Walking Blindfolded to Times Square in New York City

Last Updated on October 18, 2020 by Adam Watts

My host in New York City led me blindfolded to Times Square. I’d only met Mike that morning so for all I knew he was leading me the opposite direction to some underground prison where he’d do weird things to me involving coleslaw and shoelaces.

But thankfully, and perhaps not surprisingly, that didn’t happen. After numerous bangs of my elbow into walls, posts and annoyed locals, Mike said, “We’re here.”

It felt like it. The noise of traffic and people had risen and even behind the blindfold I could sense the brightness of the lights of Times Square. Mike untied the scarf. This is what I saw:

Times Square after dark, with all those adverts and lights, is an explosion of capitalism. I know a lot of people hate it, especially fascists and white people with dreadlocks, but I thought it was beautiful. Sure, it ain’t snow-capped mountains and white sandy beaches, but beauty comes in many forms.

It’s difficult to exactly enjoy Times Square with all of those crowds. The stores are huge but they’re rammed so full of tourists that you’d need a taser to force your way through. Just walking a few blocks is a challenge and it’s  a prime spot for savvy pickpockets because everyone is shoulder to shoulder and walking slowly. It’s a place not suitable for either claustrophobics or agoraphobics.

But it’s one of those places that it’s nice to say you’ve been, like the Great Wall of China, The Pyramids of Egypt or the inside of a celebrity.

Now here’s a few other photos of New York.

If you’re a fan of the modern world, with all its skyscrapers, smart phones and silent resentment on every street, New York is the city for you. It’s shiny, it’s electric, it’s intimidating; it’s everything a great city should be. If you want peace and quiet and squirrels, go the fuck to Idaho.

For more stories about New York City, click here.