I'm a born and bred New Yorker and went to Times Square to learn why 50 million people visit every year. I still don't get it.

times square

As a New Yorker, I avoid Times Square at all costs and never understood why so many tourists flock to the area.
One afternoon, I decided to spend a few hours in Times Square to truly understand the allure.
First, I went to three top tourist attractions. M&M'S World was crowded and overrated in my opinion, Gulliver's Gate was too expensive, and the Naked Cowboy was underwhelming.
Tourists told me to try to take in the famous red staircase and the billboards, but I still didn't understand the intrigue.
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Growing up on Long Island, I would often take trips to New York City throughout the year, but Times Square was something my family always avoided.

Now that I've lived in the city itself for five years, I've learned Times Square is a well-known tourist trap with high prices and even bigger crowds. Now, whenever I have to go through that part of the city, I try to get out as fast I can. Sometimes I even take different streets to avoid it altogether.

That said, I've always wondered why so many tourists flock to Times Square, especially since the city has so much more to offer that is culturally engaging. But one Friday afternoon I decided to stay two hours in Times Square to really figure out why 50 million tourists come to this part of the city every year.

After a sweaty subway ride and an even grimier subway station, I emerged from the underground and immediately entered the "Crossroads of the World."

Times Square is "formed by the intersection of Seventh Avenue, 42nd Street, and Broadway,"according to the Encyclopedia Britannica. The area is often referred to as the "Crossroads of the World" or "The Great White Way."

I instantly noticed the busy streets and large crowds — the biggest reason why I usually avoid Times Square.

Saturday is Time Square's busiest day, and Friday — the day I explored the area — is its second busiest. People visit Times Square the least on Sundays.

I knew I needed a plan going into this, so I decided to visit the three most popular Times Square activities: M&M'S World, Gulliver's Gate, and seeing the Naked Cowboy.

These three activities appear on almost every travel guide you can find on the internet, so I decided to try them out and get the typical tourist experience.

My first stop was M&M'S World on 48th street, which is said to be a haven for candy enthusiasts.

The store boasts 25,000-square-feet of M&M's merchandise, which seems to be a draw for many tourists.

But it seemed the crowd outside on the streets followed me inside, too.

The store is three stories and each of them is filled with dense crowds that you can barely walk through.

Most of the children crowded around the M&M's wall that is filled with rainbow-colored candy treats.

As with any tourist trap, everything is overpriced. It costs $16 per pound of M&M's, and each bag can weigh up to 4 pounds. It's easy to spend $64 on candy at this store.

Despite a giant M&M dressed as the Statue of Liberty in the middle of the store, I didn't see anything that would draw me to this location as a tourist visiting New York.

There's so much more for tourists to see in New York than just a store for M&M's.

I decided to go to my next stop in hopes of finding Times Square's allure. I headed to Gulliver's Gate, which is an exhibit famous for its miniature replicas of famous cities.

Gulliver's Gate is located on 44th street and is 50,000-square-feet of interactive miniatures. There are tiny replicas of 25 cities, including airports, skyscrapers, and villages.

Upon arriving, I learned that the exhibit costs a whopping $36, which seems absurd. To me, it seemed like Gulliver's Gate was up-charging to take advantage of tourists, so I walked out.

By comparison, it costs $25 for an adult to enter New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art, one of the most famous museums in the world.

On my way out, however, I noticed I could get a full view of the exhibit by peering over a glass banister.

I saw most of the exhibit without paying the $36.

Back on the streets, I decided to try the third most popular activity in Times Square: meeting the Naked Cowboy.

Dressed in white underwear, a cowboy hat, and a guitar, the Naked Cowboy is a famous street performer that sings and poses for pictures in Times Square. He's been roaming Times Square since 1997, becoming a staple in the area.

After struggling to find him for a few minutes, we finally locked eyes as he strummed his guitar in the middle of the street.

We had a strange interaction in which he gave me a postcard that promoted his wine and music. He even signed it for me.

When I asked him why he thinks so many people come to Times Square every day, he said, "for the Naked Cowboy."

"It's the best part of Times Square, in my opinion," the Naked Cowboy told me.

At this point, I was feeling disappointed and disillusioned. Everything I experienced in Times Square so far was too crowded, overpriced, and vapid.

I was still confused about why any tourist would want to spend any amount of time here.

I decided it was time to turn to the tourists themselves to find out why they flock to Times Square when visiting New York.

It was time to chat with some tourists.

Nqobile Mabaso and Deliaa Murugan are both from South Africa and they told me one of the reasons they came to Times Square was for the billboards.

Mabaso said she came to Times Square to see the billboards. She really wanted to take a picture with the "Toy Story" advertisement that looms over the streets.

"All of the lights make you feel like you're really here," Mabaso said.

So I took a closer look at the billboards to try and understand it from the tourist's perspective.

Growing up, I took the billboards in Times Square for granted. It became commonplace to see the flashing lights and big screens on my trips into the city. But for some people who grew up in small towns or around the world, these billboards could really be something to admire.

But at the same time, I can't imagine traveling thousands of miles to see a Gillette ad.

Next to the crowds, my biggest complaint about Times Square is the fact that it's just advertisements. Tourists come to stare in awe at giant ads for brands, TV shows, and movies.

Mabaso's friend, Deliaa Murugan, said she came to Times Square for the famous red staircase.

Built in 2008, the red staircase is actually more like bleachers and houses the Broadway TKTS booth underneath. Since its opening, there have been 5,000 Instagram posts per day that feature the stairs, and 13,000 people walk the steps every day.

Murugan wanted to be one of those people for a unique reason.

"I watched the music video 'New York' with Jay-Z and Alicia Keys, and she's dancing [on the steps], and I want to do the same thing," Murugan said. "But there's a lot of people there."

I decided to brave the crowds and give the stairs a go. I climbed about 20 steps and stared out at Times Square.

It was a mesmerizing sight, seeing all the traffic and crowds weave in and out of each other, but I still felt a sense of disappointment.

At the end of the day, it really is just a staircase.

I sat for several minutes, looking around, waiting for something — literally anything — to happen. Maybe the stairs would light up, maybe the stairs would change colors, maybe the stairs are a stage for a large performance, I thought. But I was wrong.

A staircase with no history or entertainment isn't exactly on top of my travel itinerary when I go to a new city.

Instead, I chatted with another tourist, Lee Kennedy Lopez, who lives in Virginia. She was in New York to celebrate her retirement and said she came to Times Square for the Broadway shows.

There are 41 theaters on Broadway in the Theater District, with ever-evolving productions of plays and musicals.

"People come to see Broadway because the actors and actresses are the true artists in entertainment," Lopez said. "They bring it out every day."

Prompted by Lopez, I took a stroll down the Theater District and remembered all the shows I have seen throughout the years.

Lopez was right. There's something about Broadway that feels magical. Finally, this is something I could understand. The culture in Times Square, specifically on Broadway, is unparalleled.

I dove deeper into my newfound understanding of Times Square when I chatted with Julie Cloutier, who was visiting from Montreal. She said she came to the tourist attraction to simply people watch.

"I love people watching," Cloutier said. "I'm fascinated just by the people here."

Taking Cloutier's advice, I decided to examine the crowd more closely. I suddenly realized the unparalleled culture wasn't confined to the Broadway theaters; it was alive on the streets as well.

From cartoon characters to street performers, there's always something to look at in Times Square.

On the corner, for example, a group was putting on a great dance performance for spectators.

The performers wowed the crowd with back flips and break dancing.

As if that wasn't enough, there were hundreds of people doing yoga in honor of International Yoga Day in the middle of the street.

It was amazing to see hundreds of people move in unison to find their peace amongst the crowded streets of New York City. Much like the shows on Broadway and the street performers, the yoga participants confirmed the fact that Times Square is brimming with diverse culture.

While I may still not fully understand all the reasons tourists come to Times Square, I can see it's a hub for diversity, performance, and culture.

Though I will probably still try to avoid Times Square because of its crowd, I will remind myself to stop and take a few moments every now and then to take in the diverse culture that exists in one of the most popular tourist attractions in the world.