One of the many Minnie Mouse characters in Times Square and I pose for a quick picture. Also, I paid $2 for this photo. Amanda Macias/Business Insider NEW YORK — While most New Yorkers avoid the wandering crowds of tourists, costumed characters, and bombarding big screens of Times Square, I chose to live there.

After renting in the Upper West Side for two years and fed up with my reliance on the temperamental No. 1 train, I decided to look for a new apartment that had more access to trains.

My search landed me in a year-long lease in the neon heart of New York City — where I had 12 subway lines to choose from.

As 2015 comes to an end, and an estimated 1 million flock to watch the famous New Year's Eve ball slowly descend, here's what it was like to live at the center of the world's third most visited tourist attraction.

NOTE: My rent skyrocketed — believe it or not — and I was forced out of my beloved Times Square neighborhood.