s and put in Lion King, transforming
a seedy rundown block into a family festival.
Another of the prime events in this rebirth was the construction of the Marriott Marquis
Hotel in 1985, with 1,900 rooms in a 50-story tower.
You can stop and have a look inside and ride the glass elevator, use the facilities, have
a drink and enjoy the huge atrium.
There are some who say Times Square has gone too far in this direction.
They criticize it as being more of a theme park rather than a gritty urban neighborhood
that it once was.
These costumed characters can be a lot of fun for some visitors, maybe get your picture
taken as the Statue of Liberty, but for others, they're a pain in the neck.
They can be a little annoying, pestering you to take pictures for which you pay them, of
course, and so the city has restricted where they can stand into one set area.
Used to be, they could walk around on the sidewalk anywhere in Times Square, but no
longer, so it's a lot better now.
In the 1980s, things had gotten so bad at Times Square, with the drugs and the crime
problem and deteriorating buildings and lack of city funding, that it had reached a point
that urban planners gave up on saving Times Square, and came up with a nightmare plan
to replace it completely with gigantic, sterile office towers.
Fortunately, those misguided plans fell through and new wholesome businesses began spontaneously
opening, rediscovering this prime spot as the city's goldmine, filled with pedestrians
looking for fun and ready to shop.
The city's biggest subway station is right here so get a one-week Metro card for cheap
riding, and save some more money at the little food wagons.
The map shows Times Square's location in a busy tangle of streets at the intersection
where Broadway and 7th Avenue come together, between 42nd and 47th streets.
You see it's not a square.
It looks more like a bowtie, two triangles put together, along with many blocks of side
streets.
It's easy to just meander and wander any which way with this big pedestrian zone, but, one
trick you might try is do a circumnavigation, walk all the way around the perimeter.
It's just 1 kilometer.
You could do it in the morning, afternoon, and do it again at night.
You'll be bombarded with visual stimuli that you could never catch in one passing.
You'll get a lot out of repeat visits to this spot, night and day.
It's another good reason for staying at a hotel that's nearby, makes it more convenient.
Each time you come you're going to see something different, such as the Naked Cowboy, who's
here just about every day, right before noon.
This guy has gotten rich with his appearances.
He's been at it for 20 years.
Performances don't only happen inside these Broadway theaters.
You are going to find it all around you on the streets.
There are entertainers, and just the simple fact of urban street life is entertaining
in itself, especially here.
Even the construction trucks can provide a little amusement for you.
The city is always growing.
With so many millions of people living here, one of the occasional downsides is places
get a little crowded.
You might have to wait on line.
You also want to come back here at night to appreciate the blazing lights.
Perhaps that's when it's at its best.
So that's a great time to stroll through the neon gulch and feel the electric pulse of
the city brightening up the sky like noon.
Don't worry this is one of the safest neighborhoods in town.
There are a large number of artistic and cultural events that take place here in Times Square
and generally they're free.
They can draw some big crowds.
Look at all these people.
What could they be gathered for?
It's the season opening of the Metropolitan Opera, which has been broadcast live up on
the big screens in Times Square for the past 12 years.
(Singing) They set up 2000 seats and you don't need
a ticket.
It's all free and first-come first-served.
It takes place at the north end of Times Square between 46th and 47th St. on what's called
Duffy Square, and on Broadway Plaza between 43rd and 44th.
There is also standing room all around for at least another thousand people, and generally
there's plenty of space to enjoy it.
During intermission there are food and drinks for sale from the Times Square Market food
kiosks.
Times Square is an outdoor festival with many other events happening throughout the year.
Coordinated by an organization called Times Square Arts, who collaborates with contemporary
artists with singers, painters, sculptors, actors, poets, electronics, digital – arts
of all kinds, shapes and forms.
(Singing, applause) You can find the complete schedule of entertainment
online, just Google their website, Times Square Arts.
Perhaps you'll be surprised by a snowstorm.
We got up early one morning, and stepped out before breakfast, before the crowds got there,
and the place was covered in snow.
This could happen anytime between late October and early April, but if it's a light dusting
it's probably going to disappear pretty quickly, so get out there and take a look while you
can.
We decided to go up to Central Park to have a look in hopes that the snow would still
be there and covering more of the ground, as we've shown you in another movie in our
series on New York, and sure enough, Central Park was all blanketed in white.
By the time we got back to Midtown, the snow was all gone.
Times Square extends beyond Broadway and 7th Avenue for a few blocks in each direction,
in the Times Square District.
And there you'll find many more shops including some pop-ups like this temporary shopping
center.
Portable kiosks packed with affordable merchandise on an empty lot.
There are hundreds of places to eat around Times Square and many of them are really fantastic.
We enjoyed PS Kitchen.
They have richly artisanal foods that engages all of your senses.
And it's all vegan, prepared and classic French style with the finest quality ingredients,
on West 46th between 7th and 8th.
All profits are donated to charity.
You'll gain a good viewpoint looking down at the city from Gulliver's Gate, where you
can travel the world in miniature, seeing hundreds of famous sites all in one place.
Located on West 44th between 7th and 8th, just half a block off of Times Square.
And we have more movies about New York that you can find in our collection.