Congratulations on being back in the saddle!

I don't ride through Times Square, but very near. Riding in Manhattan traffic is crazy, but it's much easier for me to ride in traffic than to walk on the sidewalks with all the tourists taking selfies. I've mentioned this before, but perhaps it's worth repeating myself again: most drivers in Manhattan are professionals. The only exception is the police, who are obviously driving as part of their job, but they have different priorities (and this makes them somewhat unpredictable as drivers). Everyone else (with few exceptions) is a professional driver, and pretty good at it. They know the rules and in my experience they treat one another pretty well, and are respectful of bicycles.