A magnet for the wonderful, weird and wacky, New York's famous intersection of Times Square is a moving vision in neon, yellow cabs and people. If Central Park is NYC’s verdant heart, Times Square is its beating heart - a frenetic mix of flashing lights, huge billboards and pulsating energy in the urban jungle.
Originally known as Longacre Square, Times Square acquired its moniker when the New York Times moved to the Midtown location in 1924 and announced its arrival with a New Year's Eve fireworks display. While the paper has relocated nearby, the tradition lives on with the famous New Year's Eve countdown. Attended by nearly one million people in Times Square and watched by over a billion worldwide, the descent of the New Year's Eve Ball from the flagpole atop One Times Square is a spectacle that ushers in the new year for all.
For the rest of the year, Times Square draws them in with flashing lights, neon billboards and a raft of street performers and attention-seekers. While the area was once known for its seedy reputation rooted in crime and porn, the new millennium Times Square is a family-friendly destination with retail chains, hotels, restaurants and attractions. The intersection borders the Theater District of Broadway, the dining spots of Restaurant Row on Seventh Avenue and contains well-known brands such as Levi's, Toys'R'Us, Sephora and Gap, just to name a few. You'll also find the Hard Rock Cafe, Ripley's Believe It or Not, Madame Tussaud's New York and other attractions of that ilk lurking in the area.
The Times Square TKTS booth is located at Father Duffy Square at Broadway and 47th Street where you can nab a same-day discounted ticket to a Broadway performance or off-Broadway musical. For the history of the area and assorted New Year memorabilia, the Times Square Museum & Visitor Center at Seventh Avenue between 46th and 47th Streets contains a free mini-museum as well as info on NYC's attractions. To visit Times Square, take subway lines 1, 2, 3, 7, N, Q, R or S to Times Square - 42nd Street.
