3 Times Square
A lot of people probably think of Times Square first when thinking of a vacation / holiday in New York City. It has a lot of activity at almost any hour of the day. There are a lot of stores, restaurants, and the theater district with all the “Broadway Shows” is in this area. There are often independent street performers (don’t play any of their “games”) and sometimes corporate sponsored events, like MTV promotions.
Times Square is in the heart of Midtown Manhattan and you can walk there from either Penn Station or Grand Central Station. The area used to have a reputation for being the “seedy side” of NYC. That is not true at all any more. It is like Disney World now. [Housing Bubble History: It is quaint and sad at the same time to see the huge ads encouraging people to get loans they can’t afford. One photo shows total fantasy loan (Jack and the Bean Stalk) and another is insulting you for being a renter (“Our forefathers didn’t come here to rent”).]
These photos were taken 2002 – 2009.
The next real “stop” on the walking tour is a long walk up to Rockefeller Center, so you might want to take the subway. There is the “E” train (blue line) you can get to underground that stops at 53rd and Lexington, or you can take the “S” train (shuttle) to Grand Central and take the “6” train (green line) to 51st and Lexington. Walk west on 50th Street to 5th Avenue until you see St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Rockefeller Center is across the street. If you want to wind your way there walking, the next page gives an idea of what you might see in Midtown Manhattan.