First a photo and then the words:

Like most things in New York, Times Square has seen its ups and its downs.  When I first came to New York in the 1980s, it was a place as a resident that you didn’t go.  It was seedy, full of the kind of things that no one but the real fringes of society wanted to take part in.  I don’t remember anyone I knew going there or there being anything of interest to anyone there.

But then about 15 years ago, it underwent a change.  Gone were many of the old style theaters, replaced by toy stores and it became a kind of family friendly place to go.  As a person who takes photos, I started going there a lot.  The secret to my photos of New York is that I walk around a lot and just photograph what I notice, what catches my eye.  On these walks, more often than not, I’d stop in Times Square, simply because there always seemed to be something going on there.

Now its become sort of a haven for people doing all kinds of things.  There are people dressed in costumes, naked cowboys, etc.  Its just sort of this gathering of humanity, interacting with one another, but not fighting with each other.  Kind of like the city itself, a lot of the time.  I never felt like I was in danger there, I never felt like there was any reason to be worried for my own safety.

Then I heard about a shooting in Times Square about a week ago.  It was scary to me on a few different levels, mostly because I do spend a lot of time in Times Square.  It also reminded me of how different New York is now.  The city has gotten so safe that a shooting in Times Square is a shock and not an everyday occurrence.  I hope the shooting doesn’t make people less likely to go to Times Square because it is a kind of funny and often times strange place to hang out that was never dangerous.  Cities need that kind of thing.  For lack of a better word, every city needs a heart and Times Square is the heart of New York.  Don’t put a bullet through it.