Times Square

Times Square occupies the bowtie-shaped intersection of Broadway and Seventh Avenue between 42nd and 47th Streets in Midtown Manhattan, and its concentration of illuminated signs — regulated to a minimum sign face per building — makes it one of the most brilliantly lit intersections in the world after dark. The history of the district tracks the history of American popular entertainment: the neighborhood took its name from the New York Times tower in 1904, saw Prohibition-era speakeasies give way to mid-century theater glamour, declined into seediness by the 1970s, and underwent a dramatic commercial revitalization in the 1990s that continues today. Forty-one Broadway theaters cluster within walking distance, ranging from the historic Majestic (long home to The Phantom of the Opera) to newer venues built into hotels and office towers. The TKTS booth at Father Duffy Square on 47th Street sells same-day and next-day tickets at 20 to 50 percent discount for many shows. The most dramatic light experience runs along the stretch between 43rd and 46th Streets, where the density of illuminated screens and billboards is greatest. The giant ball that descends the flagpole of One Times Square on New Year's Eve draws upward of a million spectators; the event requires arriving many hours early. During daytime, the pedestrian plazas with red stairway seating on 47th Street at Broadway offer elevated views over the square. Times Square is free to visit and accessible at all hours, though the midblock streets in the 40s are among the most congested pedestrian corridors in the city, especially on weekend evenings.