Do you think it was better before or now?

by gabri_ves

38 comments
  1. Coca cola must have some seriously good lobbyists

  2. Better now, fuck companies and fuck advertising, we eat enough of it already

  3. considering how much of an eye-sore the time square is its definitely for the better.

  4. Neon signs look cool tbh, way better than modern day screen like the ones in Piccadilly Circus or Times Square but I totally get why they don’t want their city plastered with corporate logos

  5. Definitely better. I don’t like Brussels but the Brouckère area is quite nice.

    Times Square is the epitome of braindead tourism anyway. There’s nothing to see there; the only reason people go there is because other people go there. So “yay I’ve seen Time Square” and “yay I’ve seen this and that famous building”, but was any of it actually interesting to see? Of course not.

    It’s those same people who pay upward of 10 euro for a waffle stacked with ice cream and condiments, telling themselves that this is a Belgian experience.

  6. so if I cut down that ugly Coke thing would that be terrorism or liberation?

  7. Now it looks like your average town. I guess some people like that

  8. Now it’s better, obviously. They were justified to call it an eyesore, the top picture is fucking hideous.

  9. This may look nice in old pictures because of the retro neon signs, but you have to remember that today this would be plastered with shitty crypto and uber ads. So yeah good riddance.

  10. That picture provided a really shit comparison. Either have them both in daytime or night-time.

  11. Speaking from experience, they’re both very cool, but very different atmospheres

    Back in ye olden days of neon signs and 4-lane roads, it felt like a big city: bustling, full of energy, happening. You’d get out of the cinema and immediately be hit by the sounds, the lights, the people, … it really felt like going on a night out

    The new version is definitely more relaxed and laid back. Not just due to the removal of the signs but also because it’s now pedestrianised with a fountain in the middle. It’s a cool place to hang out when you want to take a rest from your shopping or when it’s sunny outside and you want to take some fresh air

    I’m glad that it was busy when I was young and that it’s relaxed now that I’m old and grumpy, but they’re hard to compare

  12. The one American commenting: „Basically killing a way for land owners to make money.“

  13. Better now. Also isn’t that photo with the billboards taken during christmas eve?

  14. They may be picturesque at night but in daylight those billboards are horrid to look at. Good riddance.

    Still fascinating to spot the brands that were so prominently advertised.

  15. Whoever thinks of Belgium? Leicester square is the “time square” of Europe lol

  16. I think it looked cool, but keep it in one place.

  17. Times Square is an small and terrible place. The less a square is similar to it, the better.

  18. The top one looks good because it’s taken at night, the signs are vintage and the photo has a nostalgic mid century glow from the type of lightbulbs and photography used.

    In modern times (especially in broad daylight) it would look like shit.

  19. It’s arguably more of an eye sore now with just 1 billboard left and it not being lit up.

  20. They did the same in Milan in some major square and I really like that

  21. Damn the look of the neons is so beautiful though, cyberpunk style cities would be beautiful… The 80s were the pinnacle of humanity

  22. i’d appreciate it more if it didnt just drain all the colour out of it tbh. dont like ads but dude its just so grey

  23. Banned? Really? Then why can’t i drive go into Belgium without seeing banners the size of a kingsized bed on every side of every house in every neighbourhood?

  24. It may be because of the vintage feel, but the first picture looks better imho, while in the second picture the square looks pretty empty and boring (plus, the Coca Cola sign really is an eyesore in this case).

    I know it’s an americ*n thing but I think billboards and ads on buildings might be cool as long as they are concentrated in just one square or area (and as long as they don’t destroy old buildings and monuments of course).

  25. I love neon signs and I hate China for what they have done to the streets of Hong Kong.

    Born at the right time to experience LED screens for putting PowerPoints on the screens, smh.

  26. Hard to tell. Times Square is an icon, a NY landmark instantly recognized by everyone around the world, and it’s pretty impressive to see at night when you first visit the city.

    This Belgium equivalent is nothing like it. I don’t think it’s that serious that it reverted back to the original

Leave a Reply