The new, car-free Broadway blocks of Times Square are still being appraised by pedestrians, drivers, and pundits alike. But one thing they can all agree on: It's quite a sight. On Panoramas.dk, there's a 360-degree image taken from Duffy Square (on top of the new TKTS proscenium) by Jook Leung—check it out here (the above image doesn't do it justice). Update: As eagle-eyed readers noticed, this panorama looks like it was taken before the car-ban went into effect but it was taken on Sunday (here's another shot from Sunday); from the TKTS steps, it looks like this on Memorial Day.
Panorama Of Car-Free Times Square
Paul Krugman On Pedestrian-Friendly Times Square
Finally, the Nobel Prize winner in economics has weighed in on the city's Greenlight for Midtown plan. Paul Krugman writes on his NY Times blog, "I’m definitely in favor of making part of Broadway a traffic-free area. But you have to wonder — who’s this for? As far as I know, nobody goes to that part of Manhattan anyway — it’s too crowded." Of course, a few of his commenters noticed the Yogi Berra-homage, with some even demanding he acknowledge the legendary Yankees catcher-philosopher.
Breaking In Pedestrian Plaza'd Times Square
With seven blocks along Broadway in Times Square and Herald Square closed to vehicular traffic for pedestrian promenading pleasure (oh, and to ease traffic congestion too) on Sunday, New Yorkers and tourists alike have been testing out the suddenly clear streets. The Broadway pedestrian plazas are between 42nd and 47th Streets and between 33rd and 35th Streets, and in the Times Square stretch, there were lawn chairs for perambulators.
Greenlight for Midtown Gets Under Way in Times Square
Here's the first peek at the new look of Times Square without a vehicle in sight as part of the "Greenlight for Midtown" program, which began today. The early shot looking down Broadway and Seventh Avenue from 45th Street comes from Streetsblog, which says, "It's obviously way too soon to judge how this remarkable experiment is working but today, at least, car-free Broadway appears to be a huge hit. "

