What Times Square Is Actually Like at Street Level

Times Square is not a square and it is not really a destination. It is a busy junction with screens on every surface, and the honest advice is to see it once, at night, and then decide for yourself.

The first impression

The light is the thing. Advertising screens run the full height of the buildings, and at night the street is bright enough to read by. Yellow taxis stack up at the lights, scaffolding covers half a block at any given time, and the crowd moves in every direction at once. It is genuinely impressive for about fifteen minutes.

Why it feels smaller than the photographs

Wide-angle images stretch the space. In person the pedestrian areas are compact, and you can walk the whole length in a few minutes. That is not a criticism. Knowing it is small helps you plan: this is a stop, not an afternoon.

Doing it well

• Go after dark. Daytime Times Square is just traffic and scaffolding.
• Stand still somewhere on the pedestrian islands and let the crowd flow past you. It is the only way to actually look up.
• Ignore anyone in costume who approaches you for a photograph unless you intend to pay for it.
• Eat somewhere else. Two streets in any direction the prices drop and the food improves.

Getting in and out

Several subway lines converge here, which is convenient and chaotic in equal measure. If you are carrying luggage or travelling with children, walk one stop away before you take the train.

Is it worth it?

Yes, once. It is one of the few places that looks exactly like its reputation, and there is something worth seeing in that much concentrated commercial energy. Just do not build your evening around it. See the lights, take the obvious photograph, then walk east or west into the ordinary city, which is where New York is actually interesting.