For the most part, Times Square has been expertly whitewashed over with the likes of Forever 21, Olive Garden, Chevy’s and Dallas BBQ. But there still remain certain pockets of this location that bear an undeniably seedy quality, the kind that made it illustrious in the 1970s. Yes, you can still find porn palaces and peep shows even if you’re not looking that hard for them.
The daily haunting of Times Square past as you walk to and from your Midtown office building is both ironic and bittersweet, as it represents a time when New Yorkers would never deign to surrender their balls to the man on a silver platter. They were about underhanded deals, rogue entrepreneurship and low-hanging titties. It was a time in direct opposition to the New York of now, and this can be a bit saddening to be reminded of daily when you’re trapped in the corporate box known as modern Times Square.