New - but pricey -Times Square attractions may be worth a second look
After nearly 20 years of writing guidebooks to New York City, I’ve honed my advice on Times Square to two words: Skip it.
Yes, you’ll have to go through Times Square to see a Broadway show, but why linger? The area is a maddening scrum, too crowded for easy strolling and populated almost exclusively by crazy-expensive versions of the corporate giants you’ll see in any mall in America. Add a lot of flashing lights and people dressed as cartoon characters so they can strongarm passersby into taking their photos for tips, and you have the entirety of the experience.
Well, almost. During the past year and a half, three new attractions have opened up in Times Square that might be worth braving the hordes for - but only if you have deep pockets.
The first, National Geographic ENCOUNTER: Ocean Odyssey, is a waterless aquarium, one that attempts to give a “fish-eye” view of the planet’s oceans. With the help of seriously impressive technology - computerized sea lion projections that interact with museum-goers, 3-D animation that takes visitors into a swirling school of sardines, and massive tablets - visitors are encouraged to experience the seas as if they were swimming in them. In fact, at one point, everyone is “eaten” by a humpback whale - at least, in the world through one’s 3-D glasses. Kids will love it, and adults will, too, but a bit less - it’s hard to get over the sting of a $40 admission for a one-hour attraction.
Just two storefronts over is Gulliver’s Gate, a surprisingly charming attraction displaying miniature versions of cities, regions and historic sites around the planet in a block-wide space - a sort of “greatest hits” of world geography, with many quirks. Some have to do with the attraction’s founding: CEO Eirin Gazat created the first version in Israel, so that small country takes up half a showroom, while massive India gets just the Taj Mahal. The display also jumps seasons;
time periods (Venice’s St. Mark’s Square squishes up against the B.C.-era Colossus of Rhodes, representing Greece); and states of reality with one of Gotham’s leading citizens, er, Spider-Man, scaling the Brooklyn Bridge. It’s a hair less pricey than Nat Geo, at $36 per adult, but it won’t take you any longer to tour.
And are you ready for some footbaaaall? The over-amped NFL Experience Times Square offers just that - but bring your earplugs and Dramamine. The heart
of the experience is an immersive video that’s projected on three sides of the theater, is louder than a rock concert and features seats that slam backward every time an onscreen athlete gets tackled. Visitors also are treated to a display of memorabilia, from actual Super Bowl rings to Mike Ditka bobbleheads. There also is a large gym-like space, with lots of tech bells and whistles, where visitors can test their skills calling plays, throwing footballs and more. The young boys who were there when
I was enjoyed the last part immensely. Me? Not so much.
Note to the reader: Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip. The information in this column was accurate when it was released, but prices are competitive, sometimes limited and can always change without notice.
Pauline Frommer is the Editorial Director for the Frommer Travel Guides and Frommers.com. She co-hosts the radio program The Travel Show with her father, Arthur Frommer and is the author of the best-selling Frommer’s EasyGuide to New York City.