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| Courtesy of Wikipedia |
There are only two exceptions to this general rule that I can see. One, is the idea of heading into Times Square for the ball drop on New Year's Eve. Any New Yorker who raises this as a viable option for ringing in the new year obviously hates you. Either that, or they have excellent connections at the NYPD and can get you through security barriers so you don't have to wait around for hours in the freezing cold without bathroom breaks. Rare, but possible (and probably worth investigating).
The other exception that will bring New Yorkers into Times Square voluntarily is when they have tickets to a Broadway show. This is what brought me into the trenches this past weekend - not once, but twice.
I had tickets to see matinee shows on Saturday ("No Man's Land") and Sunday ("Waiting for Godot"), which starred the same four-man cast, including the talented and very charming Sir Gandalf the Grey and Sir Jean-Luc Picard. It warrants saying that I would probably pay to watch these two larrikins read the phone book, so I'm probably not the most unbiased critic. However, I will say that while I very much enjoyed the experience of watching the plays, I'm not 100% sure I totally understood them. But who hasn't said that after a theater experience, right?
And being a bit befuddled after seeing a show in New York is totally fine, because you can always workshop the experience with friends afterwards, as I did in the bar at The Renaissance Hotel on Broadway. Even if you're not a guest of the hotel, you definitely need to go there - especially towards nightfall. Head into the hotel's lobby and take the little elevator to the right. You'll come out at the bar which has floor-to-ceiling windows and has a fantastic view over Times Square. For the price of a glass of wine or cocktail, you can silently watch the craziness of the street below. A treat for tourists and locals alike.
