While most New Yorkers avoid the wandering crowds of tourists, costumed characters, and bombarding big screens of Times Square, I chose to live there.
After renting in the Upper West Side for two years and being fed up with my reliance on the temperamental No. 1 train, I decided to look for a new apartment that had more access to trains.
My search landed me in a year-long lease in the neon heart of New York City — where I had 12 subway lines to choose from.
As 2015 comes to an end, and an estimated 1 million flock to watch the famous New Year's Eve ball slowly descend, here's what it was like to live at the center of the world's third most visited tourist attraction.
NOTE: My rent skyrocketed — believe it or not — and I was forced out of my beloved Times Square neighborhood.
Welcome to the heart of Times Square!
Home sweet home! This is what my door looked like. I shared an entrance with a jewelry store, a barbershop, and a spa. I relied on the barbershop to accept my mail.
Before we go up the stairs, this is what the curb outside my apartment looked like on most days. There wasn't a place for me to throw trash, so I just placed it on the sidewalk like the businesses around me did.
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