Broadway, Times Square

Broadway in Times Square is kicked off exactly how one would imagine it to be: with lights and people everywhere. The Times Square subway stop is right here and nearly every subway that runs through Manhattan connects at this stop. It is utter insanity at this station with people whizzing in every direction to make train connections. It can really overwhelming for even a New Yorker because of all the people so I can't imagine what it must be like for tourists. Across from the subway is the old Knickerbocker Hotel which used to be the finest hotel in the city. The building is gorgeous and definitely worth a look even though you won't see an Astor walking out of it anymore.
The next block is where you enter Times Square proper. 1 Times Square gave Times Square its name because the New York Times moved here in the early 20th century. They celebrated their move on New Years Eve which has made this area stick as the big jubilee for New Years Eve. The ticker they put up on the building has been there since 1928 and was the first in the world. It still ticks news even though the Times is no longer located here. This building is now pretty much just a place to put big showy advertisements with a lot of hullaballoo but it's this building that made Times Square what it is today. Across the street is the Conde Nast building which is the headquarters for Vogue magazine. This is where the immortal Anna Wintour reeks havoc on young fashionistas' lives.
The next block of Times Square is the one that scares me the most. There are enough lights here to induce a stroke and the culinary fare ranges from Bubba Gump Shrimp to Hard Rock Cafe to . . you get the idea. It's just a bunch of awful tourist hellholes on this block and it's almost impossible to get through the masses of people with backpacks on in this area. It is the bane of every New Yorker's existence. Good Morning America is filmed on this block and I feel sorry for all the people who work there because they have to see this block every single day.
The next block used to have a bevy of lovely old theatres and the Astor Hotel which was quite grand. Now, it features such gems as MTV Studios, a Billabong store, a way too crowded Sephora and a Toys R Us. This particular block, however, is the one that's famous for its outrageous ad signs, so if you need to see those, 45th is the place to be on Broadway.
The New York Marriott, Virgin Records, and the Astor Theatre take up the block leading up to 46th but it's hard to tell what is what because of all the electronic ads. The Astor Theatre premiered movies such as Gone with the Wind but I don't know if it actually still shows movies. My guess is no because I've never been there.
The rest of Broadway leading up to 50th is predominantly chain hotels with a few commercial buildings in the mix and some very bizarre tourist-driven shops on the ground floor. I would never stay in a hotel around here, but I suppose if you had to, I would go the W route. All of the others just seem so cheesy. I also wouldn't recommend dining or going to a bar around here. You won't see a single local unless they're there on a dare or because they had no other options. Most New Yorkers avoid this part of town like the plague as far as hanging out goes so you won't see any real New York. And, I wouldn't recommend living here at all unless you have industrial strength ear plugs and nightblinders. It's just too loud, bright and irritating.