The Busiest Applebees In The World

Amazing Fact: The Times Square Applebee's - located on 42nd Street - rakes in $13.5 million dollars annually. This makes it the most lucrative Applebee's in the world. Which just goes to show that tourists never get tired of authentic, home-cooked New York cuisine!

Embarrassing Fact: I actually ate there once (it was horrible). Don't judge.

BTW - the restaurant stands on what was once the most deliciously sleazy block in the city, which looked like this...

And now it looks like this...

Personally, I preferred it the old way.

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Times Square THEN ...

... and Times Square NOW:

It was much more fun THEN - trust me.

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Times Square - Circa 1986

Yesterday Gothamist did a "flashback" post with some great photos of a gritty Times Square - circa 1986. This was the Times Square I fell in love with during a day trip to NYC as a child - and a Times Square that is VERY different now...

However, one of the "artistic venues" pictured in the Gothamist's photo essay is actually still in operation to this very day - or so I've heard ...

Also, Gothamist did a non-scientific poll asking people if they prefered the Giulianified/Disneyfied Times Square of today, or the dangerous and seedy Times Square that Sick Tickets like me fell in love with. Results:

The current one, Olive Garden 4-ever! 34.89%(292 votes)

The gritty one, Pre-Disneyfication 65.11% (545 votes)

Total Votes: 837

Yep, 65% of those voting were Sick Tickets NOSTALGIC for the old Times Square, just like Moi. That makes me feel a little better.

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The Fleet Is IN!

The USS Iwo Jima passes the lower Manhattan skyline this morning (Mark Lennihan/AP)

It's Fleet Week here in NYC - that magical time when drunken sailors and marines wander around Times Square looking for trouble and us New Yorkers help them find it.  God Bless America...

BREAKING: Times Square Evacuated

According to 1010 WINS, parts of Times Square have been evacuated due to a suspicious package.  This comes just hours after a portion of nearby 8th Avenue was shut down for the same reason.  Midtown Manhattan is a little "on-edge" today - luckily my job is downtown in the Village.

The amazing photo (above) of an empty Times Square via Gothamist.

UPDATE:  Police have determined that the contents of the suspicious cooler were harmless, and Times Square has been re-opened.

Times Square Car Bomb

By now you may have heard about the failed car bomb which was found yesterday in Times Square.  Last night I happened to be walking through the neighborhood (my apartment is a couple blocks away) and I wondered why there were hundreds of police and tourists milling about the streets of the Theater District.  I thought maybe the Obamas were seeing a Broadway show (they were actually in D.C.) - and it wasn't until this morning when I learned about the failed bomb.

It's weird to think about, but if that bomb HAD gone off a lot of people would have been killed and/or injured - possibly including yours truly.

Hottie of the Day - Carlos Estrada

I have mentioned Carlos (above left) and his twin brother Joel (above right) before. Back in February I featured pictures of Joel - but my commentary was mostly about Carlos. Both were dancers at my old hangout - Stella's bar in formerly seedy Times Square. One night a famous fashion designer came in and saw Carlos dancing. Here's what I wrote...

Here is some good dish: One night I was drinking a lovely cocktail at Stella's, and a certain BIG NAME fashion designer walked in. All the papihookers and go-go dancers in the place went into total OBSESSION-mode, and wouldn't leave him alone. They were all hoping to get some of that underwear and cologne money. Low and behold, this BIG NAME fashion designer spotted Carlos on the go-go platform. Biatch wasted no time - he walked up to Carlos and whispered a few words to him. Carlos nodded and pointed to the owner of the bar. Big-Time Designer walked over to the owner, whispered a few words, and the owner nodded. With that, Carlos and Mr. Big Designer walked out the door. This whole process certainly did NOT take an ETERNITY. The next night at the bar, Carlos was sporting some new duds and new eyeglasses - presumably from his fashionable admirer. And biatches, this was not the only time I saw this Certain Known designer drunk and trolling for strippers. Goodness, I miss Stella's ...

I DO miss Stella's. And thanks to the awesome blog Monaga for posting these pics of Carlos and bringing back this memory.

Before and After - 42nd Street

Here is a picture of the Lyric (left) and the Victory (center) theaters on Manhattan's famed 42nd Street - circa 1976. Top picture from the great blog - Lost City.

And here are the same two theaters sometime in 2008...

The Lyric (left) has been renamed The Hilton Theater (it featured "Young Frankenstein" last year), and the "New Victory" (with the fancy new steps) now specializes in childrens productions. If those walls could talk, can you imagine the stories they'd tell?

This block of 42nd Street (between Broadway and 8th Avenues) was one of the only places in Manhattan that made me uncomfortable when I first moved here in the early 90's. Its seediness was overwhelming. Now? Not so much...

Dinner With The Minx's

My friend The Minx is in NYC with her adorable husband, Mr. Minx - and I had the pleasure of having dinner with them last night. Since I am completely unadventurous when it comes to restaurants, The Minx always picks someplace for us to eat when she comes to town. And she never disappoints.

This time she chose the Times Square Japanese bar/restaurant - Sake Bar Hagi. She had read good things about the place, and Anthony Bourdain even liked it when he visited.

Sake Bar Hagi serves "small plates" which are really reasonably priced. I let The Minx do the ordering and I went along for the ride. Here are some of the delicious dishes we sampled...

Gyoza (like pot-stickers) and Fried Calamari...


A couple of platters of assorted skewered meats ...


A noodle dish with pork and string beans...


One of the things I just couldn't attempt was the Octopus Balls (below). If The Minx's would have pretended it was delicious I probably would have tried it - but they were ambivalent so I stayed away. I usually like a nice ball, but not this time...


One of the things that surprised me was the fact that they had a corn dog - served with mustard and ketchup. How could you not love a restaurant that serves corn dogs?!?...


It was a great dinner with great friends - and the price was right. We each had a glass of Sake, and our bill came to less than $100. For 3 people eating in Times Square, that is a huge bargain!


PROGRAMMING NOTE: The Minx WILL be recapping last night's episode of Top Chef, however she won't be posting it until Friday ... stay tuned.

"Naked Cowboy" Running For Mayor

It looks like I have a little Times Square theme going on today. Earlier today I posted about the TKTS booth, and now I'm posting about perhaps Times Square's best-know "resident" - The Naked Cowboy.

The Naked Cowboy (who's neither naked nor a cowboy, discuss) has roamed around Times Square in cowboy boots and tighty whiteys for the past 10 years. He earns his living by charging tourists a small fee for posing for pictures. He's been known to do this even in the dead of winter...

But it seems as if The Cowboy (real name: Robert Burck) now has his eyes on an even bigger job - Mayor of New York City. According to the New York Post, he will announce his official candidacy tomorrow - challenging incumbent Mayor Mike Bloomberg.

Mr. Cowboy Burck states:

"No one knows how to do more with less than yours truly, and that's the kind of thinking I plan on sharing with my fellow New Yorkers when you elect me," he said, promising new ideas on tax breaks, tourism, gay marriage, transit and homeland security.

Hey, a Naked Cowboy would probably be a better Mayor than Rudy Giuliani was ...

Cheap Broadway Tix Under The Red Steps

Since 1973, the small traffic island (called "Father Duffy Square") at the northern end of Times Square has been the place to buy half-price tickets for Broadway and Off-Broadway shows. The TKTS booth located there is run by the Theatre Development Fund - which was created to support the Theatre Arts and to encourage diverse audiences to attend live theater.

TKTS works by selling day-of-show tickets that the theaters themselves have not yet sold. A few hours before curtain, the theaters will send unsold tickets over to the TKTS booth, which the public can line up and purchase for 25-50% off the face value (plus a small service charge). It's a great deal.

After undergoing a renovation, The TKTS booth recently reopened. The renovated TKTS structure now features a seating area above the ticket booth - a set of ruby-red bleachers where you can people-watch in the "Crossroads of the World"...


The statue (above) is Father Duffy himself. On Sunday I walked through Times Square and took these pictures of the new TKTS booth, and the red steps above it.


And below is the view from the steps - looking down onto the new pedestrian mall the city created by closing much of Broadway to automobiles. This, unsurprisingly, has pissed off cabbies, deliverymen, and commuters. On the other hand, the tourists (and the homeless) simply LOVE it...

Marky Mark Has Still Got It

Some things get better with age ... things like wisdom and fine wine just seem to improve over time. Another thing that appears to be aging quite nicely is Mark "Don't Call Me Marky Mark" Wahlberg. The picture above was taken last week of Wahlberg, 38, on the set of his new movie The Fighter. Daddy is looking GOOD.

It's hard to believe it was 17 years ago when Marky Mark took over Times Square with the enormous billboard of his "funky bunch"...

Happy Hump Day From Carlos

Back in the day, Carlos was one of my favorite go-go dancers at my favorite Times Square go-go bar, Stella's. And after a bunch of drinks, I would swear the "eye" tattoo around his bellybutton was winking at me...