Introduction: Strolling down the New York Streets
Of all places to visit in New York, Times Square is easily the best choice for a tourist. It incorporates every single American stereotype and allows one to plunge into the delightful world of flashy lights and public entertainment. Though the place still has its charm, numerous advertisements seem to be slowly consuming the place.
The Many Themes of the New York’s Main Street: Times Square
Incorporating several famous American myths at once, Times Square reveals a whole new world to a tourist. One will be able to hear the echo of the famous American Dream colliding with an American tragedy when descending into the dark and gloomy realm of the New York subway, where a businessman and a bum can be seen at the same station. Also known as the “Crossroads of the World,”1 Times Square is a place where one can meet an Asian student and a Buddhist monk in the same crowd. Finally, my sister and I went down the Great White Way to take a glimpse at the Broadway Theater in the distance.
It should be noted, though, that all these fantastic places seemed way too busy for us to savor the moment and to indulge into the magnificent New York culture. True, the city works in accordance with a very specific rhythm, and not all people can keep in pace with it; perhaps, this is the toll that New Yorkers have to pay for living in a place that is so much advanced and economically developed. The “transit oriented development”2 seems to have worked its way into affecting the place’s look.
What Seems to Have Changed: Commercialization Never Stops
Now that several years have passed, the good old Times Square seems to have lost some of its charm, with advertisements and commercials stealing an essential part of the place’s unique atmosphere. True, the Times Square was never supposed to be quiet; on the contrary, being one of the key attractions, it was meant to be loud and colorful. However, with numerous commercials popping out of every corner, what used to be a unique place with its own charm is slowly turning into a refuge of obnoxious commercialism and overconsumption. The flashy advertisements are distracting even in the daylight; in the night, they become literally unbearable.
The pictures above show graphically that the Times Square of 2014 is no longer meant for the residents of the city – instead, it has been redesigned to attract more tourists and make money on people’s consumerist habits. Needless to say, the changes that happened to this place are quite upsetting for someone who used to view this place through a tad different lens.
Conclusion: Revisiting the Memorable Scenes from the Past
Still remaining one of the most popular tourist attractions in New York, Times Square seems much more commercialized than it used to be before, if that is even possible. Even though the number of commercials was quite impressive several years back, nowadays, the amount of advertisements seems to be getting out of proportions. Times Square is a pearl that New Yorkers need to save in order to retain the unique flair of the city. True, entrepreneurship must evolve, yet not at the costs, which are that high.
Bibliography
Enlow, Clair. “Urban Square Over Light Rail Station Should Have a Chance.” Daily Journal of Commerce, 2013. Web.
Farberov, Snejana. “Times Square Like You’ve Never Seen it Before: Amazing Images Capture the Crossroads of the World from 1904 to Modern Days.” Daily Mail, 2012.
“Times Square.” Village Voice. 2014. Web.
Crime in the New York City. n. d.
Footnotes
- Snejana Farberov, “Times Square Like You’ve Never Seen it Before: Amazing Images Capture the Crossroads of the World from 1904 to Modern Days,” Daily Mail, 2012, Web.
- Clair Enlow, “Urban Square Over Light Rail Station Should Have a Chance,” Daily Journal of Commerce, 2013, Web.
- “Times Square,” Village Voice, 2014, Web.
- Crime in the New York City, n. d., Web.