Doing time in Times Square

Thanks to a later-than-planned departure and a flight into an airport farther away from Manhattan than desired, Dickinator and I scrapped our dinner plans last night. We're just getting too old to stay out so late on a school night!

So, after checking into my hotel, I wandered around Times Square, found myself an obnoxiously touristy restaurant and ordered too many dishes for one person to eat (although I did manage to eat everything).

Times Square is so weird to me. I used to work for a company whose New York offices were in Chelsea, so whenever I traveled there for work, I'd be in an interesting part of town, with good restaurants, things to do and people I knew. My current company has offices just north of Times Square so we're always housed around the corner. In tourist land.

What is the deal with Times Square? Why do people go there? There's nothing authentic or interesting about it. Maybe some Broadway shows, but it is completely devoid of any character that would otherwise compel a sane person to visit New York.

I sat at my table and simply stared at the thousands of people, strolling along the sidewalk, marveling at the flashing lights and stopping to take photos. And it saddened me that this was how I was spending my limited time in the city.