Shoppers Scared to Shop Near Herald Square "Skidrow" Plaza

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Penn Station commuters and Herald Square shoppers seem to be in agreement that the pedestrian plaza between West 33rd and 34th Streets is a little unappealing, particularly at night. DNAinfo reports that retail stores in the area have been complaining that customers are too afraid to shop at their stores because of the "vagrants and other unsavory characters" who hang out there after dark.

An employee from "one major store" commented: "One customer asked me if there was a back entrance into this location so she could avoid leaving through the courtyard." The area is managed by Vornado Realty Trust, who had once planned to turn the plaza into a raised entrance to Access to the Region's Core, the train expansion project Chris Christie officially nixed. Now, they say, they're thinking of possibly turning it into a park, which doesn't sound that much different to a pedestrian plaza—with the exception of grass, of course.

Update: We originally mistakenly posted a picture of the much prettier Broadway Boulevard plaza, which is managed by the 34th Street Partnership and NYC DOT. Above is the correct, scarier plaza, manged by Vornado Realty Trust.

· Midtown's 'Skid Row' Frightens Shoppers, Say Business Owners [DNAinfo]