Times Square: Where Anything Worth Advertising, Will Be

To finish up Sunday, I wandered up to Times Square.  Because, you know, after a 20hr flight, I thought there was no better way to beat the jetlag than go stare at some neon lights.  First impressions: well, it's big.  And crowded.  And hyper-commercial.  But surprisingly not that shiny: the road needs work in a few places, there are sleazy guys inviting you to their strip clubs, homeless people, there are some shops that shut early (or have closed down)... it's just not as sparkly as one might expect from romanticised viewings of the ball-drop on NYE.  Here's some photos:

And yes, that is a person dressed as Iron Man with their back to the camera.

Obligatory Lion King shot (note also Mickey Mouse and Spiderman in this photo)

Gratuitous Beyonce shot :p

Notice how bad the road looks in some of these pictures.  This was also the location of my first encounter with a New York hotdog (bought from a street vendor and all, y'all.  I'm practically a Yankee now).

Oh, and since this is kind of a study-related trip, I also took photos when I just happened to walk pass the NY Bar Association (because, you know, I might get withdrawal symptoms if I go too long without thinking about the law).