The closest precinct near Times Square is the one that constitutes the northern half of the area. By placing the ad in Times Square, the argument goes, it’s mostly non-New Yorkers who will see it, since real New Yorkers avoid Times Square like the plague. Data from the Times Square Alliance estimates that half of the pedestrian traffic in the square is made up of residents of the city. Nearly 200,000 people work in Times Square and wend their way through the gawking tourists and knockoff Elmos each weekday. The Times Square Alliance estimates that New Yorkers visit (or pass through) Times Square 25 times a year.

Source: Washington Post November 22, 2017 18:48 UTC