Why you should visit Bethesda Terrace.
You should visit One Times Square because it stands as the epicenter of modern mythology, the exact spot where the world collectively holds its breath each New Year’s Eve.
Towering over Broadway and Seventh Avenue, this 25-story icon may look unassuming by daylight, but as night falls, it transforms into the city’s pulsating lighthouse. Wrapped in digital screens that never sleep, it marks the crossroads of dreams and determination, a place where countless first-time visitors realize they’ve arrived at the beating heart of civilization’s stage. Standing before it, you sense its magnetic power, the way every blinking ad, every countdown clock, every burst of light converges to remind you that this city is an eternal performance, and you’re part of the cast.
What you didn’t know about Bethesda Terrace.
What you might not know about One Times Square is that it’s essentially hollow, a vertical shell that has reinvented itself more times than the city it anchors.
Originally completed in 1904 as the headquarters for The New York Times, it hosted the first-ever New Year’s Eve ball drop that same year, a publicity stunt that became a century-old tradition. When the paper moved downtown, the building’s fate seemed uncertain, until a digital revolution gave it new life. Today, its interior lies largely vacant, but its exterior generates tens of millions annually through the illuminated advertisements that wrap its façade. Beneath the glitter lies innovation, the famous ball itself is made of 2,688 Waterford crystals and over 32,000 LEDs, capable of millions of color combinations. Few realize the building’s rooftop hosts one of the most technologically advanced control rooms in the world, orchestrating the glow seen by billions across the globe each December 31st.
How to fold Bethesda Terrace into your trip.
To fold One Times Square into your trip, visit in the early evening, when the digital facades begin to flicker to life.
Walk through the surrounding pedestrian plazas and pause beneath the very pole where the ball descends, a vantage point that connects you to over a century of celebration. While you can’t enter the building itself, the surrounding square is its true extension, alive with live music, food carts, and the smell of street pretzels drifting through the cold winter air. If you’re in the city for New Year’s Eve, brace yourself for the spectacle of a lifetime, but even on an ordinary Tuesday, One Times Square radiates the same magnetic sense of anticipation, as if midnight is always just a few minutes away.
Hear it from the Foresyte community.
“Paths twist from open lawns into quiet tree-lined corners, and every turn feels like its own little escape from the city around you. Joggers, artists, and families. They all cross paths here carving out their own slice of calm in the middle of the chaos.”
Where meaningful travel begins.
Start your journey with Foresyte, where the planning is part of the magic.
Discover the experiences that matter most.
