SOME TIME IN TIMES SQUARE.



I work in the Times Square area of Manhattan and I’ve become somewhat immune to the sensory overload that is the hallmark of this quintessentially American dreamscape of capitalist commerce and entertainment in all its garish grandeur. But at this time of year, even an old vet like me (who went to High School right smack dab in the middle of it all) can’t hide or insulate himself from the deluge. The 24/7 circus of international humanity bustling along the streets under the glare of hundreds of post-neon backlit digital displays reflected many times over in the tinted glass windows of gleaming towers creates a surreal landscape of Blade Runner proportions.


The deli where I get my coffee and occasional morning bagel. I overhear eager and sometimes hopeless attempts at communication in multiple languages and dialects that have the counter cooks and cashiers both frustrated and amused as they try to comply with orders from people who are endlessly pointing, gesturing and searching for the right words to clarify their desires. The mostly latino and asian staff are good natured and patient and I often get involved in trying to assist both parties in this comic multi-lingual improvisation.

In a similar place across the street, the tables are packed with tourists of all ages—families are often represented by three generations with the grandparents sitting with the grandchildren as the middle generation stands before the long counter trying to interpret the menu signs and understand a protocol that is entirely foreign to them.

Scenes like this go on in dozens of establishments all up and down Broadway and 7th Ave…and continue throughout the day and long into the evening as the size of the crowd never seems to vary—remaining at a density that is at least triple what it is at any other time of the year.



At Rockefeller Center, the main attraction of the annual Xmas Tree and the Skating Rink below pulls throngs through all the side streets where cars sit for twenty minutes or more between avenues. And as they inch along traffic cops blow whistles and signal drivers to take detours in order to speed up the glacial flow. Some afternoons I just stroll around the neighborhood and watch and listen. On Wednesdays, the Broadway Theatre matinee crowd takes over. Eager faces of families with children waiting to get into Wicked gather just outside my building. Scalpers looking like throwbacks from the days of Damon Runyon and Guys and Dolls bark out their riffs: “Anyone need tickets?” or “Anyone got Tickets?” and the parking garage attendants stand on the street waving sticks with red flags letting drivers know that there is still room in their garages for more.

It’s Times Square. It’s New York City. It’s the Holiday Season. And for so many of these people it’s a trip to a place they’ve dreamed about and thought about and heard about all their lives…and now they’re here and they’re soaking up every last sweet and sour ounce of it...

...While I’m just taking a short break from my daily dutiful routine at work.

Cool short video