Times Square
Times Square has become an illustrious landmark and a symbol of New York City
Times Square is a major intersection in New York City that was named after the Times Building (now One Times Square), where The New York Times was formerly headquartered. Nicknamed "The Crossroads of the World," Times Square is located at Broadway and Seventh Avenue and extends from West 42nd to West 47th Streets (click here to view a map of Times Square). Like city squares in many other major cities around the world, Times Square has become an illustrious landmark and a symbol of New York City.
Tourists and locals alike are attracted to the vibrant energy and exciting atmosphere in Times Square. The bright lights and animated advertisements (known as "Spectaculars" and "Jumbotrons") radiating across buildings throughout Times Square NYC are not only a brilliant sight to behold, they are required of business owners in the area per zoning ordinances.
Times Square is a hub of entertainment and home to famous Broadway theaters featuring some of the most popular productions in history like Wicked and Jersey Boys. There are also many affordable motels and upscale hotels in Times Square, as well as abundant restaurants, nightclubs, bars, music venues, and quality shops catering mainly to tourists. With so much to see and do in the neighborhood, the streets in Times Square are abuzz at every hour of the day and night.
Times Square Hotels
Times Square NYC is home to hundreds of conveniently located New York City hotels. From high-end luxury Times Square hotels to no-frills, cheap hotels in Times Square, this popular Manhattan neighborhood has a hotel to fit the budget of every NYC tourist.
Times Square has a hotel to fit the budget of every NYC tourist
Click here to check out more great hotels in Times Square for every traveler's budget.
New Year's Eve in Times Square
New Year's Eve in Times Square has become one of the most famous events in Manhattan.
On December 31 every year, over one million people pack the streets of Times Square to ring in the new year and witness the famous NYC New Year's Eve Ball Drop. This famous New Year's Eve tradition began over one hundred years ago when the first Waterford crystal ball was lowered on a pole in Times Square to a crowd counting down the seconds until 1908.
The Times Square NYE festivities continued to gain popularity and, in 1972, Dick Clark hosted the first ever live coverage of New Year's Eve in Times Square with a half-hour ABC special, known as Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve. The famous show still airs to this day and now features performances by popular bands and commentary from other TV hosts in Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Orlando, and other cities throughout the US.
Ring in the new year and witness the famous NYC New Year's Eve Ball Drop.
New Year's Eve in Times Square has become one of the most famous events in Manhattan, attracting revelers from every corner of the globe to this unforgettable New Year's Eve celebration in NYC. In honor of the millennium, approximately 2 million people gathered at Times Square on December 31, 1999, making it not only the largest Times Square New Years Eve celebration in history, but the biggest gathering in New York City since the end of World War II in August 1945.
A few important Times Square NYE details to keep in mind:
Public restrooms are not available at the Times Square New Year's Eve celebration.
-
Arrive early, as prime viewing area to see the ball drop fills up around 5:30pm.
-
Alcohol is not allowed at Times Square on New Year's Eve.
Times Square Museums
Lifelike wax statues of celebrities and historical figures fill the halls of Madame Tussauds Museum.
Times Square NY is home to a handful of interactive museums that offer an engaging and entertaining experience for the entire family. Madame Tussauds Wax Museum is new to the neighborhood and has already become a popular addition on many tourists' Times Square itineraries. Lifelike wax statues of celebrities and historical figures fill the halls of Madame Tussauds Museum. Bring a camera and take photos next to hauntingly accurate representations of Barack Obama, Johnny Depp, Taylor Swift, Abraham Lincoln, and dozens of other famous folk.
Ripleys Believe It or Not is another interactive Times Square NYC museum that appeals to both kids and adults. This family friendly New York City museum features some of the most strange and unusual artifacts in the world, including a collection of terrifying medieval torture devices and a creepy display of shrunken heads.
Shopping in Times Square
The streets of Times Square are filled with a wide variety of stores to cover all of your NYC shopping needs. Whether you're in the market for a souvenir from your New York City vacation, affordable fashion from trendy Manhattan department stores, or a new iPod to listen to on your flight home from NYC, you'll find it on a Times Square shopping spree.
The streets of Times Square are filled with a wide variety of stores to cover all of your NYC shopping needs.
Check out a few of these popular Times Square stores:
There's no shortage of entertainment and attractions in Times Square NYC. From family friendly museums to world-famous TV studios and wildly popular public events to fabulous shopping, Times Square offers an enjoyable activity to fit every visitor's needs.
Major Buildings on and near Times Square
The picturesque skyscrapers in Times Square are home to some of the biggest corporations in New York City like Morgan Stanley, Viacom, and MTV Networks. Hotels, theaters, private lofts, retail stores, restaurants, and other commercial and residential tenants also occupy the notable buildings in Times Square.
| 1 Times Square |
Reuters Building (3 Times Square) |
|
Times Square Tower |
New York Times Tower |
| Bank of America Tower, New York City |
The Orion |
|
New York Marriott Marquis |
AXA Center |
| One Astor Plaza |
1500 Broadway |
|
W Times Square |
Renaissance New York Times Square Hotel (2 Times Square) |
| 1585 Broadway |
Conde Nast Building (4 Times Square) |
|
One Worldwide Plaza |
Sheraton New York |
| 810 7th Avenue |
5 Times Square |
|
11 Times Square |
|
