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Travel + Leisure
8 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Travel + Leisure
This Is the No. 1 Tourist Destination Letdown in the U.S.—But Here's How to Visit It Properly
The day after I graduated from college, my sister and I flew to New York City, meticulously plotting out our visit hour-by-hour in a spiral notebook. But the moment we got to the city, we ditched the plan and beelined for Times Square. Hours later, she was live on MTV's TRL (yes, this was 1999!) announcing the No. 1 song—and we instantly believed this was the place where dreams come true. A few years later, my office was smack dab in the middle of Times Square. While my co-workers complained about the constant hoards of tourists, I secretly loved stepping right into the excitement, always remembering that every individual in the crowd is experiencing that magical first moment of looking up and feeling the power of the bright lights and big city, or as I always call it, that first Felicity moment from The WB hit drama. Now that I've lived here 22 years, I know and understand the reputation of that the district around the intersection where Broadway and Seventh Avenue has. For global travelers, Times Square a must-see, standing among the skyscrapers and screens among the street performers and costumed characters luring travelers (and SNL comedians, as Colin Jost told Travel + Leisure). And for locals, it's the one place to totally avoid. So when I learned analysts at CasiMonka named Times Square the "biggest tourist destination letdown" in the world—with reviews calling it "expensive" and "touristy"—I instantly got defensive. As perhaps the most famous New Year's Eve destination in the world for its ball drop, a tradition since 1907, of course anyone who visits the city year-round craves a piece of that thrill, inherently turning it into a 'touristy' place. Plus compared to where many travelers are coming from, the cost of living is higher. But like anywhere else, there are budget-friendly options that still give you the ultimate Big Apple experience, if you know where to look. In fact, one of my most frequented spots is the Hershey's Store because I'm always handed free chocolate as soon as I enter! I was so obsessed with this that when I worked near Rockefeller Center for four years at a company that provided car service home, I'd turn it down just to unwind and walk through Times Square savoring that sweet treat in hand. The exterior of Hershey's Chocolate World in Times Square. Wirestock/Getty Images While dining anywhere in New York City can cost a pretty penny, some of my favorite affordable options are also in Times Square, and their diversity showcases the global influence of the city's cuisine. At the top of the list for a full-service meal is an outpost of Japanese ramen shop Ichiran with individual wooden booths for each diner. Its classic Tonkotsu ramen is $22 flat, as a no-tipping establishment. The Italian sandwich shop All'Antico Vinaio serves up Florence-style quick bites, and whenever I have family in town, we always go to Tony's DiNapoli for family-style Italian homecooking. There's also been a recent surge of authentic Asian eats, giving the city's Chinatown and Koreatown serious competition. An outpost of one of the world's most inexpensive Michelin-starred restaurants Tim Ho Wan serves dim sum, while the Taiwanese soup dumpling favorite Din Tai Fung opened its largest restaurant yet in Times Square last year. So many of my favorites in the city are within the district, like Four Four South Village for Taiwanese beef noodles, Kung Fu Little Steamed Buns and Kung Fu Kitchen for no-frills dumplings and noodles, The Handpulled Noodle for customizable noodle entrees, and Dim Sum Sam for wonton noodle soup. There is also the famous Restaurant Row on 46th Street with longtime mainstay Becco for Italian, while Don't Tell Mama is always fun for a dose of entertainment with your meal and Joe Allen is popular for the the theater community for its wall of Broadway flops, as Kristin Chenoweth told T+L. Of course, Times Square overlaps with the Theater District, with 41 Broadway theaters featuring the world's best musicals and plays, many with star-studded casts. Right now you can catch George Clooney in Good Night, and Good Luck and both Denzel Washington and Jake Gyllenhaal in Othello. There's never been a better time to take in a show as this current season is Broadway's highest-grossing in history. While tickets prices can be high, over two decades, I've seen hundreds of shows, never paying more than $100 (often less than $50!), with the exception of four, which were still under $200. Most theaters offer lotteries or rush tickets, and platforms like TodayTix and Theatr also offer deals, and Broadway Inbound for groups. There's also the famous TKTS booth under the Duffy Square's red steps for discounted same-day seats. With so many shows to choose from, it can be hard to navigate, but Wicked, Gypsy, Hamilton, and The Great Gatsby are great for first-timers, whereas my personal recommendations for the season are Maybe Happy Ending, a robotic-look at human nature fresh off its best musical Tonys win, and Just In Time with the beguiling Jonathan Groff in an enthralling homage to Bobby Darrin. Theater lovers should also make time to visit the Museum of Broadway, also in the neighborhood, and can even put on your dancing shoes for one of 50 daily drop-in classes at Broadway Dance Center—I've never felt more like a Broadway star that when I tap danced in the neighborhood! Other empowering city moments: practicing yoga with hundreds of strangers for the annual Solstice in Times Square and running through its streets during the New York City Half Marathon. While the constant hubbub can be overwhelming, I've found calm within th area's coffee shops, often spend my days writing at Bird and Branch, which offers a fun coffee flight, Frisson Espresso, where I'm bound to overhear conversations from Broadway folks, and Bibble and Sip with cutesy desserts that are equally tasty. Like any other city hub, the hotel options can be pricey and room merely functional. But there there's also been a resurgence of boutique-style hotels, like the Civilian Hotel with a cozy artsy atmosphere and Kimpton Theta whose rooftop Bar Sprezzatura is like an Italian seaside getaway, and elevated The Times Square EDITION with The Terrace and Outdoor Gardens with a refreshed menu that includes frozen s'mores. "The Terrace and Outdoor Gardens feels like a sanctuary in the neighborhood," Susmita Baral, a senior editor at T+L said. "Aside from having quality food and a charming aesthetic, it truly transports you to a zen space." Despite being pulled in so many directions in Times Square, every night there's a unifying moment at 11:57pm, when all 92 digital screens from 41st to 49th Streets sync up with the work of contemporary artists for three minutes in Time Square Alliance's Midnight Moment—definitely worth experiencing. While my status of being a 'real' New Yorkers is threatened by admitting that my favorite neighborhood to work and play is Times Square, I will always remind travelers and locals alike to pause and look up and remember the words of Frank Sinatra, 'If you can make it here, you can make it anywhere.' And there's no better place to find yourself than in the heart of New York City than Times Square.
Daily Mail
25-04-2025
- Daily Mail
New $160million pool set to open to tourists at one of New York's most-loved attractions
Tourists heading to Central Park in New York will have a new attraction to tick off this summer - and they should pack swimwear. The Big Apple's green lung is one of the most loved - and visited - destinations for tourists heading to the city and this weekend sees the opening of a project that has been years in the making. The new 11-acre Davis Center complex, which officially opens on April 26th, will bring more visitors to the less visited north end of Central Park. The $160 million project sits at the Harlem end of the park and will invite tourists and locals alike to take a dip in a brand new swimming pool, which will be New York's eighth-largest when it opens in early summer. And in winter, the space will transform into a sizeable ice rink - rivalling Bryant Park and the Rockefeller Center when Christmas rolls into the city. In the autumn and spring, the space will be a green lawn, say the project's designers. While the pool, known as the Gottesman Pool, won't be in action until June, the rest of the revamped green space, which also includes a multi-use turf field and fitness and wellness facilities, opens tomorrow in the park's northeast corner. The project was designed by architect Susan T Rodriguez in collaboration with Mitchell Giurgola and renovates the Lasker Rink and pool that had been on the site previously. The Harlem end of the park is often overlooked by tourists because it's further from Manhattan - an hour on foot but just 20 minutes by bike - but it boasts some of the prettiest natural space in Central Park, say those in the know. The new Davis Center has been designed to hide within the hillier scenery at the Harlem Meer end of Central Park; the building keeps a low profile, carved into the slope and with a green roof. The revamped Davis Center at the Harlem end of the New York park opens on April 26th and will feature the city's eighth-largest swimming pool, giving tourists the chance to cool off in the summer months Designed by architect Susan T Rodriguez, the pool will be multi-purpose, becoming a lawned space in spring and autumn and an ice rink in winter The building is home to changing rooms, restrooms and places to hire sporting equipment, as well as a compact cafe. Central Park is stretches between Fifth Avenue and Central Park West and spans 843 acres. Last week, research carried out by experts at CasiMonka, used AI to analyse Reddit posts, Tripadvisor reviews and Google Reviews to see which global tourist attractions received the most negative feedback. And top of the list is a Big Apple attraction that get around 50million visitors every year. Times Square in New York which has 1,151 one-star Tripadvisor reviews and 934 negative comments on Reddit. The famous square is known for its huge billboards and street entertainers but unfortunately it seems that not everyone is having the time of their life there. In a one-star review on Tripadvisor, 'elf fine' wrote: 'It's the worst part of all things touristy in New York. If you must go, then just get your selfie and get out.' Second on the list is the Hollywood Walk of Fame, which had 49 negative comments on Reddit and 1,180 one-star reviews on Tripadvisor. A new ranking has revealed the world's biggest tourist letdowns. Top of the list is Times Square in New York which has 1,151 one-star Tripadvisor reviews and 934 negative comments on Reddit Second on the list is the Hollywood Walk of Fame, which had 49 negative comments on Reddit and 1,180 one-star reviews on Tripadvisor The star-studded pavement has tributes to a huge range of celebrities from Fred Astaire to Lady Gaga. But it's failed to impress many tourists with one describing it on Tripadvisor as a 'complete disappointment'. The visitor added: 'It is an absolutely filthy place, unloved and uncared for by the authorities.' Meanwhile, third on the ranking and topping the list in Europe is Stonehenge which has 342 negative references on Reddit and 577 one-star Tripadvisor reviews. The ancient Neolithic monument is an UNESCO World Heritage site and attracts more than a million visitors a year. However, it hasn't impressed everyone with one tourist writing on Tripadvisor that the attraction is 'grossly overpriced'. Other negative comments described the attraction as 'expensive' and 'touristy'.
