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The day I was planning my first international trip, I knew I wanted to visit New York. There were so many places already on my bucket list that I wanted to visit/experience. From seeing the iconic yellow taxis of New York to visiting the Statue of Liberty, I knew everything that I wanted to do.
And one thing that was on that list was visiting Times Square, the world’s most popular shopping and entertainment destination. In this blog post, I will share my experience of visiting Times Square and soaking in its electrifying atmosphere.
Story of Times Square
Just like every other place in New York has an interesting history, Times Square also has its own share of the history pie. Originally known as Longacre Square, the area was a hub for horse carriage manufacturers back in the late 1800s, to being called the sleaziest part of New York in the late 1960s, to becoming the world’s largest billboard today, the Times Square history dates back to the 1700s when New York was known as the New Amsterdam.
PS: Visit the New York City Museum to learn some amazing facts about New York.
Interestingly, Longacre Square became Times Square after The New York Times shifted its office to the area. This also led to the famous New Year Ball Drop, which happens even today at their office. Apart from that there are a lot of Broadway theatres and hotels that came up in the early 1900s some of which like Olympia, Embassy theatres were established in the 1800s.
While you may soak in the amazing atmosphere of the Times Square, the history of how the place came into existence is equally interesting. So I recommend reading more about the place and visiting some spots during your visit.
My Electrifying Experience At Times Square
The day I planned to visit the Statue of Liberty, I ensured the second half was about exploring Manhattan on foot. So once I came back, I started walking aimlessly from one street to another. I was in awe of the towering skyscrapers and kept following them. I soon reached Wall Street and saw the famous NYSE building. It gave me vibes similar to BSE in Mumbai but less chaotic.
From there I walked a little, hopped on the New York Subway and took one to Union Square. There was a flea market that I explored and walked towards the famous Flatiron Building – a triangular-shaped building, and caught a glimpse of the Empire State Building. Walking again towards 42nd Street, I saw the crowd increase and so did the shops.
Upon getting closer, I saw a small protest as well – some people were protesting about some company and working conditions is what I could understand. And this was the area where I got my first glimpse of massive billboards. The first ad I saw was for Call of Duty’s new game.
I kept walking and walking and guess what I was so engrossed in the atmosphere that I didn’t realise that I had crossed Times Square. Until then, I had only seen photos of Times Square, so when I was there, I couldn’t identify the places that I had seen in the photo, only to realise I had entered it from another direction, all I had to was turn back and there it was the iconic Times Square.
PS: The best time to visit Times Square is in the evening when the place is lit and in its full glory. I also visited it the next morning and it was a completely different place.
Chaos.Lights.Action
Times Square is MASSIVE and there are tons of people, compare it to a busy street in Dadar, Mumbai. There were billboards everywhere and each one of them was of a different size, light and colour. There are services where you can feature your town message too at Times Square and I wasn’t keen on trying that.
Nevertheless, the famous Times Square steps were utterly crowded. People sit on the steps and just immerse themselves in the atmosphere of the place. Maharaj too did the same thing. I quickly climbed the stairs and went to the top to see the expanse of the world’s most visited square.
Like any other tourist place, you’ll find tonnes of people, photographers, tiktokers and artists. And my artists, I mean people dressed as characters who pose with you and you pay them. It’s one of the many scams that you’ll read about when you research your visit to Times Square.
If you’re an entertainment fan, you must visit one of the Broadway theatres and watch a show. I wanted to experience that, however, it’s too expensive. So there are service providers that sell cheap tickets for same-day shows. And you’ll find many establishments like this, one is next to the steps.
Shopping At Times Square
While I’m not someone who enjoys shopping (except grocery shopping), I was determined to explore all the shops in Times Square. I visited the Disney store where I saw so many plushies and wanted to bring one home, but I didn’t as they were too big (and expensive).
I then went to the famous M&Ms store – a store that I wanted to visit. The store is massive and there are chocolates everywhere. I loved their merch though. I got some custom-printed M&Ms. So they have a system where you can enter some images and messages that will be printed on your M&Ms.
I also went to Hershey’s to buy chocolates to bring back home. While I know I would have found it at the airport in New York or Dubai, I wanted to visit the store and buy it from here. I bought a huge 5kg bag of assorted chocolates from here apart from spending a good amount of time at the store.
Times Square Is A Must Experience Place
Attending KubeCon in Chicago was fun, but exploring New York after that was even better. There were a lot of places that I visited and my trip to New York would be incomplete without visiting Times Square. It was an electrifying experience, to say the least. The “chaka-chaund” of the place is next level. Those bling-bling billboards, the people, the atmosphere, everything is worth the visit. It’s chaotic, no doubt about it, but again it’s the world’s most visited square.
That’s about it from this blog post. If you’re visiting New York, do ensure to visit Times Square. Feel free to reach out to me for any assistance. Drop your thoughts in the comments below, tweet to me at @Atulmaharaj, DM on Atulmaharaj on Instagram, or Get In Touch.
