Times Square Smells Like Hot Nuts

Is there any smell that quite encapsulates Times Square better than roasted nuts? Their sweet, nutty aroma hits you the moment you fight your way off the 42nd Street station and into the thick concrete jungle. It’s enough to make you blush—after all, nothing grabs your attention quite like the warm, inviting scent of hot nuts. A swell of smells bombards your nose, from the out-of-town sweat of thousands of tourists—transfixed by the billion-dollar shiny advertisements and who’ve forgotten how to walk—to the self-loathing and lofty snobbery of annoyed New Yorkers just trying to exist. Pungent wafts of garbage from overflowing cans and stale cigarettes from the ratty Elmo costume or Batman accosting tourists for an overpriced selfie also mingle in the air.

But then there is the glowing beacon of hope—the small Nuts 4 Nuts cart and their hot, honey pralines. They are a reminder that Times Square is a place of transformation. It’s a place of dreams, accomplishments, and progress. If nuts can transform into a small piece of heaven, then so can everyone else.

Sometimes we all need a facelift, and Times Square, bless her heart, has gone through many. I know this will make many New Yorkers doubt my status as one, but sometimes when I’m feeling lonely or in need of an uplift, I’ll go to Times Square. Now, hear me out. I’m not a psychopath. I generally love to watch the crowd. It’s fun to guess where people are from, see the excitement in the eyes of those first experiencing Times Square, or grumble along with those who are just passing through. There is an electric energy that courses through Times Square. It’s the buildup of years and years of dreams, soaring victories, and crushing defeats. It’s a vivid reminder that your life, its challenges, and its joys are not unique. You are not alone, even if sometimes the city feels like a sea of strangers and lonelier than a desert.

Times Square might be the top of the bucket list for most tourists and the last place on earth any New Yorker would be caught dead willingly, but you can’t deny that more than anything, Times Square is about hope. Millions of people come here in search of a glimmer that there is something worth living for. People spend their last dollar auditioning for a Broadway show, praying they get their big break. They arrive doe-eyed off the bus, bravely leaving behind their small towns, determined to prove their worth. They come on a girl’s weekend away, mustering the courage to break up with that toxic ex, or they come from other countries in search of a better life for themselves and their families.

So yes, roasted nuts make me think about all of this at once. I remember the first time I came to New York when I was 10 years old. I remember moving here for a new job and feeling terrified that I would become lost in the vastness that is the city. I remember the first time I navigated the streets without GPS or gave directions to a tourist. I remember the first time I actually felt like I lived here and wasn’t just visiting. It’s a magical, powerful smell that will forever linger.

The final lesson from Times Square? Maybe stop and smell the roasted nuts once in a while.

Jay-Z says it best:
“In New York (Ay, aha) (Uh, yeah)
Concrete jungle (Yeah) where dreams are made of
There's nothing you can't do (Yeah) (OK)
Now you're in New York (Aha, aha, aha) (Uh, yeah)
These streets will make you feel brand-new (New)
Big lights will inspire you (Come on) (OK)
Let's hear it for New York”

Times Square: It has the unmistakable whiff of dreams being born and dying.

What a place.