Drug Dealers

You know the old phrase “sex, drugs, and rock n roll?” Back in the ‘80s Times Square had the first two in abundance (the rock n roll was further downtown). The website for Times Square doesn’t even try to hide this part of its history, as it states:

“In addition to the sex market, the drug trade also profoundly affected Times Square. Efforts to address the increase in prostitution, especially by juveniles, were derailed by the arrival of crack cocaine to Times Square in 1986 … Crack dealers, junkies and the cardboard encampments of the homeless took over the streets.”

While there are still plenty of drugs to be had in NYC, the only way you’ll get high in Times Square today is if you really like chain restaurants.

Rampant Violent Crime

Not even George Orwell could have predicted the kind of 1984 Times Square experienced. Overflowing with porn and crack, the block became a haven for violent crime. According to statistics, “By 1984, an unprecedented 2,300 annual crimes occurred on that single block, of which 460 were serious felonies such as murder and rape.” That’s over 1.25 murders, or rapes, per day on just that block!

Currently, the most felonious creatures in Times Square are the people dressed as Elmo and Spongebob, who might actually drive you to embrace Times Square’s murderous past.