Internet shares hilarious memories from the now-closed McDonald’s in Times Square
They’re a McFlurry of emotions.
When news broke that the iconic McDonald’s in Times Square was closing its doors on Tuesday, Big Mac lovers near and far could hardly believe the four-story flagship restaurant wouldn’t live to flip another patty.
So after 17 years of operation, locals and tourists alike took to Twitter to share their wildest stories from the Broadway joint and collectively grieve the end of an era.
“The 42nd Street McDonalds in Time Square is closing for good. Sad face. So many memories took place there. Ghetto ones, but memories nonetheless,” tweeted @Khadiforever.
Indeed, many of the accounts shared on social media weren’t exactly kids-meal-rated.
Mitchell Wall, for example, could never forget the time he and a friend ventured to the fast-food joint to score a bag of weed while on a high school trip from Seattle.
They “were supposed to stay in the hotel room while everyone went to the Mets game [but] ended up dippin’ into Times Square to locate some weed and try to buy some booze,” said Wall, now 28. “A few people pointed us to this man in a Celtics jersey who instructed, ‘OK . . . get to the McDonald’s and find a guy in a leather jacket with studs on it.’ ”
The teens tracked down their guy and “bought a gram of rock-hard weed for 20 or 30 dollars,” he said. It “got us high! But we were 17 years old — so grain of salt.”
Others famously used the McDonald’s — glittered with 7,000 marquee light bulbs — as a place to buy, sell and trade sneakers. “We would use the bathroom in there before getting back on the train home,” wrote @AkeemSumthing. “I use to do sneakers deals in this McDonalds,” @Wateroverjuice chimed in.
Some used it as a place to safely shed a tear.
Others found solace in the hustle and bustle of patrons coming through.
“When I moved to NYC and didn’t know a soul, I spent time there weekly just watching the world go by and find where I’d fit in,” wrote @CruzContent on a thread about McDonald’s started by Eater editor Serena Dai. “It was always action packed and never a dull moment. All I could afford was the dollar menu so I appreciate the joint for being there for me.”
Some aren’t quite as nostalgic about the supersized chain.
“In the 90s when we visited NYC my parents would let me & my brother run around Times Square at night & then meet up in front of the super-bright McDonalds,” tweeted @kraykray. “Anyway tear that s - - t down, we can make new memories.”
Although the 17,500-square-foot burger palace was shuttered this week, it lost its flagship status last year when a larger — and sleeker — eatery was built just a few blocks away at 1530 Broadway.
But locals aren’t excited about Times Square tourists flocking to the new location.
“Bad move, @McDonalds. The new ‘flagship’ may look great, but to deal with Times Square crowds? Don’t forget us natives that avoid that intersection like the plague,” tweeted @dsrbroadway.