Saturday, September 1, 2007

Broadway & Times Square

I have often heard of Broadway & Times Square being mentioned among people who have visited New York or from people who are staying there; a cultural hub full of musical theatres, shows, cinemas, up-scale hotels and a display of animated digital neon lights television-like supersigns. It is also a haven for gifts & souveniers of Broadway and New York's. Broadway, as the name implies, is a wide avenue. One famous stretch is near Times Square, where Broadway crosses Seventh Avenue... It was a different scene then, almost 23 years back when I first set foot in New York. There were 12 of us, I think, and all curious to see the famous 42nd Street - New York's de facto Red Light District - inhabited by Call Girls & XXX shows! As can be seen in the films Taxi Driver and Midnight Cowboy, if I can still remember it well. Now Times Square has emerged as a family tourist center and in effect being 'Disneyfied'. I understand now there is no real "red-Light" district in New York City due to police crackdowns and the revitalization of these neighborhoods. Actually, most of the action is done on line now, with call girls advertising on line on forums such as craigslist.org... Times Square is the location of The New York Times, from which the Square gets its name. The Times Square area consists of the blocks between Sixth and Eighth Avenues from east to west, and West 40th and West 53rd Streets from south to north. Its size is smaller than Red Square in Moscow, the Puerta del Sol in Madrid, Champs-Elysées in Paris, Trafalgar Square in London, and Tiananmen Square in Beijing. But, Times Square has nonetheless achieved the status of an iconic world landmark and has become a symbol of its home city. Broadway, in this area, is second only to Tokyo for its lighted advertising, but first as the most recognized street filmed in the world. In case anyone wondering, the 'dummy' you see on the above left is Nicholas Cage. Whooppi Goldberg eagerly awaits visitors at the entrance of Madame Tussaud. Ticket to enter is 29 dollars. I think it's a bit too steep to see a bunch of wax faces! Don't you think so?






In front of Ripley's Believe It or Not!

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