West 50th St, Times Square

The Winter Garden Theatre (with its glorious 1980's lights) kicks off 50th's run through Times Square. This is power player theatre that has seen the closing of such Broadway monsters as Funny Girl, Mame, Cats and West Side Story. It's definitely not renowned for debuting risk taking plays but if you like the big guys, this is one of the spots to be. The building has been around since the 19th century so it in itself is worth a look . . .if you can around those lights.
The corner of Broadway and 50th holds the Paramount Building. It used to have the largest cinema in New York city and MGM used it to showcase the likes of Wizard of Oz and Gone with the Wind. It's now a big magazine publishing building with a really bizarre sci-fi themed restaurant on the ground floor. Oh, tourists. Across the street is the Snapple Theatre Complex which houses a Duane Reade and an off-Broadway theatre owned by the juice company. I've never seen a show here because, apparently, Snapple and I don't have the same taste in plays. Circle in the Square Theatre is right next to the Paramount building and it is one of the best theatres in the city. They actually take risks and they have great shows. Metamorphoses and Putnam County Spelling Bee both saw runs here. It's a great theatre with great taste. There are a couple of apartment buildings on this block but wouldn't recommend living in them. The surrounding area has no neighborhood feel, it's swarming with people constantly, and there's nothing to do outside of theatre. There's no great food or local bar and it's just too loud to keep your sanity on a day to day basis.

The Winter Garden Theatre (with its glorious 1980's lights) kicks off 50th's run through Times Square. This is power player theatre that has seen the closing of such Broadway monsters as Funny Girl, Mame, Cats and West Side Story. It's definitely not renowned for debuting risk taking plays but if you like the big guys, this is one of the spots to be. The building has been around since the 19th century so it in itself is worth a look . . .if you can around those lights.
The corner of Broadway and 50th holds the Paramount Building. It used to have the largest cinema in New York city and MGM used it to showcase the likes of Wizard of Oz and Gone with the Wind. It's now a big magazine publishing building with a really bizarre sci-fi themed restaurant on the ground floor. Oh, tourists. Across the street is the Snapple Theatre Complex which houses a Duane Reade and an off-Broadway theatre owned by the juice company. I've never seen a show here because, apparently, Snapple and I don't have the same taste in plays. Circle in the Square Theatre is right next to the Paramount building and it is one of the best theatres in the city. They actually take risks and they have great shows. Metamorphoses and Putnam County Spelling Bee both saw runs here. It's a great theatre with great taste. There are a couple of apartment buildings on this block but wouldn't recommend living in them. The surrounding area has no neighborhood feel, it's swarming with people constantly, and there's nothing to do outside of theatre. There's no great food or local bar and it's just too loud to keep your sanity on a day to day basis.