The location of Times Square. Quite the conundrum

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Time Square conjures images of a lively street scene for many New Yorkers and visitors, reaching for blocks north from the intersection of 42nd Street and Broadway. Okay, but how many squares is that? I mean, where exactly does Times Square end? According to recent report of Corey Kilgannon, many people view it in terms of sensory limitations. Do the flashing billboards catch your eye? Can you make out the hot dog stands? Are you desperately trying to ward off furry-costumed people who are begging for money from you? If so, then you haven't left Times Square.

In response to a new state law that makes Times Square and other densely populated tourist areas off-limits to anybody in possession of a concealed firearm, local officials have now established what they call the district's formal boundaries. The new layout, supported by the mayor's office, the NYPD, and the City Council, provides Times Square with liberal boundaries: a wide swath spanning almost three dozen blocks from Ninth to Sixth Avenues and from West 40th to 53rd Streets. The area encompasses the Rockefeller Center and the Port Authority bus terminal.

What do New Yorkers think?

To gauge public opinion on the newly outlined, expansive boundaries, Jonah Bromwich and Chelsia Rose Marcius conducted interviews with New Yorkers to learn about their perceptions of Times Square and whether or not they agreed with them. Adam Alkindi, who on Tuesday was operating the counter at a deli near West 48th Street and Ninth Avenue, strongly stated that the location was not in Times Square.

“No way,” said Alkindi, 21, who was raised just a block away. “It’s peaceful over here.”

As Alkindi put it: “Where it’s crowded, where there are a lot of big stores and lights. That’s Times Square.”

Robert Govan, a 62-year-old New Yorker, agreed that the line could go as far north as West 52nd Street, but he said he would never count the Port Authority Bus Terminal as part of Times Square.

“Nah. No way,” he said. “Not going to happen.”

Some New Yorkers might think that the lines are not set in stone. Felecia Majette, 62, whose office is at West 49th Street and Sixth Avenue, said that she thought of that part of Midtown Manhattan as an extension of Times Square.

“There’s movement from here to there,” she said. “It’s all combined.”

Majette said she approved of the new boundaries. The last thing she wanted, she said, was “a bunch of people around here carrying guns, even if they’re allowed to have one.”

What sparked this new gun law?

A century-old New York law that had placed strict limits on the public carrying of guns was struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court in June, prompting the state to pass a new gun law regulating Times Square and other areas. Lines have developed outside permitting offices across New York State, with 150 people waiting in line outside the Niagara County Courthouse on Wednesday morning as the new rules were due to go into effect. Roughly a hundred people had set up tent for the night. Two full-time employees were added to the Oswego County permitting office to meet rising demand. And a Suffolk County expert on guns permits is getting up to fifty calls a day from those interested in applying. The number of applications for licenses in New York City has risen by 54% since June.

Following the federal law shift, New York State enacted legislation that prohibits gun possession in some areas. Cities, hospitals, churches, clinics, public parks, libraries, playgrounds, the metro, and Times Square were all on the list. The Times Square Alliance defines Times Square as the area between West 40th and 53rd Streets, between Sixth and Eighth Avenues, and also includes Restaurant Row on West 46th Street west of Ninth Avenue in its definition. The new city map expands this area to include more of the area.

“Everyone has a different idea of where Times Square is,” the alliance’s president, Tom Harris said, “There are 365,000 people a day walking through Times Square, and the N.Y.P.D. does an excellent job of keeping those people safe.”

What do you think?

Source: The New York Times