Who wants to sit and watch vehicle congestion while breathing fumes that emit from trucks idling at red lights? Hundreds of hot, tired tourists, apparently. When I was there last summer, you couldn't find a seat in Times Square except on the TKTS steps. To me, it sounded like a great idea, but when I visited Times Square, it was just as congested as it was before the pedestrian area. It's just the pedestrian area was crowded as well. I did get through the area a bit quicker on the East side, but nothing will ever eliminate groups of tourists walking at a snail's pace totally oblivious to anyone around them at every major city in the world.
I do prefer the prettier Times Square to the previously sleazy one, though. As for the shops, some of them stay while others fail. I'm not sure what people want there instead. It would just be more overpriced restaurants with bad food and junk souvenir shops like before. And there are plenty of those still around. I think the M&M shop is kind of cute. We didn't buy any candy there, but we it was great for picking up some cute stuff for the nieces and nephews. We found some reasonably priced toys and baby clothes that looked a lot better than stuff we found in other shops.
Why would anyone want to sit and look at all that crap everywhere when Bryant Park and Central park are both so close? They still do that, too. I think it's more for people who need to sit and take a breather, especially in the summer. I've had to do that before in the Time Square area and the only options were to spend money buying something at McDonald's and hope to find a seat, or go to an overpriced restaurant. The city is exhausting for tourists, especially those not familiar with it. Just trying to find a restroom can be a horribly frustrating experience, especially when you are turned away time after time from various places you would expect to have public restrooms.
"What can you expect from a bunch of seitan worshippers?" - Reginald Tresilian
