tourist junk. crowded and not very nice. locals never go there. I guess its an icon, so maybe walk through on the way to theater district (and look out for the naked cowboy, some joker guy wearing speedos and strumming a guitar) definitely a disappointment compared to the mythology.

The hub of tourism in NYC, a heady mix of bright lights, huge chainstore shops, over priced eateries, theatres and varying quality hotels.
If shopping until you drop is your idea of heaven, there’s something for everyone in this area.

Very, very busy, bright lights. Lots of shopping. What more do you need to know?

When I first arrived in Times Square I felt a mixture of emotions! excitement was the main one! bright lights, tonns of people, mainly tourists! so much going on it almost makes your head spin! fun times!

its worth going to get a photo but if short of time give it a miss

loved it loved it loved it! Its all what New York is about. and 10 times better than what you imagine it to be. Very sureal just how big everything is, how loud and busy it is. Tie yourselves together with a piece of string Because it’s fairly easy to get caught up in the crowds!haha. We saw naked cowboy in the day, i wasn’t looking for him but glad we saw him doign is thing haha, He’s a guy with long hair,cowboy boots,pants and a guitar and thats about it! very well known.great entertainment.

this is one of the busiest places i have ever been (apart from the Selfridges january sale in London :D). as other reviewers have already said, it is definately the place to go in the evening as all the lights make the place come alive! most of the shops and restaurants in Times Square and open really late so its certainly the place to go after a hard days sightseeing

Ok not to dampen everyones idea but I hate times square, go there just to see it .. cause its obnoxious and decadent. True craphole america at its best with disney and chain restaurants. I lived in NYC awhile back and the locals avoid it like the plague. I wont knock its shock appeal. To truly see new york hit the train down to astor place or south broadway, or better yet get off the train at astor/ stmarks place. Just walk down broadway thru china town to south broadway soho area..

Times Square has gone through a major overhaul in the last several years. It used to be sleaze-central. Now it is Disney/Corporate advertising tourist central. It is a great place to do all the exact same things you can do in any other city/mall in the US: eat at McDonalds, shop at ToysRUs, etc. only bigger and brighter and advertisier and more crowded. I had just written my off-the-cuff review panning Times Square a few minutes ago, when I read someone else’s review that really hit home with me and changed my mind about how to review Times Square: go drunk. at night.

If you’ve never been, you sort of have to go…

Best way to do it…

If you’ve never been to NY before and as much as you will be desperate to see Times Square, I’d try to resist heading straight there (unless already dark).

Wait for the night to come in and the lights to come on and then get the undergroud, the stops centrally located so that when you walk out the lights, the smell, the atmosphere hit you.

Take it all in and enjoy - pure magic.

On a side note there’s a tickets stand near enough right in the middle of Times Square which is great for cheap theatre tickets. If you don’t have anything you’re desperate to see I’d just suggest not booking anything and just going there and seeing what they’ve got left, gives the holiday a bit of spontaneity too.

(Also - and do drink responsibly Times Square is a great place to get drunk, you see the lights in a totally different way all blurred together, quite beautiful)

One of the most exciting places I have ever been. Fell in love with the place. So much to do. Planet Hollywood was ace. Kids were bored going around Manhatten but as soon as we turned into Times Square it was a whole different story. Toys R Us are great. They loved the big wheel. And everywhere, considering it was heart of Manhatten, was reasonably price. Love the street vendors too!

Times Square has become one of the brightest and safest areas in NYC. This is the home of Good Morning America, Toys “R” Us, Virgin Records, NASDAQ, Condé Nast, Ernst and Young, Lehman Brothers, Morgan Stanley, MTV, The New York Times, Reuters, Viacom, etc. This is now a family playground instead of a sin corner of the world

5

Times Square is one of New York’s most recognisable locations. Filled with restaurants, bars, shops, hotels and a huge amount of people, every step has something new to offer. If you’re looking for quiet times and a relaxing stroll I would look elsewhere! Everyone is in a hurry! One of the more expensive areas for food and drink, but plenty of choice.

Reminds me of Shibuya Crossing in Tokyo Japan. You should definitely check out Times Square on Weekends, after 5pm.

Its a VERY bustling place, at times hard to get through. There’s almost every culture present. From New Yorks ever busy businessmen rushing to their after-work drinks, to glamorous and always very fashionable Asians, to the Nuts-4-Nuts seller at the corner and the Hot-Dog to go. And of course tons of tourists, which always block the ways of the locals.

Try the nearby T.G.I. (Thank God it’s) Friday for a real barbecue slice of American culture. One either loves the food or doesn’t. Also there is Little Brazil just nearby on 5 Av 45th/46th street.

You might also make pictures of yourself in front of the big M&M screen with you and your M&M pal on screen ..

There’s definitely no way around this place in New York. A must!

electrifying. adrenalin rush, the city that never sleeps, so may attractions to behold. you must visit Times square before you die

Everyone know’s Times Square even if they don’t know they know it. It’s like a Beatles tune in that respect.

It’s an odd kind of square. Not very pedestrianised (quite American in that respect). Not very square. A huge amount fo traffic flows through it too, with it being quite a fat one-way vein through the city.

Anyway, of course what Times Square is really known for is its huge billboards, TV screens and neon lights. Check out the photos…