50th Street (1)

If you’re coming to this part of Times Square, it’s probably to see an On-Broadway show.*

The station brings you right to the Winter Garden Theatre, where George Clooney made his Broadway theater debut, and 7,000+ shows of Cats ran for over a decade straight.

Outside Winter Garden in the calm between showtimes.

Next to the theater is tourist-magnet Ellen’s Stardust Diner, where from 7am to midnight daily, Broadway-hopeful waitstaff take the mic and sing. The line can range from insane to nonexistent, so if you want to go (I mean, hey, it’s an experience) I’d recommend picking an awkward time (like 3pm on a Wednesday) when you’re likely to breeze in.

If the line is crazy and you need a backup, go to Junior’s Cheesecake, which, in addition to cheesecake, serves up classic diner food in a large-enough setting to accomodate a good chunk of people who have given up on the Stardust Diner line.

For a more underground (literally) experience, try the speakeasy located within the subway station, Nothing Really Matters. To get there, pretend like you’re catching the Downtown 1, go down the station entrance, and keep an eye out for a loiterer who is actually the bouncer. Voila! You’ve escaped the Times Square chaos. Enjoy your subterranean sips.

Outside the 50th street station, facing south towards the heart of Times Square.

*Wondering what the distinction is between “On-Broadway” and “Off-Broadway”? It doesn’t actually have to do with whether the show is actually on Broadway street. Instead, it’s about meeting a set of criteria, primarily about size: a theater needs at least 500 seats to be considered “On-Broadway..”

Ellen’s Startdust Diner, where the waitstaff take turns belting classic tunes.