Would You (Could You?) Live in Times Square?
It’s a fact of life that Times Square is never not teeming with lights, sounds, and people; it’s a permanently buzzing hub in a city that never sleeps. While the area surely has a high concentration of hotels, you might be surprised to learn that people actually live here permanently.
According to the Times Square Alliance, 5,800 residents make their homes between Avenue of the Americas and Eighth Avenue, from West 41st to 53rd Streets. They’re vastly outnumbered by the people who are staying in the neighborhood’s 18,000 hotel rooms, which average over 90% occupancy, not to mention the daily 350,000 to 450,000 pedestrians that pass through the area.
Personally, I love living in a city (Boston) and throughly enjoy my work trips to New York, but generally avoid Times Square if I can help it. It’s sensory overload for me. But some thrive on the hustle and bustle.
“I’m always fascinated by the energy, and it amuses me more than annoys me,” Michael Wolk, who moved to New York in 1977, told the Times.
And therein lies the key to happiness living in Times Square. “If you want an active and extroverted lifestyle and easy access to transportation, this is the spot,” added Tim Tompkins, president of the Times Square Alliance.
Cast your vote below, and tell us why in the comments.