The Singing Naked Cowboy in New York City's Times Square

I'm beginning to really love New York City. I've been over there twice now in the last 3 years and can't wait to go back. Part of this love affair is none other than Times Square. You've seen parts of it on TV.. the New Years Ball Drop, the Christmas Tree... all that jazz. But TV doesn't even come close to giving you the feel of the place, the boundless energy that just billows up from the pavement and inhabits every pore. The lights everywhere, the masses of people.. the things to do!

The best way to experience Times Square is to get off the Metro at 72nd street. Yes, I know, that isn't Times Square at all... but hear me out. If you begin at 72nd and walk down Broadway, you just get the whole experience. You'll pass by the David Letterman studio, Hello Deli, and tons of other really cool stuff. But see, here's the real reason. 2 T-shirts for $10! and a short while later... 4 T-shirts for $10.. ahh we're getting closer... 6 T-shirts for $10 and the crowds are getting much thicker now, we must be there. But hey, don't stop there, hold out for the 3 places in a row that have them 7 T-Shirts for $10. heh. Oh yes, I always find the rock-bottom deals.

It's all about the atmosphere. The closer you get to Times Square, the denser the throngs and the higher the energy. You will know when you get there, make no mistake. And it is worth every step of the journey... and I say that having walked it twice in one week with a cane. heh. (This coming from someone who drives a block to the convenience store.)

Now that we're here, what shall we do? Well, first I suggest just wandering aimlessly and looking up at the buildings. Ogle at the big (and by big I mean huge) Televisions attached to buildings, stand and gape at the news stream, just look at all the wonderous ads! The best of the bunch I have to say is the one with this glorious fantasy castle growing up the side of one of the buildings.. if you glance down you see it's an ad for a lending company advertising the home of your dreams. Brilliant, and awe-inspiring. Man I want that castle.

You can take in a movie at either Lowes or The Embassy. These have tons of screens so your movie selection is varied greatly. There are just an unbelievable amount of plays running at any given time. Glance down those side streets and be overwhelmed. I really wish I had taken the time to see Lion King. Ahh well, perhaps next time. One word of advice though, don't buy at the box office. In Times Square you will also run into a ticket thingy in the middle of the street sorta where they will hook you up with half-price theater tickets.

Interested in TV studios? ABC and MTV both have offices in Times Square, and quite frequently are out and about talking to the passers-by. There was some rap group looking out of the 2nd floor MTV plate glass windows on my last trek but I can't recall now who the other lookie-loos said they were. heh. I'm old, sue me.

Interested in stores? You positively must stop into Toys-R-Us. I don't care if you have kids or not, you have to see the inside of this place. There is a full size Ferris Wheel inside this store. I kid you not. The cars on it are all toy themed, my favorite one is the Monopoly car. There's something like 4 stories of toys here... and BTW you can use their bathroom on the top floor if need be. Hey that's need-to-know info right there. The employees here are just something else too. Kids at heart, every last one. You can catch them "demonstrating" the toys and man are they having fun.

Then there's Madam Tussaud's Wax Museum. There was a life-size rendition of Samuel L. Jackson standing outside when I passed by. You can pose with him for pictures if you like. Inside are 6 themed areas and over 200 wax figures (http://www.timessquare.com/guide/ultimate_day_new.html). They had a special area for the opening of Van Helsing also. The draw back here is that it's almost 30 bucks to get in. Ouch!

Along with all the shopping and tourist trap places are just tons of restaurants. The usual suspects are amply represented with Red Lobster, Hooters, MickeyD's, etc... there's a ton of Pizza joints, a Bubba Gump's Shrimp place, and several upper-scale eateries. Just about anything you care to eat can be found in Times Square.

There is a Visitor's Center if you care to stop in and make sure you aren't missing anything, and a Cyber-Cafe in case you have this urge to check your email. Lots of side-of-the-road vendors sell designer knock-off purses (mostly $10 but look around, there's one table that has the same purses for 5 bucks), T-shirts, knick-knacks... just tons of stuff.

But.. and I saved this for last.. Times Square has the one, the only Singing Naked Cowboy! Oh yes. I am not kidding you at all. This gorgeous guy with really long flowing hair stands in the middle somewhere in nothing but his hat, his boots, and his tighty-whities playing the gee-tar and posing for pictures. This is how the guy makes his living, dorks like me tossing money at him. Hey man, the show is worth every cent. heh.

So my ending advice is to plan to spend a minimum of two days wandering Times Square. The first day you'll just wander around with your mouth hanging open, the second day you'll see everything you missed the first day...and there is much to miss with all that sensory stimulation happenin. Absolutely a must see.