The Saddest Spots in New York City

[FarCenter]

A new research paper from the New England Complex Systems Institute, titled “Sentiment in New York City” (PDF), attempts to pull off something that would have been impossible—or at least mind-bogglingly difficult—before the invention of online social networks: figure out the block-by-block happiness level of the biggest metropolis in the United States.

In order to generate their “sentiment map” of New York City, the researchers analyzed data from 603,954 Tweets (collected via Twitter’s API) organized by census block. “This method, combined with geotagging provided by users, enables us to gauge public sentiment on extremely fine-grained spatial and temporal scales,” read the paper’s abstract. The study took emoticons and word choice into account when deciding whether particular Tweets were positive or negative in sentiment.

According to that flood of geotagged Tweets, people are happiest near New York City’s public parks, and unhappiest near transportation hubs. Happiness increased closer to Times Square, the declined around Penn Station, the Port Authority, and the entrance to the Midtown Tunnel. People were in a better mood at night and on weekends, and more negative about the world between the hours of 9 A.M. and 12 P.M.

None of this is surprising: who wouldn’t be happy amidst the greenery of a public park, or borderline-suicidal while stuck in traffic or waiting for a late train? The correlation between happiness and Times Square is almost certainly due to that neighborhood’s massive influx of tourists, all of them Tweeting about their vacation. But as with previous public-sentiment studies, using Twitter as a primary data source also introduces some methodology issues: for example, a flood of happy Tweets from tourists could disguise a more subdued and longstanding misery among a neighborhood’s residents, many of whom probably aren’t tweeting every thirty seconds about a Broadway show or the quality of Guy Fieri’s food.

Twitter is also vulnerable to temporary bursts of outsized negative sentiment. If the map shows Hunter College High School as a wellspring of misery of which the world has never seen, it’s probably because the study was conducted during the two-week period in April 2012, which overlapped with students returning from spring break. A couple thousand students wailing on Twitter could surely skew the final results.

http://slashdot.org/topic/bi/the-saddest-spots-in-new-york-city/

[hrmjustin]

1. I hate Times Square with all passion. I lived here my whole life and I have never been there on

New Years.

[dflprincess]

2. I usually stay in that area on the rare occassions I get to New York

but, if it wasn't for the convenience of the location (from a tourist perspective), it's the one part of the city I wouldn't care if I ever saw it again. Last time I was there my friend and I agreed it's become a combination of the Mall of America and the State Fair.

[hrmjustin]

3. Yeah I avoid it at all costs.

[FarCenter]

4. It's just an intersection of Broadway with a number of other streets and avenues.

It's a complete let down. I can't imagine why tourists keep coming.

[hrmjustin]

6. Agreed! Too many people.

[FarCenter]

9. There is no "there" there.

Unless you are going to the theaters in the district there is no reason to go near the place

[hrmjustin]

11. Not unless you have a fortune and can shop there.

But no there is nothing to do there.

[JI7]

19. how about anything like museums or historical landmarks ?

[hrmjustin]

21. There are plenty. The MET is a great art museum. The Museum of Natural history is a must.

Go see ground zero. Trinity Church and it's cemetery. Lincoln center. The Transit Museum in Brooklyn and the Brooklyn Museum of art are just a few places to go.

[JI7]

23. i mean at times square

i think most places i would like to visit in NY are not in TS.

[hrmjustin]

24. TS there is nothing old anymore. All the old x rated places are gone and it is now disney.

I do think the wax museum is there. But no other major landmark that I know of.

[JI7]

17. i feel the same way about hollywood in california

[onehandle]

5. I used to think that making Times Square pedestrian only would improve it.

But whenever they close it off, it gets much worse.

So many Elmos... So many Elmos...

[hrmjustin]

7. I hate the fact you can't move around.

[PoliticAverse]

8. You've seen it go from porn theaters to Disney and the Bubba Gump's shrimp company... n/t

[hrmjustin]

10. That sums it up.

[JI7]

12. i would visit someday but would prefer to go during the slowest time of the year

[hrmjustin]

13. I have never seen a slow time there.

[JI7]

15. is there anything worse seeing there ?

from the pics it just looks like one huge corporate billboard.

[hrmjustin]

18. Not really. If I were visiting NY there are plenty of other things to do.

It really is for kids. But you might want to check out some online sites about times square because new things move in all the time.

[JI7]

20. i might go for a bit just to see it but i have a feeling

it will be kind of like hollywood in california and some other tourist trap type places. maybe a little bigger. mostly chains and big name brands in big flashy signs.

[hrmjustin]

22. Well the broadway shows are there so you can get something to eat at Juniors and then go a show.

Juniors Cheesecake is a gift from God.

[Recursion]

14. I miss the peep shows

Also, last time I passed through there there was an Olive Garden. An Olive Garden. What the hell is the matter with people?

[hrmjustin]

16. I was too young to do the peep shows before they left.