too many people

Some sample sales are huge. Lines can snake through multi-city blocks.

And when the doors finally open, there are security people stationed at the entrance. It's their job to limit the number of people who enter. So maybe the first 50 people get in. And no one else gets by until someone comes out. It's a great strategy for maximizing the safety of those in the store, while guaranteeing a more pleasant buying experience.

So why can't Times Square be a bit more like that?

Today I see a powerful revival of Arthur Miller's play, A View From the Bridge.

The streets surrounding 42nd and Broadway are impassable. Every sidewalk intersection is five deep. There is no room to move.  Impatient people (like me) are thrust onto the streets, into traffic, just to be able to walk. 

And because the world has become such a dangerous place, there are police dressed in black combat gear, carrying fierce looking weapons, just standing at attention. And all around them are smiley happy people iPhoning pictures of their friends and kids with Spiderman, the Hulk, and a whole cast of Disney characters. Guns and Minnie Mouse should not be side-by-side.

Why can't the police stand at the perimeters of Times Square? They could limit admittance to  a few hundred at a time, and make sure no one goes in until someone comes out. Sort of like a Manolo Blahnik sample sale.

And there could be a few rules.

"I'm sorry sir, but there's not enough room to enter just yet. You might want to go over to Bryant Park instead."

"Double strollers aren't allowed here on the weekends, but you can use them on Fifth, just a short walk away."

"Ma'am, you and your five person entourage cannot all walk abreast. Please divide into two groups and walk behind each other so others can pass."

"Sidewalks aren't like streets. People can travel in two directions."

"I'm sorry, selfies are allowed only in the non-vehicle areas. You can't hold up sidewalk traffic flow."

I love the tourists who come to New York. I love showing off the city I'm so proud of. I just wish they'd disperse themselves better.

Because really, New York City has so much more, and is so much better, than just Times Square.