Times Square's very success breeds hassles

New York

TIMES Square's topless women may be the least of its difficulties.

After New York tabloids made an issue of panhandling by the so-called desnudas (naked) and aggressive costumed cartoon characters, Mayor Bill de Blasio appointed a task force to propose laws to subdue the garish agora for tourists, street performers, vendors and vagrants.

At stake are billions of dollars invested in real estate and the centre of a US$28 billion tourist industry. Publisher Conde Nast has already left, moving its 3,000 workers downtown. Others intend to follow and vacancies are on the rise. A strengthening dollar threatens foreign visitors' spending, said NYC & Company, the city's marketing office.

"We call it the Crossroads of the World, but when you look beneath the surface, you see this unique area that attracts all these different people, each expecting a different experience," said Robert Kafin, chairman of the Times Square Alliance, the business-improvement district that spurred its rebirth. "That raises all sorts of issues as to how to accommodate them and maintain it as the important economic engine …