Aside from how the new public steps, or bleachers, at the TKTS booth in Times Square look, it may impress New Yorkers to learn about all the technology both built into them, along with the technology it took to construct the all-glass structure.

"Normally you hold a roof up with steel or timber or concrete traditional structural materials, in this instance, we're using glass to hold the roof up," explained engineer Michael Ludvik of Dewhurst MacFarlane and Partners. "So the windows are holding the roof up and that's a pretty unusual design feature."

"This project had a lot more in common with putting a man on the moon than a construction project," continued Ludvik. "It's very high tech, very tight tolerances, precision engineering."

"Times Square is always about innovations in technology," said Tim Tompkins of the Times Square Alliance. "It was originally called The Great White Way because of this radical new thing, which was the electric light bulb. Then, the zipper on the New York Times building was the Internet of the time, where you could get instant news. And then now, there's HDTV, all these new versions. We wanted to do this with architectural technology and really make a statement about Times Square continuing to be on the cutting edge of technology."

Replacing that innovative light bulb in this project are energy-efficient light emitting diodes, built into the steps so that they glow at night.

Possibly the most unusual innovation for visitors to New York in the winter time are the somewhat-heated seats.

"When we were considering the mechanical system, we decided on a geothermal system, which means that we drilled 450-feet down into the ground to use as a heat source," said Nicky Leahy of Perkins Eastman Architects. "We put a loop of water in. Underneath, we designed panels, radiant panels like a water radiator, which means you heat the steps, but it's not to keep people warm; it's purely to keep snow melt off of it."

All this technology may often get literally overlooked once tourists discover perhaps the most appealing feature of all – the VIEW from the top step.