There isn't a dimmer switch and it's packed around the clock. Times Square is a splash of Vegas, a soupçon of Disney and a digital deluge of American commercialism. Love it or loathe it, it's hard not to be mesmerized by the glittering lights.
Naming the Square
Making money has always been Times Square's raison d'être. Before its current name, the area was called Longacre Sq. Then, when the IRT (NYC's first subway line) announced a Longacre subway station in 1904, businesses began speculating that moving nearby could increase profits. These businesses included the NY Times, which moved from Nassau St to Broadway and 42nd St the same year. It was a genius decision: with an "in-house" subway station, the Times would have faster distribution and increased commuter sales. The cherry on top? The square was renamed in the paper's honor.
Although the Times moved west in 1913, one of the paper's traditions remains – ringing in the new year. First celebrated in 1904 to commemorate the company's recently-opened headquarters, NYC's New Year's Eve bash now attracts around one million people, who gather on December 31 to watch a Waterford crystal ball descend from 1 Times Square at midnight.
Advertising Epicenter
Facades are the faces of most New York neighborhoods, but here, it's all about the ads. Building exteriors are de-facto canvases for products, and many feature digital billboards running non-stop videos. Care to join the commercial competition? A whopping $40 will buy you 15 seconds of fame on an 18,000 sq ft screen wrapped around the 46-story TSX Broadway building at 49th St. Just download the TSX app, upload your video and voilà – you've hit the big time.
From Peep Shows to Pedestrians
Being seen in this neighborhood wasn't always admirable. Starting in the 1960s, Times Square became a pit for peep shows, porn theaters and three-card monte scammers; in 1981, Rolling Stone dubbed 42nd St the "sleaziest block in America." All that changed in the mid-1990s when city mandates downgraded the area's X-rating to a G (Naked Cowboy not included). Now, roughly 360,000 people pass through Times Square each day. Climb the 27 red steps above the TKTS Booth at 47th St to see the wide-eyed visitors swarming below you.
