Orpheus the mayor has been trying for years to tax any vehicle in Manhattan area that isn't a taxi or a bus.
Times square, herald square and many other popular areas will probably become pedestrian only traffic in the future. They have been doing experiments to see the impact for a while now. It's not surprising Manhattan can't accommodate a Semi, the government doesn't even want SUVs on the island.
[Blocked Image: http://iaminformed.files.wordpress.com/2010/02/alg_times-square.jpg]
I have no doubt that the only places in NYC where you can park a semi are probably desolate/crummy/industrial neighborhoods. Talk about bums and prostitutes, how about Philadelphia or Chicago? Anyway my point is a tourist isn't going to encounter this kind of stuff. The bums in NYC probably make more on loose change than a person who works for minimum wage.