Times Square

Times Square occupies the intersection of Broadway and Seventh Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, spanning roughly from West 42nd to West 47th Street. The district is defined by its towering LED billboards and digital screens — covering over 200,000 square feet of display surface — which bathe the surrounding blocks in a continuous cascade of color and light that is unmatched in scale anywhere in the world. At night, Times Square generates enough ambient light to read by, and the visual density of signage, theater marquees, and vertical neon creates one of the most immediately distinctive urban environments in existence. By day, the area serves as a commercial and transit hub, home to Broadway theaters, flagship retail stores, and a steady stream of street performers dressed as costumed characters. The pedestrianized plazas along Broadway between 42nd and 47th Streets provide seating and viewing areas. The TKTS discount booth — a glass staircase structure at the south end of Father Duffy Square at 47th Street — sells same-day Broadway and off-Broadway tickets at discounts of 20 to 50 percent and is open from late morning through early evening. The surrounding Theater District contains over 40 Broadway houses, and pre-show dining ranges from chain restaurants to long-established venues. The Times Square New Year's Eve ball drop has been held at One Times Square since 1907 and draws over a million attendees. For most visitors, one to two hours absorbs the sensory experience; Broadway theatergoers may spend an entire evening in the district. Pickpocketing is common in the crowds; keeping valuables in front pockets and ignoring unsolicited costume photo charges is advisable.