By Cate Carrejo
The first time I ever went to Times Square, I was 16 and it was my first time in New York City. As a huge theater geek, I was about as close to paradise as I could be while still alive. My mom and I saw Anything Goes, learned what it meant to “stage door” a show and took my picture in front of the Coca-Cola sign. I was the epitome of a cheesy tourist, but living out a dream is pretty exciting.
The wonder and excitement of Midtown faded just about the instant I moved here. Most Fordham students have been to Times Square a dozen times or more throughout their lives, and I learned the jaded New Yorker attitude pretty quickly. It is easier to see the negative things about Times Square than the positive. It’s probably the most disgusting place in the city, it’s almost impossible not to be touching a stranger at any point, and the sensory overload is bordering on dangerous. I put up with the crowds to go to musicals and complained about it like the rest of my friends.
This weekend, I went to Times Square for the first time in a while with one of my friends. She’s from Westchester, so I assumed her suggestion to go there was mostly ironic and that the primary objective of our outing would be people watching. But as soon as we got there, it became clear that Olivia was not like most of the Fordham students with whom I had been to Times Square.
She pointed out all the things that I had forgotten to see: the happiness of the families, the excitement of all the stores, the pace that keeps your mind off of anything serious. And really, the excitement of the tourist attitude combined with my expertise on the square made it an even better experience than when I was an actual tourist. My default attitude in Times Square had been “Jaded New Yorker” for the past year and a half, and I never had a bad time, but allowing myself to be excited and doe-eyed like a tourist was refreshing.
Part of living in New York is being over the tourist culture. It differentiates you as part of the in-group, as opposed to someone who does not belong here. Not to mention, the things that make the city exciting can get really old really fast. Once you’ve lived here for a little while, the city becomes your home, and everything feels a little more mundane. It’s okay to become comfortable with the city and to take some of its attractions for granted. But every once in a while, we need to make sure that we remember the things that make this city magical. A lot of the energy of New York City is driven by the tourist culture, and without all the sights of the city, it wouldn’t be the same place we all love. So the next time you go to Times Square, try to look on the bright side. It shouldn’t be hard with all the lights.
