Today Times Square is seen as a tourist attraction with people traveling to the United States from all over the world to visit New York. Times Square hasn't always had the glamorous portrayal it has in movies today. At the beginning of the 20th century, Times Square was not a pleasant place and the sounds you heard were very different from those today. In the 1920s Times Square had a brief heyday, from thriving entertainment to being the center of flashy commercial advertisements, but Prohibition caused many collapses in the entertainment industry, forcing theaters and nightclubs to close. Times Square was full of nightclubs and theaters, so as demand fell due to limited alcohol service, these venues had to adapt their business to continue attracting customers. Most theaters began adding rooftop gardens, cabarets, and restaurants capable of maintaining long shifts to bring in extra revenue (Reichl 53). During the "1927/1928 theater season, seventy-six theaters operated in the Times Square Theater District, but within a decade the number had dropped to thirty-three", and eventually none of the theaters on 42nd Street were operating. of the 1930s (Reichl 56). Eventually theaters had to resort to other forms of entertainment; some parts of Times Square were famous for peep shows, burlesque clubs, and video stores (McNamara 20). With a new crowd of people coming to see this type of entertainment, different sounds could be heard on the streets of Times Square than those heard today. Outside the theaters you could hear chatter about pornographic films being shown, scammers trying to pick up people for a few hours and public transport passing by. A few decades later, the do... middle of paper. .....tourist attractions and participation in Times Square's thriving tourist economy” (Reichl 160). Children and adults now enjoy stage performances of many Disney classics along 42nd Street and can cap off their visit by visiting the two-story Disney Store to purchase various Disney-branded items. Most people don't realize the history of 42nd Street when they pass by because they hear loudspeakers playing show soundtracks, people selling tickets at the box office, as well as scalpers trying to find tickets, and kids anxiously waiting for the show to start. The tourist area that 42nd Street has become is thriving thanks to Disney and officials who have overcome the shabby appearance and negative opinions of 42nd Street. Instead of focusing on looks and negativity, Disney looked at this project as a business venture with an overall look.