Beloved by tourists and often reviled by locals, Times Square generates some strong opinions — and congestion.
Hundreds of thousands of people visit the glimmering Midtown snarl each day, with 170,000 people going there just for work, according to neighborhood-improvement organization the Times Square Alliance.
"There is a build-out for the equivalent of the Super Bowl halftime show in the middle of the most crowded public square in America," Alliance president Tim Tompkins told the Wall Street Journal.
"Every year, it gets crowded in Midtown, but it is crazy crowded in Times Square," he said.
Trekking through Times Square is a burden we all must face at some point, which is why the Journal asked Broadway professionals to impart their wisdom on how best to navigate the area.
"The secret is Ninth Avenue," Hamilton director Thomas Kail said. "I take a wide route."
Others, such as Roundabout Theatre Company artistic director Todd Haimes, head a bit further east. "I walk ... through Seventh Avenue traffic, probably breaking every law known to mankind," he said.
Broadway pros did say that their desire to move quickly would occasionally spoil someone else's day.
"I once arrived at 7:20 for a 7:30 show," actress Cassie Beck said. "I was running through Times Square and I knocked a hot dog out of someone's hand. I think I denied a guy his first New York hot dog."
