Noooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This cannot be happening.  I'm breathing into a bag.   I'm so upset I could scream, cry and spit all at the same time.

Times Square, my wonderful, friendly, colorful, yet some how innocent, and naive, Times Square has gone to the dark side.  There are no cameras you can wave at to tell your friends and family you are actually, ACTUALLY there.  Gone are the days you used to be able to talk on the phone with loved ones 'back home' and wave at them at the same time.

People dressed like the Statue of Liberty would roam about, for hours, even on the hottest days..how cool was that.  You could see brides and grooms having their picture taken for prosperity in this iconic place.  Films were shot there, and always, always you could find New York's Finest lingering about...not in an aggressive way, but like a friendly neighbor, 'I'm here to protect you' kind of way.

Once in a while Mickey Mouse and Minnie would show up.  Grover and Cookie Monster stopped by to wave hello and have their pictures taken with visitors.  Then, of course, there was Naked Cowboy...he would play his git-tar, and sing, and for a fee you could stick a greenback down his boot and have your picture taken with him.  Oh, how my sister and I wanted to do that.  

TGIF was on the corner, that is where the wonderful camera was...thousands of folks would stand there waving to folks back home.  Now the restaurant and camera are gone...a black skeleton, being refurbished, probably for some up-scale, fashion place with price tags I could never afford appears to be taking its place.  Commercialism has taken over.  

Oh, there are still events, almost daily, but the cameras are situated that I no longer feel as though I'm a participant.  I feel like a stranger from a foreign land...not understanding the language.  So sad, so sad.

Now, there are no cameras from which a tourist can wave to folks back home, they are up, across the street, and pan so quickly there is no way your friends and neighbors can see you, much less wave back.   I saw Naked Cowboy...I guess for the last time, a few weeks go...and I can't tell you the last time I saw the Statue of Liberty.  Oh, sure, costumed people occasionally roam around, but most I don't even recognize.  And once I saw two Grover's...that's going to screw up some kids psyche...and tan-amount to having two Santa Clauses sitting side by side in a department store...PPPPPPlease.

Sigh

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I guess I will not be visiting this favorite haunt much any more, it has lost its appeal.  Somebody ate the icing off my cake.