I went to Times Square to see why tourists love it

Growing up on Long Island, I would often take trips to New York City throughout the year, but Times Square was something my family always avoided.

Now that I’ve lived in the city itself for five years, I’ve learned Times Square is a well-known tourist trap with high prices and even bigger crowds. Now, whenever I have to go through that part of the city, I try to get out as fast I can. Sometimes I even take different streets to avoid it altogether.

That said, I’ve always wondered why so many tourists flock to Times Square, especially since the city has so much more to offer that is culturally engaging. But one Friday afternoon I decided to stay two hours in Times Square to really figure out why 50 million tourists come to this part of the city every year.