Times Square's popularity getting unbearable for New Yorkers

New York

THE Crossroads of the World has never been more popular. And that is becoming a problem. More people than ever are packing into Times Square - from across the world, the United States and the rest of New York City.

Eager to dip into such a bounty of wallets, international retailers are jostling for space, paying rents that are second only to Fifth Avenue. Pulsing, colour-splashed digital billboards have grown from the size of basketball courts to football-field proportions. Attendance at Broadway shows topped 13 million last year for the first time.