Times Square in New York: photo, location, map, interesting places

For almost every person who enters New York, one of the first places to visit is Times Square. Which is not at all surprising, because this is one of the most popular attractions in the United States along with the Statue of Liberty.

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Times Square is an area in the center of Manhattan, located at the intersection of the well-known Broadway and Seventh Avenue. It got its name at the very beginning of the 20th century because of the central office of the world-famous New York Times newspaper that moved there. True, in 1913 it was moved to another building. At that time, the area gradually turned into the cultural center of New York with many theaters and concert halls.

However, with the onset of the Great Depression in 1930, Times Square's reputation was damaged. Until the 1990s, it became a place for erotic shows, brothels, sex shops, sex parlors, theaters for adults, kiosks with cheap souvenirs for city guests. The mayor of New York, Rudolph Giuliani, began to fight the situation. He tried to clean up the area from drug dealers and closed places of entertainment in order to restore the title of Times Square as one of the best places, attract tourists and start building first-class hotels. In 2002, the new mayor Michael Bloomberg took office, taking the oath in Times Square.

Times Square today

Today, the main New Year‘s event in New York is taking place there – a large crystal ball is lowered from the One Times Square building at midnight on December 31, marking the onset of the New Year. This tradition originates from the fireworks fired in 1907 by the employees of the New York Times newspaper. Every year, hundreds of thousands of people come to see this spectacle, filling the square and all nearby streets. They are waiting with bated breath for an exciting moment – the start of the New Year. For more than 40 years this event has been televised.

Times Square today is a super-modern area with an abundance of neon advertising that makes it look like Las Vegas. There is a television company hosting the Good Morning America program, many theaters and music halls, business centers. The entire financial and business elite of the United States of America is concentrated in it. Cars do not drive on it, the area is completely given over to pedestrians. It's always noisy and crowded. Times Square is the most visited place in the world. It is here, according to residents and guests of the city, that the heart of New York is located.

Only here you can feel yourself in the center of the events of the metropolis, visit a beautiful fairy tale, as if descended from one of the many advertising posters. A surge of energy, mental and physical strength is provided when visiting this place. By the way, this is the only part of the city where residents are required to place colorful banners on the facades of buildings. At the end of 2008, billboards powered by solar and wind energy appeared in Times Square, which do absolutely no harm to the environment. The hallmark of the place is the banner of the NASDAQ exchange, striking in its huge size. Advertising space costs the company $2 million annually.

На Таймс-сквер размещена веб-камера, транслирующая онлайн изображение на установленный в этом же здании огромный монитор и во Всемирную паутину. Можно увидеть не только общий вид, но и взятые крупным планом довольные лица прохожих.

Таймс-сквер в кино

Мировую известность площади добавляют множество фильмов и видеоигр, в которых она фигурирует. Так, например, в картинах «Трансформеры 2: месть падших» и «Столкновение с бездной» именно она подвергалась разрушению, а в «Дети с Таймс-сквер» она является основным местом событий.

Бродвейские шоу, с успехом проходящие в Таймс-сквер, также очень знамениты. Кроме того, именно с этим местом и Манхэттеном связана популярность таких звезд на все времена, как актер и режиссер Чарли Чаплин, актер и хореограф Фред Астер и композитор Ирвинг Берлин.

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Развлечения

Thanks to the measures taken by the authorities to combat crime, the area has become one of the most desirable for tourists. The most famous restaurants and boutiques, cinemas and offices of famous world companies are located here. There are also huge hotels, and a revolving cafe, and even the world's largest toy store, where it is difficult even for an adult not to lose one's head. The police, whose large office is also located on the square, are vigilantly keeping order.

Having seen enough of the flickering advertisements and offices of famous companies, you can visit the Madame Tussauds museum located in a 10-story building. It contains more than 200 wax figures of celebrities – show business stars, politicians and actors. And those with a sweet tooth will surely like the range of Hershey's sweets. You can buy tickets for various shows at the Information Center, which is open seven days a week from 8 am to 8 pm.

A living symbol of Times Square – a practically naked cowboy, has been walking the streets for more than a decade. He not only plays the guitar and sings, but also has the legal right to register marriages.

Walking through the square, full of people and bright from billboards, you can get to the most beautiful place – Central Park, which is recognized as one of the best on the planet. Here you can sit in the shade of trees and relax from the hustle and bustle.

Less crowded in Times Square at night. It is this time for a walk that should be chosen by those who do not like to be in the crowd. Even at 3 a.m., the square is bright from many neon signs and LED panels as high as a 40-story building. The photographs taken are sure to be bright and positive.

One day is not enough to see the area in detail. Here you can easily find entertainment for yourself for a week – visit shows, theater performances, go shopping in shopping centers or taste delicious dishes in restaurants.

Only by plunging headlong into the atmosphere of this place, seeing huge skyscrapers with bright illumination, being in the center of a seething human flow, you can decide for yourself whether those who consider Times Square a symbol of New York and even “the crossroads of the world” are right.