Located just south of Central Park, in Midtown Manhattan, Times Square is the hub of the New York Theatre District, and one of the most iconic locales in the world. Originally Longacre Square, the name Times Square was coined after the relocation of the New York Times to 42nd Street in 1904. Just weeks later, the first electrified commercial appeared, leading to the instantly recognisable wall-to-wall billboards of today.
By day, Times Square is a bustling business hub, but there are still plenty of things to see and do. Some of the more well-known shops include M&M's World and the giant 215-foot-tall Hershey's store. The centre of Times Square is a traffic-free plaza where visitors can sit on one of the many multicoloured chairs and watch the world go by.
After sundown, Times Square transforms into a neon wonderland. The hundreds of illuminated billboards light the way to the Theatre district, which has been selling tickets to plays and musicals since the 18th century.
