Central Park, otherwise known as New York City’s green oasis, is a sight to be seen. The park first opened in 1857 on 770 acres of land, long before New York became the urban playground that we know it as today. In 1858, Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux won a design competition to improve and expand the park. Construction began that year and was completed in 1873 – still long before the park began to resemble what it is today. Central Park was surprisingly not designated a National Historic Landmark until 1963. Today, it’s managed by the Central Park Conservatory under contract with the city’s government. The park, which receives a staggering twenty-five million visitors annually, is the most visited urban park in the United States.
Times Square is a major intersection in New York City that was named after the Times Building (now One Times Square), where The New York Times was formerly headquartered. Nicknamed "The Crossroads of the World," Times Square is located at Broadway and Seventh Avenue and extends from West 42nd to West 47th Streets (click here to view a map of Times Square). Like city squares in many other major cities around the world, Times Square has become an illustrious landmark and a symbol of New York City.
Tourists and locals alike are attracted to the vibrant energy and exciting atmosphere in Times Square. The bright lights and animated advertisements (known as "Spectaculars" and "Jumbotrons") radiating across buildings throughout Times Square NYC are not only a brilliant sight to behold, they are required of business owners in the area per zoning ordinances.
Times Square is a hub of entertainment and home to famous Broadway theaters featuring some of the most popular productions in history like Wicked and Jersey Boys. There are also many affordable motels and upscale hotels in Times Square, as well as abundant restaurants, nightclubs, bars, music venues, and quality shops catering mainly to tourists. With so much to see and do in the neighborhood, the streets in Times Square are abuzz at every hour of the day and night.