From Times Square to the World | NYC Tourism

Hop on the subway at Times Square and travel through stories that have shaped the City—and the globe. From Times Square to the World is a film series that's part of Founded By NYC , which celebrates New York City’s 400th anniversary in 2025 and the nation’s 250th in 2026. Each episode follows New Yorkers as they explore the five boroughs, uncovering the groundbreaking cultural movements, creative cuisines and revolutionary ideas that make NYC unlike anywhere else. Every ride reveals something extraordinary. Watch all the episodes below, and use them as inspiration for your own travel itineraries.

The City That Eats

Food is never just food in New York City—it’s culture, history and creativity on a plate. In this episode of "From Times Square to the World," host Justin Wu takes the subway to explore how culinary traditions across the five boroughs shape the City's flavor and identity. From Cuban and Dominican breakfasts in Times Square to a Midtown bagel outpost, every dish tells a story. We visit Delmonico’s, America’s first fine-dining restaurant, sip craft whiskey in Manhattan’s only post-Prohibition distillery, and end the day in Brooklyn at Win Son—a Taiwanese-American spot redefining what modern NYC dining can be.

The Immigrant City

New York wasn’t just shaped by immigrants—it was built by them. In this episode of "From Times Square to the World," hosts Paul and Anthony Ramirez take you on a subway journey to explore how generations of immigrants have shaped New York City’s food, neighborhoods, culture and identity. Starting at the National Museum of the American Indian in Lower Manhattan, they uncover stories of Native heritage before riding the Staten Island Ferry to a grandmother-run kitchen serving global home cooking. In Chinatown, they experience a tea meditation rooted in centuries-old ritual, and in the Bronx’s Little Italy, they taste the living legacy of Italian and Albanian communities.

City of Movements

The pulse of New York City has always been set by its cultural revolutions. In this episode of "From Times Square to the World," host Fran Tirado rides the subway through Manhattan and Brooklyn to explore how the City became a global epicenter of creativity, resistance and reinvention. From the fight for LGBTQ+ rights in the West Village and the revolutionary artistic expressions of the Harlem Renaissance, to the bold voices of the street art scene and the joy of roller disco in Bushwick, each stop reveals how social movements shaped—and continue to shape—the rhythms of NYC. Every scene, story and subculture on this route is a reminder: in New York, movements that start here go on to influence the globe.

Previous
Previous

Dreams Are Made of This | Troy C. Ford

Next
Next

Not Your Mother's Makeup | Good Weird