Should NY make Times Square Pedestrian Mall permanent?- Page 2

[Jane2]

Posted: 2/7/10 at 11:15pm

yeah all they're missing there now are some amusement park rides.

[orangeskittles]

Posted: 2/7/10 at 11:20pm

It screws up crosstown traffic so much. It used to take half an hour to get from the Upper East Side to Penn Station, and now it can take up to an hour.

[uncageg]

Posted: 2/7/10 at 11:46pm

I have only seen pictures. I haven't been back since they made it a pedestrian mall. But I don't think I will like it. Part of the excitement, for me, is the congestion of Times Square. But I have been a visitor and I don't live there so I guess I can see how residents who always have to go through Times Square may like it.

[JerseyGirl2]

Posted: 2/7/10 at 11:50pm

yeah all they're missing there now are some amusement park rides.

Just step inside Toys R' Us.

[Jane2]

Posted: 2/7/10 at 11:53pm

^ Oh I have! lol, and quickly stepped right out!

[JerseyGirl2]

Posted: 2/7/10 at 11:56pm

I keep waiting for them to add those high rise top roller coasters like in Vegas.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QbehfUGx6Rs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWJATqU1WGk

Updated On: 2/8/10 at 11:56 PM

[wexy]

Posted: 2/8/10 at 12:03am

Times Square should be completely bulldozed over. The M+M stores and the Hello Kitty stores and the surfing stores (A freaking surf shop in NYC) should be destroyed and some sleeze brought back.

[JerseyGirl2]

Posted: 2/8/10 at 12:06am

The M&M Store CRACKS me up. They charge $17 a pound for M&Ms and you see those damn yellow bags all over Times Square. It's SO overpriced. We were going to buy my future nephews things there and fill them with candy. We just bought the cheapest little cups we could find and bought the M&Ms at Walmart. lol

[singalongsong2]

Posted: 2/8/10 at 12:07am

JG2, the rides on the Stratosphere are absolutely insane.

[Jane2]

Posted: 2/8/10 at 12:09am

OMG- that M&M city - tourists are lined up by the droves just to pay $12/lb for some M&Ms. You can buy them at Duane Reade for half the price!

SAme at the Hershey store. oy.

[JerseyGirl2]

Posted: 2/8/10 at 12:14am

I thought it was $16.99. Only $12.99? That's a bargain.

My grandmother is convinced that the Mr. Goodbar from The Hershey Store is far superior to a Mr. Goodbar purchased anywhere else. It makes me giggle.

[Jane2]

Posted: 2/8/10 at 12:19am

JG, I will admit to going into the M&M store on occasion to see if they ever got back the strawberry ones. During the summer I noticed the loose M&Ms were $10/lb. I went in there last week again and saw the price was up to $12.

[JerseyGirl2]

Posted: 2/8/10 at 12:22am

I just love the whole clothing section. Do people actually wear M&M coats?

[Marianne2]

Posted: 2/8/10 at 12:46am

My dad had a few things because he used to work for the company. But, it was polo shirts with a little logo on it.

[Gothampc]

Posted: 2/8/10 at 8:58am

It has to be one of the dumbest ideas ever.

Who wants to sit and watch vehicle congestion while breathing fumes that emit from trucks idling at red lights? Rip it up, along with the ill thought out bike lanes, and return that space to vehicles.

[gcontini2]

Posted: 2/8/10 at 9:32am

It's definitely going forward, even though the chairs, etc. are all temporary.
I was at a community hearing in November and the city's planning department talked about major redesigns of pockets inside the area and then revealed that this is all part of an even bigger plan that will eventually include pedestrianizing parts of 42nd Street, too, east over to Bryant Park and some day west down to the river.

[Gothampc]

Posted: 2/8/10 at 9:43am

"that will eventually include pedestrianizing parts of 42nd Street"

For many years they have wanted to completely shut down 42nd Street, river to river. They wanted to make it cute by running a streetcar along 42nd Street and for awhile did a test run.

None of these plans take into consideration that this area is the Theater District and as such needs easy vehicle access, trucks bringing in theater sets, limos driving stars to the theater door, etc.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 2/8/10 at 10:23am

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.

[Jane2]

Posted: 2/8/10 at 10:30am

Well, this is a hackneyed thought, but before the mall, pedestrians didn't drop dead from being hot and tired. I don't think that these groups of people hanging around add anything to the area. With all due respect, Matt.

Closing down the entire 42nd St? Terrible idea. I'm getting ready to move, lol! The rent is cheaper near six flags.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 2/8/10 at 10:41am

Well, this is a hackneyed thought, but before the mall, pedestrians didn't drop dead from being hot and tired.

This is true. But they were forced to walk in the street due to the congestion of slow-moving groups on the sidewalks. That happened to me every time I visited. There will be no solution to satisfy everyone, but the pedestrian mall idea is a good one, especially since the tourist congestion in Time Square seemed to be increasing almost every year. And I doubt removing M&M, Hershey and Toys R Us will improve that.

[Jane2]

Posted: 2/8/10 at 11:00am

Well, I never suggested removing those stores!

I prefer the congestion which is part of what the theater district is, than to continue on the path of de-citifying NYC.

[winston89]

Posted: 2/8/10 at 11:00am

Personally I like it. I will admit that the first time I saw it, it confused the hell out of me. I was standing on the street a few feet away from the corner of 46th. And, as I was, I realized that it felt strange to just be standing there. Normally I expected to be dodging a moving car to avoid being hit when I am on that corner. Now, It makes walking through Times Square easier.

I will admit that I do love the chairs and tables set up that they have. I will agree that no one in their right mind would sit out there when it is this cold out. However, I have seen them frequently used during the warmer months.

[Gothampc]

Posted: 2/8/10 at 11:28am

They should have gone with my idea of making the old Virgin Record store into the biggest food court in America. It was a winning idea all around. It would have been a place to park weary tourists without them congesting the streets, it would have brought more jobs to the city and NYC could have the Chick-Fil-A we all want and deserve.

[ErikJ972]

Posted: 2/8/10 at 11:39am

I would be on board with that if there was an Arby's.

[jacobtsf]

Posted: 2/8/10 at 11:53am

Chick-Fil-A and Arby's in one place in NYC?????????

That must be what heaven is.