NYC: 1st Stop - Times Square
George M Cohan Statue - Times Square
Overwhelming and underwhelming all at the same time.
The name Times “Square” is a bit misleading. It’s less square and more long skinny triangle. It was the first place I went after dropping off my luggage. Not because I was so eager to see it, but to get tickets for a show. Walking into Times Square you need sunglasses even on a cloudy day. There are bright flashing ads, tons of tourists and lots of people selling things. This is why, for me, Times Square was overwhelming and underwhelming all at the same time. All of the bright lights, crowds and noises were sensory overload. And there wasn’t a lot to see because most of the stores and restaurants are chains you can find back home.
My favorite thing in Times Square was a statue of George M. Cohan, composer in the early 20th century. The movie about him, Yankee Doodle Dandy, with an Oscar winning performance by James Cagney, is worth a watch. You can see the New Year’s Eve ball, as it’s up all year (its a lot smaller in person).
You’ve probably heard this before, but as a reminder, don’t take pictures with the characters in Times Square, unless you are willing to pay for it.
Lion King at the Minskoff Theater
Travel Tip - If you want to see more than 1 Broadway show, buy tickets “day of” for less.
A lot of Broadway theaters are near Times Square, so its a central place for the TKTS booth. They sell discounted “day of” tickets. This is a great way to stretch your budget to see multiple shows. Tickets through TKTS are only sold in person, but there is any app that tells you what shows are available. I downloaded the app a few weeks before to see what shows were regularly on there. We wanted to make sure to see the Lion King and the app said that they rarely ever had discount tickets. So we bought them beforehand. If there is a specific show you want to see, buy the tickets beforehand. It might cost you a bit more, but that way you aren’t disappointed.
One of the reasons we decided to see a show the first night is time. You have to stand in line for the tickets and you don’t know how long that will take. We didn’t plan a lot our first day just in case planes were delayed. Since my plane got in first I went to stand in line. It took about an hour to get to the front. We had a few shows on the possibility list so if one wasn’t available, we didn’t have to look up others while standing at the TKTS window and hold up the line. Make sure the morning you plan to get “day of” tickets is flexible.
The Broadway shows I saw while in New York City were Lion King and Aladdin. As a kid that grew up in the ‘90s it was my childhood all over again. Both were amazing! My favorite part about Aladdin was the magic carpet ride. The mechanics and craftmanship that went into are spectacular! For the Lion King, it was the costumes and puppetry, specifically the giraffes. The movements really convey each animal.
Travel Tip - If seeing the Lion King, or a show right in Times Square, get cheesecake after the show.
Junior’s Cheesecake
After seeing the Lion King, we weren’t quite ready to go back to the hotel, still wide awake thinking and talking about the show. In NYC you shouldn’t leave without having a piece of New York cheesecake. One of the best places is Junior’s, literally next store to the Minskoff Theater, where Lion King is performed. The sit down restaurant is there, as is a takeout cheesecake option. If you don’t want to wait for a table (we didn’t) get in line at the takeout place. There are a few tables outside to sit at. I got in line and my roommate saved a table. If there aren’t any tables available, you could take your cheesecake and find a spot to sit in Times Square or go back to your hotel to eat. The cheesecake travels well and we both found it to be delicious!
