It's TIMES SQUARE.
Congestion is part of the experience.
Weirdness is part of the atmosphere.
Tourists come to NYC, rather than Omaha, for a reason.
Leave it be, unless someone is physically hurting someone else.
And if/when it happens, let the police handle violence.
Live and let live, Mayor Tall Order.
Congestion is part of the experience.
Weirdness is part of the atmosphere.
Tourists come to NYC, rather than Omaha, for a reason.
Leave it be, unless someone is physically hurting someone else.
And if/when it happens, let the police handle violence.
Live and let live, Mayor Tall Order.
1
So why is it that occupations like stripping and prostitution, undertaken in private establishments are seen as exploitation of women, but these women who exploit themselves in public and in front of the unwilling and children are something to be defended? And why are we rushing to defend those who exploit themselves here and are here illegally to begin with? What am I missing?
2
A previous Times article referred to the "boyfriends" of these women, present all day watching the women closely. What did that mean? Are these women under their control? Do these men receive a percentage of their earnings? Were they trafficked to the US? Maybe de Blasio knows something he isn't telling us.
3
Instead of being the melting pot of America, New York is returning to it's old self as the cesspool of America. Dominated by ultra-liberal politicians for years, New York is now deteriorating into an unlivable urban environment where anything goes, and people with values flee. New Yorkers need to wise up before Mad Max becomes the next mayor.
1
If the Mayor is truly concerned about quality-of-life issues, he needs to do all he can to bring congestion pricing to New York.
The increased revenue will help give New York the mass transit system it deserves while thinning out midtown traffic.
The increased revenue will help give New York the mass transit system it deserves while thinning out midtown traffic.
It is interesting that in NYC we now have throngs of tourists and thongs for desnudas. Words are forever the great illustrators of life. Playing with words is sometimes even better than playing with money.
The desnudas should be left alone by the authorities. There are only a few weeks of hot weather left anyway, and next Summer there will be some other "trend" that takes over the City.
America is about the last country in the world that still gets upset over nudity, toplessess, sexuality, etc. At none other than the latest Met Ball Gala, most of the women were barely dressed. They are now part of the internet/web regularly visited pages with up to 88 photos of various women in various costumes of undress. If it is good enough for the Met, it is good enough for any city in America!
The desnudas should be left alone by the authorities. There are only a few weeks of hot weather left anyway, and next Summer there will be some other "trend" that takes over the City.
America is about the last country in the world that still gets upset over nudity, toplessess, sexuality, etc. At none other than the latest Met Ball Gala, most of the women were barely dressed. They are now part of the internet/web regularly visited pages with up to 88 photos of various women in various costumes of undress. If it is good enough for the Met, it is good enough for any city in America!
2
If you need a way to get rid of topless women in Times Square, why not take on the much bigger problem that exists in all 5 Boroughs; pedestrians getting assaulted by people raising funds for every cause imaginable. When I walk around the City, I want to enjoy it and not be made guilty if I don't feel like contributing to the cause of the day. Just ban anyone soliciting anyone else to make money. It's a quality of life issue, pure and simple.
I have absolutely no problem with any women baring her breasts and anything else she wants to bare in Times Square. I learned all about the female form in Times Square in the 1950's and early 60's and remember it quite well. As a business person these Desnudas should also be aware of their effect on the mentally deranged people who also roam Times Square. How long before we hear "I was groped" or worse? "Where is the police or Deblasio or Cuomo when we need them?". If you think you will just get money for showing your breasts painted and not potentially abused you probably are being lied to by the guy who says he will protect you.
2
What I really find shocking is that lawyers from the Disney Corporation and Sesame Workshop haven't yet descended on to Times Square and handing out cease and desist orders to the all those costumed Elmo's and Mickeys.
2
The real problem is that these naked woman and other characters that are in Times Square are not welcome because they are intrusive. They should not be allowed to approach people and ask them for money to take pictures with them. This is more than annoying it is more than being pushy. The way to resolve this is to require that these people have signs that display what their fees are posted for the public and if the public wishes to utilize the service then the public should approach to topless woman and or character, not the other way around.
4
Marty McFly is taking NYC back to the 90"s
The topless Times Square man wearing a cowboy hat, boots, guitar, and a diaper --- and nothing else, was considered amusing, perhaps eccentric, by the New York media in the recent past.
Maybe it was consideration for a possible Crohn's disease suffering cowboy, but there was certainly no "righteous fury" bandied about in the New York media concerning his partially naked promenades through Times Square.
Maybe it was consideration for a possible Crohn's disease suffering cowboy, but there was certainly no "righteous fury" bandied about in the New York media concerning his partially naked promenades through Times Square.
1
Frankly I don't know what tourists find attractive about Times Square, unless they're waiting for a show. But whatever it takes to keep them there, we should be thankful for it. Otherwise the tourists might escape and start wandering around our own neighborhoods, annoying us where we live, and that would be just awful.
8
Strangely, tourists don't seem to have caught on to the fact that Times Square ceased to be interesting in about 1950.
5
These women are not "artists." They are beggars wearing paint. Period.
10
plus ça change, plus c'est la meme chose…
the more things change, the more they stay the same...
the more things change, the more they stay the same...
1
I was in New York for ten days in early May, the first time I'd been there since I was in my twenties. I loved it. Absolutely loved it. Not a single bad experience (fortunately, I missed the deranged guy who was whacking people on the head with a hammer back then.) The only interest I had in Times Square was seeing the plazas so I took a detour there on my way from MoMa to Bryant Park. I thought the plazas were a nice touch, and had a very fun chat with two engaging NYPD officers, but quickly left. The only building I found appealing in the area was the Knickerbocker Hotel. Why Times Square is such a draw to, apparently, so many tourists is a mystery to me. I found Bryant Park far more interesting and gorgeous (one of the most beautiful city parks I've ever seen; we have nothing like it in Seattle) and spent a few hours there lingering, taking photos, watching people and captivated by buildings like the NY Public Library and the American Radiator Building. My understanding is that this park was very run down for decades so I applaud its successful and beautiful renovation by the City of New York. (Other parks I loved: Central Park (of course), Prospect Park, the Brooklyn Heights Promenade, Brooklyn Bridge Park, Washington Square Park, Tompkins Square Park and Madison Square Park. Union Square Park, no so much.)
6
If 'desnudas' isn't about sex then why don't these women cover their breasts and down below regions and just paint the rest of their bodies: legs, arms, backs and bellies? This is pornography, live and in your face and nothing more.
And why aren't there men desnudas-men all painted up and down and wearing just a thong?
And why aren't there men desnudas-men all painted up and down and wearing just a thong?
7
The reason that there aren't men 'desnudas' is that nobody would pay to see them.
2
I see this a once in a lifetime moment in legal history for women, depending on what de Blasio does of course. If it goes through the court system and finally to the Court of Appeals, they will probably rule, in my opinion, that these indecency laws are sexist, favoring men and penalizing women, for that court left the issue unresolved in it's last ruling regarding going topless. I hope it does make its way to the top court and N.Y. State will be a first in the nation where women will be allowed to walk freely in public, topless if they choose so, that or men going topless will suffer the same consequences as women do now. Viva the topless!!!
3
According to the story, it is apparently already legal to be topless. (I know, surprised me too.)
what i read from other sources is that New York's highest court never ruled if the law banning topless women in public is discriminatory, meaning of course, if overturned for that reason , either women get to do what men can do or men will have to shirt -up or suffer the same consequences as women.. I'll do some double checking, perhaps you could also.
1
Lucy- here is my source from another Times column: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/21/nyregion/topless-in-times-square-a-leg...®ion=Marginalia&pgtype=article
When I was a young, I would stay close to my parents and walk along all the xxx movie house and shows along time square. Scantily clad women would be handing out fliers to adults walking past. The adults would quickly drop those leaflets and I would pick them up. The leaflet's images were worse in severity than these women in paint ever could be. These painted women are benign.
3
That's a really great piece, Gina. Thank you.
3
Dear Mayor De: Regrettably I voted for you. Not again, I assure you. So you've just put together a task force to study what to do about Times Square. Trouble is, the Task Force is comprised only of law enforcement and City people. Bill Bratton, Cy Vance and a city planner to mention three. No business men or women or constitutional lawyers or someone who might speak for the people. You've kind of stacked the deck, and the result on October 1st is almost a forgone conclusion. Ban them all. Forget the First Amendment. Why do you seem to seek answers and solutions in such a shoddy way? And from such self-interested, mediocre people? Want the right answers. Get the right people. Maybe you should ask your good friend, Andrew. But he's only a governor. Without any real information or facts, he boldly proclaimed that the topless ladies and their male counterparts are illegal. That remains to be seen, but fortunately, it's not his call to make. It's a matter for the courts. But whether you will serve the interests of all the people--or simply "cave" to public outcry--remains to be seen too. Your ratings hang in the balance. So does the US Constitution.
11
Amazingly, the First Amendment is utterly silent on protecting the rights of hustlers to occupy public space for private profit. It would be simple to regulate these activities and the other usurpation of valuable public space by various hawkers who pay nothing for that privilege.
2
Excellently said, I voted for another De Blasio and I am thinking if he is not another Cuomo, sadly.
Given what Times Square has become, a crowded tourist dumping ground, I avoid it whenever possible. Almost to the point of not buying theater tickets,
for dread of having to navigate the throngs.
So to now put all the blame on the densudas seems to be avoiding the real problem for NYers- the Las Vegas strip like atmosphere of midtown manhattan.
A group of desnudas is far more appealing that thousands of slow moving tourists.
Keep the desnudas, get rid of the tourists.
for dread of having to navigate the throngs.
So to now put all the blame on the densudas seems to be avoiding the real problem for NYers- the Las Vegas strip like atmosphere of midtown manhattan.
A group of desnudas is far more appealing that thousands of slow moving tourists.
Keep the desnudas, get rid of the tourists.
22
These women state they make $300 a day. Where do they put the money?
4
It has been my privilege to visit NYC five times. As a tourist from the other coast and another country things I enjoyed were the marvelous architecture, which does not include much of the new things, the transit system, the energy, the diversity, the friendliness (yes, friendliness!), the big streets and in particular the little streets. The small stores, the different corners everywhere. The little businesses, the residential streets, the museums, the things that you notice that are old and important , the places that have been mentioned in all the books read from childhood on, it is overwhelming.
I was blown away by the street entertainment. The quality of music and dance by the youngest to the oldest of street and subway performers in Manhattan gobsmacked me. We quickly learned to carry a lot of small bills to reward those folks.
As a semi-elderly tourist I was not offended by street hustlers either naked or clothed. I wasn't afraid of them, it was part of the experience, and I never felt unsafe, but then I never walked down a deserted street at night alone either.
I was amazed at how hard the people in the service industries in NYC work, I saw them at work and on the bus after their shifts. As a tourist those are the people one sees the most. NYC depends on those people to support the 58 million visitors a year, they are good Americans, and they are doing their best. I hope the people who are working in Times Square profiled here can get better jobs.
I was blown away by the street entertainment. The quality of music and dance by the youngest to the oldest of street and subway performers in Manhattan gobsmacked me. We quickly learned to carry a lot of small bills to reward those folks.
As a semi-elderly tourist I was not offended by street hustlers either naked or clothed. I wasn't afraid of them, it was part of the experience, and I never felt unsafe, but then I never walked down a deserted street at night alone either.
I was amazed at how hard the people in the service industries in NYC work, I saw them at work and on the bus after their shifts. As a tourist those are the people one sees the most. NYC depends on those people to support the 58 million visitors a year, they are good Americans, and they are doing their best. I hope the people who are working in Times Square profiled here can get better jobs.
41
I'm no Puritan, but seriously, I find the desnudas depressing. What a sad statement about how to make it—as a woman—in America. Sure, there are tougher issues to confront, but they (and all the costumed characters) are a nuisance to both tourists and New Yorkers alike. Panhandling is not "performance art," and they should be regulated the way any other vendors are. And, as someone who witnessed the chaos of actual bomb scares in Times Square, I believe the chaos caused by this free for all poses a security threat.
24
Fiona, what is performance art may I ask?
Are you saying that these people trying to make a buck are terrorists? Shame on you.
No. You misread my comment. Not sure if you're familiar with the pedestrian plazas in Times Square, but as someone who works in the area, I'm all too familiar.
The chaotic scene caused by all these costumed panhandlers and the tourists posing with them creates the perfect cover/distraction for a would-be bomber.
If you've ever tried to walk through the mob scene caused by these "performers," you'd know it's impossible to get out. They've created a real hazard.
For everyone's safety, they should find another way to "make a buck."
The chaotic scene caused by all these costumed panhandlers and the tourists posing with them creates the perfect cover/distraction for a would-be bomber.
If you've ever tried to walk through the mob scene caused by these "performers," you'd know it's impossible to get out. They've created a real hazard.
For everyone's safety, they should find another way to "make a buck."
"Every time another old bar, restaurant or purveyor of oddities gives way to a Rite Aid or a Bank of America, someone somewhere finds another reason to stay home."
You could say that about Lincoln and Omaha too. New York isn't quite as special as it thinks it is, and not the only city around with interesting things to see and do.
You could say that about Lincoln and Omaha too. New York isn't quite as special as it thinks it is, and not the only city around with interesting things to see and do.
4
This is just an effort by de Blasio to deflect criticism that his police policies are turning NYC into the "bad old New York". He can now turn to his critics and say "See, I fought against the bad old NY".
Everyone should know that Sunday 8/23 is "GoTopless Day" (Google it). Show your support in Times Square as well as in the official march from Columbus Circle to Bryant Park.
Everyone should know that Sunday 8/23 is "GoTopless Day" (Google it). Show your support in Times Square as well as in the official march from Columbus Circle to Bryant Park.
3
"The women didn’t fear getting kicked out of Times Square, necessarily: They feared getting deported." Nice. Not only are they here illegally, but they are importing their special brand of sleaze. Thanks, NYT, for championing them. We could use more of this.
4
Perhaps they are importing a type of Carnival atmosphere to save us from the puritanical depression.
2
Good article
Take care of the mentally ill homeless.
Take care of the horribly smelly subway stations that have not been cleaned in decades.
Fix the many schools that are in such disrepair.
Again: Mr Bratton: Please no choke holds on Stars and Stripes topless women or cartoon characters.
Take care of the mentally ill homeless.
Take care of the horribly smelly subway stations that have not been cleaned in decades.
Fix the many schools that are in such disrepair.
Again: Mr Bratton: Please no choke holds on Stars and Stripes topless women or cartoon characters.
8
The solution to all of this is relatively simple. This is PUBLIC space--it belongs to the public, not to hawkers and hustlers privatizing it for profit. First, turn it over to the Parks Department so that rules on solicitation can apply. Then establish a few very small areas where the vendors of shlocky "ar"t and the costumed (and uncostumed) hustlers can congregate if anyone wants to go take pictures with them. Save the rest of the space for New Yorkers and visitors.
6
Hmmm... Sounds depressingly like GW Bush's "Free Speech Zones".
Labelling the objectification and commodification of women "a tradition" is a lame, sexist cop-out. It sounds like the same reasons used against women's emancipation and slavery. Tradition!
Show me where the "Painted Gentlemen of Times Square" are having their penises painted, and maybe I can be somewhat convinced that it's not really about callousness, patriarchy and sexism.
Show me where the "Painted Gentlemen of Times Square" are having their penises painted, and maybe I can be somewhat convinced that it's not really about callousness, patriarchy and sexism.
5
ummmmm....the Naked Cowboy? Isn't that where this all began?
1
The male organ cannot be painted legally in public, Ms. Sara.
2
Would you rather that they take jobs under the table washing dishes for $7/hr?
1
Thought I'd never say it, but bring back the cars and peep shows. It's all Disney derelicts, mall rats, and Spring break on concrete.
23
It's not the toplessness.
It's not the cartoon characters.
It's the fact that the men and women who do these things try to shake down innocent people for money.
They are just this generation of the "window washers" whose gauntlet we had to drive in order to get through certain sections of the city.
Their actions will drive out tourists and cause others to avoid Times Square.
It's really that simple.
It's not the cartoon characters.
It's the fact that the men and women who do these things try to shake down innocent people for money.
They are just this generation of the "window washers" whose gauntlet we had to drive in order to get through certain sections of the city.
Their actions will drive out tourists and cause others to avoid Times Square.
It's really that simple.
9
You have to admire our mayor for taking on the big issues: horses in Central Park, bare breasts in Times Square.
Google "pornography" and you get 85,200,000 results in a second or two.
I guess the kiddies will have to get used to the Times Square nipples. But it's nothing you don't see on the beach in Normandy.
Google "pornography" and you get 85,200,000 results in a second or two.
I guess the kiddies will have to get used to the Times Square nipples. But it's nothing you don't see on the beach in Normandy.
9
Under Rudy Giuliani, the smut and porno trash of 42nd street was cleaned up; it became a place where decent people could take their families. Bloomberg with his stop and frisk policies stopped crime and made the city safe. Now under the radical leftist Blasio, pornography and crime has returned to the city, while he cares more about getting rid of the carriage horses.
5
I have more trouble with the costumed characters since they are hidden. However, as far as the "ladies," I think NYC was doing just fine without them.
7
"If drive, desperation and deranged ambition don’t interest you, you will be much happier in Santa Fe."
That's odd. It was exactly those qualities in the local population that made me stop going to Santa Fe.
That's odd. It was exactly those qualities in the local population that made me stop going to Santa Fe.
5
Ms Bellafante: Maybe you could ask your editors why there's no problem with the newspaper's photographers taking - and the paper publishing - full frontal shots of Naked Cowboy, but limits those of the so-called Painted Ladies from - you'll pardon the expression - the rear, waist up.
19
Hmmmm... isn't it another case of women heating up men and then err... leaving them empty-handed? Nothing's new under the sun.
5
So basically exploiting men then.
As I ride on our decrepit subway and on our pothole filled streets, I ask myself is this really the most pressing issue in New York City right now.
45
The Mayor continues to disappoint. Don't sweat the small stuff, Bill. There are bigger and more important issues facing the city. the Mayor's principal job is to inspire the citizens not discourage them.
The promenades are wonderful. Improve them, rather than "dig them up." License, with minimal fees, those who would work, in any capacity, at Times Square. Provide protection, if possible, so the women do not get exploited.
What does Mrs. Mayor think of this petty stuff?
The promenades are wonderful. Improve them, rather than "dig them up." License, with minimal fees, those who would work, in any capacity, at Times Square. Provide protection, if possible, so the women do not get exploited.
What does Mrs. Mayor think of this petty stuff?
8
Probably 90% of the tourists snapping away at the fake Elmos and Minnie Mouses and probably the bare naked ladies themselves are also totally OK with Rite Aid, McDonalds, and Banks on every corner. I kind of doubt they care about the charming bars and Mom&Pop cafes of old NYC that are fast disappearing.
8
You are wrong about that I think.
I visit Manhattan, from upstate, regularly for the museums and restaurants.
The more drug stores anywhere...the more I stay away.
Bring back the neighborhoods !!
I visit Manhattan, from upstate, regularly for the museums and restaurants.
The more drug stores anywhere...the more I stay away.
Bring back the neighborhoods !!
10
Lou- I am thinking the Elmo crowd is not the same as the museum crowd. Do you see them as the same kind of tourist?
5
On my last visit to New York I stayed in a locally owned hotel in the West Village, ate at local places in the area, spent a full day at the New Museum and ate at a wonderful Polish restaurant in the Museum building, spent the next day in the Metropolitan Museum, and afterwards walked over to Broadway and ate at a Spanish restaurant there.
I don't recall going into one national chain, of anything, during my entire visit.
There is a difference between a traveler and a tourist.
I don't recall going into one national chain, of anything, during my entire visit.
There is a difference between a traveler and a tourist.
7
de blasio is envious of former mayor bloomberg's achievements. being a progressive, actually a communist by any other name, he would like to regiment the rest of us to his way of thinking. leave time square alone. it is wonderful to walk around there with no automobiles whizzing about and to be with people who are happy just to be in new york.
this attention to these women is to distract the rest of us from men urinating on the streets the declining subway service as the mayor creates jobs for his friends, crime goes up because of his no frisk policy and the city's financial condition deteriorates because of his giveaways to public unions.
this attention to these women is to distract the rest of us from men urinating on the streets the declining subway service as the mayor creates jobs for his friends, crime goes up because of his no frisk policy and the city's financial condition deteriorates because of his giveaways to public unions.
10
He's not a communist but a self-described "motorist". He has no feeling for pedestrians and has been an enormous disappointment. The Plazas are wonderful and it would be an act of carnage to get rid of them.
1
If he's a communist why hasn't he collectivised all agriculture and nationalised all industries?
1
I vote for licensing them, but I can assure these naked "performers" will be gone as soon as it gets cold.
Call it summer naked disease?
Call it summer naked disease?
5
Painted ladies trying to earn a living are relatively tame compaired to what Time Square and 42nd Street used to be like years ago before Disney came to NYC. There were sex shops and X rated shows in the area. For tourists just be aware of what is here and use your discretion when traveling with children.
19
If you haven't noticed, half of the Broadway plays are aimed at families and children. Families support the businesses in this area and should not have to avoid it because of strippers who are working in the street. There decency laws that are supposed to protect citizens from this type of behavior and they should be enforced.
What about the naked cowboy? If shirts are required for women, the same rule should apply to men.
8
Well that's the reason women aren't forced to wear shirts by law now, and I think striving to return to less tolerant and more puritanical times is a mistake. I think New York can let Texas try that approach as we aim towards the future instead of the past.
2
The naked cowboy is not naked; he's wearing underwear. Nor is he is exposing sexual parts of his body. And we both know that men and women's breasts are viewed quite differently by society; comparing them is a false equivalency.
I am sorry for these people,but in my opinion,save the cartoon characters for Disneyland and the desnudas for a Gentleman's Club. They have no business in harrassing the tourists who come to Times Square to visit,especially if they are demanding $10.00-$20.00 for tips and if they don't get what they want,some of them end up causing some of the tourists to cry. Really? Seriously? this is just part of New York culture? I don't think so. Besides, you will at least make a decent wage at a Gentleman's Club and tips and a decent wage as a cartoon character at Disneyland. There is no excuse for someone to give up getting a job even if there are 20 people ahead of you and as far as being an illegal immigrant in this country,you will have to talk to Donald Trump about that.
3
The lascivious male tourists crying? "This lady made me cry, she wants my 10 dollars!!"
I'm always surprised at how a left-leaning socially open-minded person can suddenly go ballistic over naked (or semi-naked in this case) bodies. I guess the prude is in all of us Americans, no matter what political & social persuasion. I'd much rather have a topless woman asking for money than an antic cartoon character. Bodies (nude and not) have been appreciated throughout history with painting and sculpting, not so much cartoon characters. However, I think most of this country now prefers the animated to the real-life.
3
These are not just nude women, but they are strippers wearing thongs and gyrating on the street for dollar bills. Get real!
Bring back what tourists really want to see: peep shows, the homeless, hookers, trash, and open drug use. You know, the things that tourists don't have at home and come to NY to see.
4
Thank you Mr. de Blasio.
1
As a recent tourist to NYC, staying in the Times Square area, I did happen to notice the desnudas. At first I was quite surprised, then later, amused. I suppose if I had young children with me, maybe I'd be more concerned about how to explain the girls to the kids, but otherwise, really, who cares? We as a country need to be less hung-up on public nudity and a little more concerned with the problems listed here, such as homelessness, poverty, unemployment, etc.
I was much more offended by the hucksters relentlessly trying to get me to take a bus tour than I was by the various street performers. Now, a naked bus tour... that would be a different story.
I was much more offended by the hucksters relentlessly trying to get me to take a bus tour than I was by the various street performers. Now, a naked bus tour... that would be a different story.
19
Keep the porn inside the Times Square porn shops! How did immigrant women who cruedly unrobe for masses of gawking families and children get conflated with a ridiculous narrative about "what makes New York-New York." I'm an art student at the Art's Student League on 57th Street. So, clearly, I have no issue with paint and nudity. In fact, I stare at, draw and sculpt naked people for hours at a time on a fairly regular basis. Might I add that this is done in a studio. However, there is a notable difference between aesthetic nudity and flagrantly sexualized, inappropriate forms of public nudity. If mothers need to cover their young children's eyes or cross the street to avoid these quasi-prostitute-looking-nude-women then these "desnudas" have clearly crossed a clear line of decency. That is precisely what I witnessed recently in Times Square. A mother covering her young son's eyes. Even in New York, that's pretty over-the-top!
6
Oh Please!!! "inappropriate forms of public nudity", then, why is it legal?
The issue I have is with the "managers" - men who appear to be the force behind the desnudas, pushing them to work 12 hour days, taking 40% of their earnings, supposedly providing protection. That's the part I find really disturbing. Are these men threatening them with deportation or worse? If the desnudas are independent operators that's one thing, a little tacky, but they are trying to do their thing, doing the NY hustle, fine, but these "pimps" make my blood boil. Reminds me of the nail salons.
35
I did not read about pimps in the article, I am going to read again.
We all must make sacrifices for the well being of children.
Times Square is not the Sunset Strip..
It is a place to bring youngsters to movies, shows, ToysRus, Disney, etc.
As someone who works in Times Square I can tell you it is appalling how these women prance around.
The hookers who used to occupy Times Square were way more modestly dressed than these disgusting women.
Times Square is not the Sunset Strip..
It is a place to bring youngsters to movies, shows, ToysRus, Disney, etc.
As someone who works in Times Square I can tell you it is appalling how these women prance around.
The hookers who used to occupy Times Square were way more modestly dressed than these disgusting women.
9
Times Square is not for children, this is an adult city. Take the kids to the suburbs.
7
The city is for children - as well as adults. Naked women have no place prancing around Times Square.
4
To Mary:
Horrible thing to say.
Come to Times Square. See it for yourself.
Horrible thing to say.
Come to Times Square. See it for yourself.
1
Go getters indeed. The men who control them are getting all the $$. It's appalling. It always amazes me that the rest of us have no rights to be allowed to pass without aggressive solicitation. It seems the only people who have rights are the outrageous.
13
You can do what the painted ladies do, make a living doing some rather questionable things.
Just don't let anybody see you doing it, like Wall Street!
Nobody really wants to see the sausage being manufactured!!
Just don't let anybody see you doing it, like Wall Street!
Nobody really wants to see the sausage being manufactured!!
1
Times Square is hard enough to navigate to avoid the characters and the crowds they draw, so I would prefer that I would not have to face bare-chested women on my daily commute as well.
Also, let's just get down to the very basics: the Desnudas are out there flaunting their sexuality for attention (even if it does provide a living for them). This draws a certain kind of crowd and leaves them vulnerable to unwanted attention. I don't think that is the look that Times Square is going for. Been there, done that, moving forward...
Also, let's just get down to the very basics: the Desnudas are out there flaunting their sexuality for attention (even if it does provide a living for them). This draws a certain kind of crowd and leaves them vulnerable to unwanted attention. I don't think that is the look that Times Square is going for. Been there, done that, moving forward...
4
I live in Omaha - you're right about the lack of topless women strolling our plazas. It is a fantastic place to live! You should come visit.
4
But without the desnudas what fun would we have in Omaha?
4
We should visit Omaha because there are no topless women there?
So in a city where hustling "squeegee-men" are considered a sign of lawlessness, rising crime, and failed "liberal" government, why are a man wearing only his tighty-whities, hustlers in cartoon costumes, and women with painted "bare" breasts tolerated as "tourist attractions" and legally protected free speech performers? Is it because the squeegeers are largely black & homeless, while the cowboy is white, and the Elmos are Hispanic but hidden, and mammaries are mesmerizing to men.
When the desnudas start working Park Avenue, Wall Street & the 9/11 Memorial maybe we'll find out.
When the desnudas start working Park Avenue, Wall Street & the 9/11 Memorial maybe we'll find out.
7
I did not get it.
I will never understand why a pair of breasts is so threatening to some people.
38
To me, it's not that breasts are "threatening". Rather, this situation relegates women to sexual objects which I find inhumane and callous.
I so wish I had any desire to go to Times Square. It is the boring old lady and the penny pincher in me that would rather stroll empty parts of Central Park, live in the Frick, and take tea at Neue Galerie. I can find tacky and dumb and overcrowded right here in the ATL.
7
Thank you for this piece. You took the words out of my mouth and the last paragraph expresses my overall feelings in a more eloquent manner.
I work in, and can't stand the majority of Manhattan now with all the Subways and Pret a Mangers, and Pain Quotidians. The unique identity of individual New York neighborhoods has nearly been lost. Where is our mayor's sense of adventure and oddity?
I feel as though we are being expected to pay these outrageous city rents for the simple convenience of being able to run downstairs in our PJs to the Duane Reade below and purchase the same products anyone else can get from Amazon for cheaper.
I know, I know, if I don't like it, I should move out and make room for the hordes that are waiting to take my place. But I would like to see the (few remaining) interesting and unique aspects of NYC preserved, and maybe even expanded.
I work in, and can't stand the majority of Manhattan now with all the Subways and Pret a Mangers, and Pain Quotidians. The unique identity of individual New York neighborhoods has nearly been lost. Where is our mayor's sense of adventure and oddity?
I feel as though we are being expected to pay these outrageous city rents for the simple convenience of being able to run downstairs in our PJs to the Duane Reade below and purchase the same products anyone else can get from Amazon for cheaper.
I know, I know, if I don't like it, I should move out and make room for the hordes that are waiting to take my place. But I would like to see the (few remaining) interesting and unique aspects of NYC preserved, and maybe even expanded.
5
What Ms. Bellafante overlooks are the men who take a percentage of the tips that the desnudas get. According to another publication, about 30 percent, I think. How is this all that different from being a pimp? I don't care if they are immigrants or not. If they're collecting money from women who parade around naked, I can't find anything right about it.
24
Collecting money from women who parade around naked is what takes place in so-called 'Gentleman's Clubs' on a daily baisis.
By the way, just as an aside, for the puritans blogging in here stating that this is an abomination in the eyes of the Lord and that the Lord intended women's chests to be unseen and unheard, and all that silliness, nobody is forcing y'all to come to or live in NYC. I believe wide sections of the middle of the country, Oklahoma and such, are God-fearing and nudity-free, and it'd probably be easier for y'all to head there and stay put until the rapture.
32
Thank you.
In the past, Mr. Stackhouse struck me as a conservative flag hugger, but here I pleasantly admit I was wro, wro, wrong.
The author makes an interesting point about the graduate school art student sketching her and selling his drawing to her husband. It's true, "the hustle" has always been with us, but one wonders if her memories would be so fond and her husband would have been as generous if the entrepreneurial student had asked for $10 after showing the author "his junk"...
3
The commotion over nude women offending tourists strikes me as funny, the political shock disingenuous.
After all, if we were really interested in providing an ideal experience for visitors, wouldn't we have cleaned up our filthy, smell subways long ago?
This, I think, has more to do with sex than good government.
After all, if we were really interested in providing an ideal experience for visitors, wouldn't we have cleaned up our filthy, smell subways long ago?
This, I think, has more to do with sex than good government.
40
we need these types to replace the break dancers with boom boxes on the subways! It would greatly reduce being kicked in the head!
10
It's not my problem that people can't find work. I too have struggled over the years, that doesn't justify the desperation of dressing in costumes and harassing tourists, whom by the way are as much to blame. What rational parent hands over a two year old to a costume that looks infected by diseases to snap a picture. Disgusting, poor judgment. Do they even know who is under that costume? Does anyone? The city over regulates and under regulates. They know no middle ground. Times Square is a depressing carnival of people gawking at chain stores, with no room to walk, and everyone with a stick to validate themselves back home. One should need a license and only a limited amount should be offered. It's a free for all over there. We were once a working city, now we're filled with people who by the way, are not living in the city or even the state. They come from outside to turn us into a joke, a nuisance and by the way, the perfect target for terrorists. Pedestrian plazas are ill conceived given the times we live in. And, yes, I'll be slammed but middle class people who are in a crunch back home, have no business spending their savings on such nonsense. Wheeling their toddlers half asleep around at midnight. Selfish parents. Be smart, save your money, do something wholesome, educational and fun with your kids, not witness desperation in a city of very rich and destitute.
24
I haven't seen aggressive people in paint strolling around with their goods hanging out in other large cities.
Why can't there be a few more points on your continuum for "Interesting" between your choices of either a naked person walking down the middle of the street in Omaha, tumbleweeds tumbling, and the hustle scene you are romanticizing?
Why can't there be a few more points on your continuum for "Interesting" between your choices of either a naked person walking down the middle of the street in Omaha, tumbleweeds tumbling, and the hustle scene you are romanticizing?
9
Deal with the real problems of this city, like the 'Homeless' and the poor ignored mentally ill residents of our fair city and leave the our street performers alone.
As long as they are being respectful to pedestrians, be them NYC residents or tourists and just out there to earn an honest buck, leave them alone!
Mayor where are your priorities?
As long as they are being respectful to pedestrians, be them NYC residents or tourists and just out there to earn an honest buck, leave them alone!
Mayor where are your priorities?
18
If you can pry the IRS agents away from harassing conservatives maybe we can use them to harass people who work for tips in the street. I'm guessing these undocumented workers are not properly documenting their income. Is that still illegal, I can't keep up with which laws are supposed to be enforced and which are directed from the POTUS to be ignored anymore. I need to stay abreast of this.
6
you could have made a typo for fun by leaving a space between the a and the b in abreast.
2
If conservatives stop trying to game the tax laws by claiming their advocacy group is a public interest group, then maybe the brutally-underfunded (thanks to the GOP) IRS could focus on other more important things. For a list of laws you can ignore, see Cliven Bundy.
Body paint in all the right places will get you a ten dollar tourism photo tip seems enterprising, and as upscale as the video billboards the size of flattop aircraft carriers selling underware and watches. Hopefully, the crackdown will be just a passing fancy and more imaginative policy will catch on. Possibly, we might begin to see higher degrees of creativity with totally naked men painted to look like women. Or even, women painted to look like a gazelle or Impala. Or, ordinary people painted to look exactly like celebrities however naked. We could have walking, alive art museum and turn Time Square into a gallery.
3
I'd like to proclaim my love for practically everything Ginia Bellafante types about, whether it's the absurdity of gentrified $200 artisanal outings at a public beach (!) or painted ladies.
You're the real thing, Ginia. And things is good.
As for the desnudas, well, I could do without them. But they're hardly the biggest problem hardworking NYers face.
You're the real thing, Ginia. And things is good.
As for the desnudas, well, I could do without them. But they're hardly the biggest problem hardworking NYers face.
6
"Every time another old bar, restaurant or purveyor of oddities gives way to a Rite Aid or a Bank of America, someone somewhere finds another reason to stay home. There are plenty of drugstores in Nebraska. Presumably there are fewer topless women painted red, white and blue strolling along the plazas of Omaha and Lincoln."
Not quite the same thing, is it? Good luck with the folks who come for the desnudas.
Not quite the same thing, is it? Good luck with the folks who come for the desnudas.
1
Love the ladies. Love the plazas. Hate the tourists. Hate the cars.
10
Right on, Ms. Bellafante! As an old time New Yorker, I have not problem with the naked ladies or any of the other characters in Times Square. These performers or whatever they are bring back a little of the fun that the city has been losing over the years. I just sent an email to Mr. de Blasio asking him to ignore the whiners, to relax a little and to leave the women alone.
6
Um yeah, I don't get what the big deal is or why the mayor is flipping out.
Prude York Anyone?
Prude York Anyone?
10
I guess now that Mayor D is on the case, these ladies will go the same route as the Handsome Cabs...Oh wait, THEY'RE STILL HERE. Nothing to fear ladies, our fearless leader is as incompetent as he is misdirected.
8
I can see why the parents of an 8 year old boy may wish to avoid Times Square. On the other hand, it's exactly what 8 year old boys dream of.
25
This really is what New York is all about, same with Hollywood, same with San Francisco, and a few other places in America. If people don't like it they can head to most of the country where things are conformist and boring. Nobody's being forced to live here or travel here. And there's nothing inherently wrong with dressing up as cartoon characters or going topless.
If Mayor de Blasio doesn't get reasonable about this, he's lost my vote. I voted for him, despite his plan to kill all the carriage horses, and I defended him for his entire term so far, but if this little harmless thing becomes his big issue, to tear up Times Square and make it completely unnavigable and deadly again, then I'll campaign hard against him when he's up for re-election.
In less than two months the bare breasts will vanish from view, and the cartoon characters working the square for the last decade or more are only irritating some tourists occasionally. This is not important and is not harming anyone. If anything unreasonable is done about it, I swear, I'll be opposed to Mayor de Blasio from here on in, I don't care how big his wingspan is.
If Mayor de Blasio doesn't get reasonable about this, he's lost my vote. I voted for him, despite his plan to kill all the carriage horses, and I defended him for his entire term so far, but if this little harmless thing becomes his big issue, to tear up Times Square and make it completely unnavigable and deadly again, then I'll campaign hard against him when he's up for re-election.
In less than two months the bare breasts will vanish from view, and the cartoon characters working the square for the last decade or more are only irritating some tourists occasionally. This is not important and is not harming anyone. If anything unreasonable is done about it, I swear, I'll be opposed to Mayor de Blasio from here on in, I don't care how big his wingspan is.
8
Sorry Ginia Bellafante !! You are wrong ! Period. Painted nude bodies are just graffiti on nudity. If graffiti is ok then we should view all graffiti as art and allow miscreants all over the city to splash paint on walls, on sidewalks, store-fronts etc. etc. We should also allow panhandling which is what this desnudas along with the costumed cartoon characters are doing and that too aggressively. These people are flashing themselves of their own free will and expecting the tourists and citizens to - pay or close one's eyes. These tactics are downright illegal. And this is in the DNA of the City? NO! And let's not confuse art with nudity in public. They are totally different beasts. Are you comparing the current NYC with the NYC of the neanderthals? Then you are right !!
14
As stated, the nudity is not illegal in NYC. Also, many view graffiti as art (see, Banksy, see Living Walls in Atlanta, see murals commissioned in Chicago, see so many illegal but beautiful examples). Finally, panhandling is legal in certain instances. Get over yourself and lighten up. If you can't handle NYC then don't go there.
1
NYC is a graffiti city already, what's your point? This is the Mecca of graffiti and the amount of tax dollars that go towards cleaning it up proves this.
1
It is legal, do you wish to bring back the discriminatory laws of the past? Don't like, don't look.
Shows how over tolerant we've become? Make it a park!
1
When there are too many people or not enough jobs, as the article suggests, this is what life becomes for some, maybe many. Or is it, when there are too many people, who have no apparent interest in anything and have nothing to do, crave entertainment of any kind? Or is it, it is easier work to be a show than to actually do real work? Or is it, just too many immigrants? Or a combination of the worst of all?
I long for the old Time Square, through which you walked briskly, for the first few times with your jaw dropped. That's jaw not draws. Those were the days. I remember sitting on the front steps of the NY Library. It was such a distinguished place, at the head of the square, or off to the side or at the end or some where, there abouts. I was just a kid, skipping school. It was all a learning experience, never the less. I remember one man asking me where I lived. I told him, and then I asked him where he lived, and he told me, right here. Hmmm! You live in the library? No, and he pointed. Over there, behind that shrub. It was a magnificent shrub. A bit unpruned, but you could tell that it was once appreciated for its beauty, but now it was some one's home. Class is over for today. I'm going home, and I never went back to TQ again, until I was much older and totally jaded. In reading this article, I guess I have some more jading to do, if I plan to go again.
I long for the old Time Square, through which you walked briskly, for the first few times with your jaw dropped. That's jaw not draws. Those were the days. I remember sitting on the front steps of the NY Library. It was such a distinguished place, at the head of the square, or off to the side or at the end or some where, there abouts. I was just a kid, skipping school. It was all a learning experience, never the less. I remember one man asking me where I lived. I told him, and then I asked him where he lived, and he told me, right here. Hmmm! You live in the library? No, and he pointed. Over there, behind that shrub. It was a magnificent shrub. A bit unpruned, but you could tell that it was once appreciated for its beauty, but now it was some one's home. Class is over for today. I'm going home, and I never went back to TQ again, until I was much older and totally jaded. In reading this article, I guess I have some more jading to do, if I plan to go again.
5
You long for the old Time Square, through which you walked briskly, all the while with hands in your pant pockets as you gazed at the adult shops and their advertising.
Only the sick say things like that, or that was your schtick.
It's utterly ridiculous to focus solely on the 'desnudas', without some attempt to change the overall current character of Times Square (3-ring circus?) And we all know there are no plans to change the carnival atmosphere of Times Square, as currently it is a huge (and safe) tourist attraction.
6
I lived one block from Times Square for 7 years, 2002 - 2009. It's a neighborhood where people live, as well as work, not to mention the tourists. The edge of Hell's Kitchen is a vibrant area where a lot of people in the arts try to make a home, even with rising rents and the continuing noise of the area. Seeing opportunists come in and try to destroy the quality of life for the residents of that area is concerning. Everyone else who sets up commercial enterprise on the sidewalks of NY has to have a permit - the souvenir sellers, the hot dog carts, the food vans - nobody operates for long without a permit. By its nature, Times Square is both a public space, and a commercialized space. This group of opportunists pestering tourists is not to be celebrated as "artists", but to be held to the same standard as other nonpermanent street vendors - if they want to wander around for free, not bothering anyone, that is not regulated, that's the artist's way. But to have the sole purpose of making money by insisting on being paid to be in a photo with a tourist, that is a commercial enterprise that the city has the right and the precedent to regulate via permits and regular reviews of the permits. Something the Times is ignoring, as it always ignores women, is that fact that these nude women have male overlords who take money from them - that's not art, that's pimping.
53
If you have news about the "pimping" you should report it to the authorities. These ladies are not prostitutes, nor they have pimps.
spectating from the left coast, i have to ask: why is de blasio having such a bad run at such a great job? he's cutting such a sorry figure.
there are enough great neighborhoods and streets in NYC to absorb the impact of a few more rite aids. after all, watching de blasio perform, people are only gonna want more places to buy pain relief.
there are enough great neighborhoods and streets in NYC to absorb the impact of a few more rite aids. after all, watching de blasio perform, people are only gonna want more places to buy pain relief.
4
The pendulum has swung in the other direction for Times Square. It is not a very pleasant place to be -- throngs of tourists, gaping and gawking, surrounded by a freak show of over and under-dressed characters bothering everyone in sight. I endure it only to go to the theatre or ToysRus (a necessary evil if you have kids). If the plazas around the city are removed, who cares! Good riddance!!
29
What's more obscene--the painted ladies, or the fossil fuel lifestyle promoted by Bill de Blasio and friends?
9
Are you Amish?
2
Oh come on, Mr Mayor. This is NYC not Des Moines.
20
well yeah...It's all too disneyesque and I really miss parts of the old times square and the old new york....but I am also so sick of seeing (and hate my young daughter's seeing) women objectified everywhere (whether it's in the ads in times square or with the painted ladies)....
26
I agree that it's sad how women's bodies are objectified. However, I also hope you feel this same way about the omnipresent billboards and subway ads for the latest Hollywood blockbusters which always feature weapons as integral parts of the ad, ergo the 'entertainment'? There's something very wrong with a culture that has more issues with portrayals of nakedness or sex, than it does with violence as entertainment.
27
I have absolutely no problem with women in Times Square painting their bodies and capitalizing on the tantalizing and titillating effect they have on others. Nor do I have a problem with street performers and musicians trying to make a buck. I DO have a major problem with mentally deranged homeless people going around defecating/urinating on the sidewalk in front of stores, harassing tourists and those who work in the neighborhood, and occasionally stabbing someone. The costumed characters fall somewhere in between.
Part of me thinks the "crackdown" on painted ladies was an indirect, P.C. way for the mayors office to deal with the mentally ill homeless people. One of the saddest things about living in a big city is seeing obviously sick people in need of help completely ignored by the authorities and inadequately funded homeless outreach and mental health organizations.
Part of me thinks the "crackdown" on painted ladies was an indirect, P.C. way for the mayors office to deal with the mentally ill homeless people. One of the saddest things about living in a big city is seeing obviously sick people in need of help completely ignored by the authorities and inadequately funded homeless outreach and mental health organizations.
80
Such compassion! As you walk by nonchalantly avoiding them.
I suppose tourists also need items at a Rite Aid, but to me all the corners being taken over with drug stores or sports bars are much more obscene than the characters in Times Square.
41
how about the banks on nearly every corner paying near 0(zero) per cent interest? that is obscenity created courtesy of government policy.
Located 30 miles east of Los Angeles, Claremont is a prestigious community consisting of 35,000 residents and 140 acres of parks and tree-lined streets. The City’s development has always been closely associated with the academically acclaimed Claremont Colleges: a consortium of five undergraduate and two graduate higher education institutions. The community takes pride in its rich cultural, educational and architectural heritage, as well as its small-town atmosphere.
Known throughout the region for its stately and beautiful single-family homes (many of historical significance), Claremont also offers condominiums, townhouses, and apartment living to meet varied needs and lifestyles.
In balance with residential development, there are thriving commercial and major industrial centers in Claremont as well as the historical downtown "Village."
The City has a well-educated, professional, and skilled labor force; quality and diversified residential areas; and excellent educational and recreational facilities. These attributes—along with progressive, well-managed City government and intense interest in community and cultural activities—make Claremont an ideal place to live and to conduct business.
Welcome to "Pleasantville." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v9EHRObUQqY
Known throughout the region for its stately and beautiful single-family homes (many of historical significance), Claremont also offers condominiums, townhouses, and apartment living to meet varied needs and lifestyles.
In balance with residential development, there are thriving commercial and major industrial centers in Claremont as well as the historical downtown "Village."
The City has a well-educated, professional, and skilled labor force; quality and diversified residential areas; and excellent educational and recreational facilities. These attributes—along with progressive, well-managed City government and intense interest in community and cultural activities—make Claremont an ideal place to live and to conduct business.
Welcome to "Pleasantville." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v9EHRObUQqY
That isn't true any more, What a heartbreak, that our once successful society epitomized by the successes of New York City in industry and commerce, education, in free schools all the way through college, and true social mobility has become a living laboratory for crassness, drugs and human trafficking with its most visible manifestation among the poor who beg from the rich for crumbs the degradation of their potential and ambition that once would have fueled achievement into selling themselves to lechers, voyeurs and compassionate tourists or offended out -of -towners as a naked often drugged up, tragic photo op. Ugly and not okay, for so many reasons.