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 | New York City Times Square Reviews | Tips 1 - 10 of 52 |  |
 | |  |  | Times Square: Anything in Times Square is a Tourist Trap | Tip Rating:   |  |  | |  |
Avoid Times Square like the plague.
If you must go to Times Square, at LEAST check out the Howard Johnson diner and/or Ruby Foo's (Best Sushi Ever. Period.) Keep away from all other restaurants in that area. They are RIDICULOUSLY over-priced and the food is terrible! You're better off heading downtown for an excellent and more reasonably priced cuisine.
SoHo, TriBeCa, Alphabet City, Lower East Side, the Village, Greenwich, Chinatown, and Little Italy. Must, must, MUST visit at some point. Leave a Comment
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| | | | Times Square: you're about to be disNYfied, resistance is futile | Tip Rating: | | | | |
Times Square, which is around 42nd St / Broadway in midtown Manhattan, is both a must see for tourists AND a tourist trap at the same time... So, you unpacked the bags at the hotel and head out to the city to be dazzled by some amazing Manhattan sights... Well, especially around dusk, Times Square is a good place to start... once. You won't need to activate the flash of your camera, it's like friggin' daylight at midnight. The billboards and signs are very impressive for sure, but it's also a noisy, smelly and terribly crowded area. Some of the stores there, like Swatch wristwatches, are kind of fun to walk into because of the wild, whacky displays, but it soon gets tiresome. There are lots of souvenir shops where you'll pay way too much for (often cheesy) gifts. You can do better by getting away from this place and shopping elsewhere - even if it's souvenirs from the "cheese variety" you're after for relatives/friends who dig that sort of stuff... I bought a pretty nice looking, detailed 15 inch Statue of Liberty figurine for my grandmother - she just loves things like that - just a block or five south of Times Square, and at $ 9.99 it actually cost LESS than the tiny, tacky, plastic looking ones they sell in T.S. The same goes for "restaurants" - a general rule is not to blow your money there because it's very unlikely you'll get good food and service at a decent price. There are always exceptions but this place generally is for tourists with lots of cash and little time. And don't even think about going into the electronics shops. More : -Feel free to check out my "must see activities"-entry for Times Square, "The Rejuvenated Light Show District".
Take the damn pictures so you can say "been there, done that" and then get outta there ;)
It's not an alternative but the "virtual" version : webcams on Times Square : http://www.earthcam.com/usa/newyork/timessquare/ http://nyctmc.org/xmanhattan.asp Leave a Comment
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| | | | Times Square: Unpleasant for more than an hour | Tip Rating:  | | | | |
I am not a native New Yorker. I live here now, but you apparently don't become a New Yorker until you live here for like 3 or 4 years. So I think that I can relate quite well to the visitor/tourist mentality in New York - and I have to say, I can't grasp why you'd want to stay in Times Square, eat in Times Square, or do anything for a prolonged period in Times Square. It's thoroughly unpleasant during the day. It's dirty, the stores are chock full of cheap tourist ripoff stuff, and you don't even get a really good view of what Times Square does have to offer. If I were visiting New York, I would stay on Central Park South, in the West Village or Chelsea, or on the Upper West Side. I'm telling you, these areas are so much more pleasant, reflect the true character of New York, and are all well-connected via subway to get you anywhere you want to go.
I DO think that Times Square should be seen at night, when the signs are lit up. It's a one of a kind experience. That's why I say above that TS should be seen for an hour. Ogle the lights, walk around a little bit, then leave.
For eye candy that is different from TS but equally cool, check out the very trendy new meatpacking district, which is teeming with expensive restaurants almost impossible to get into, funky galleries, boutique designers, and a new funky hotel, Hotel Gansevoort. It's just fun to walk around there, I think - but not in stilletto heels, as it's all cobblestoned. A big tip: Pastis, the very popular French bistro in the Meatpacking district is relatively easy to get into for a 10pm dessert. Leave a Comment
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