“The best jeans and sneaker stores in America” (V.I.M.)
V.I.M. started in Brooklyn and proudly declares its slogan: "The best jeans and sneaker stores in America." Its website say it's been around since 1977, but trademark records say…
Triburbia
"Triburbia" has become a new nickname for TriBeCa. http://www.newyorkmetro.com/news/articles/wtc/tribeca1.htmTriBeCa has long been home to well-off families who wanted space and good…
Governor Stuyvesant’s Tree (pear, not apple)
It is sometimes (not often, thankfully) said that New York City is called "the Big Apple" because of Governor Peter Stuyvesant's apple tree. Actually, it was a pear tree. The tree is…
Hudson River Crawl
"Hudson River Crawl" was the name that swimmers of the Hudson River would apply to...well, I'll let them used their own words for it.…
“The Greater New York Dairy” (Dairy Associates)
Dairy Associates is located in Union, New Jersey. It bills itself as "The Greater New York Dairy" and produces several popular milk products.…
“I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country” (Nathan Hale)
Nathan Hale is celebrated as America's first spy. He was hung by British forces in New York City on September 22, 1776, and various memorials in the city celebrate his story. His now-famous…
Liberty Pole (and Battle of Golden Hill, 1770)
New York City had several "Liberty Poles" between 1766 and 1776. The first blood shed in the American Revolution was on January 18, 1770, in defense of a Liberty Pole that stood in what…
Urban Ranger
An Urban Ranger (or Urban Park Ranger) is a member of the Parks Department who will instruct you on the wildlife in New York City's parks. They've been compared to the National Park…
Little Broadway (White Street in TriBeCa)
White Street in Tribeca is being called "little Broadway" because of its many entertainment offerings. http://www.nypost.com/entertainment/64596.htmYOUR BEST BETS FOR THIS WEEKENDBy…
“Truth, Justice and the Comics” (New York Newsday)
Newsday is based on Long Island. It briefly ran a New York edition (New York Newsday) that folded in the 1990s. New York Newsday had a memorable slogan: "Truth, Justice and the Comics."…
Brooklyn-Queens Day
"Brooklyn-Queens Day" is best known simply as a day off school. It originally celebrated the birth of Brooklyn's Sunday School Union in early 1800s. The day was also known as…
Taste of the Nation Brooklyn
Brooklyn is part of Share Our Strength's annual "Taste of the Nation" fundraising festival. http://www.gothamist.com/June 13: Taste of the Nation BrooklynGet a taste of the finest…
Solo Arts Festival
The Solo Arts Festival (by terraNOVA Collective) is a new annual event of readings, music and more. http://www.terranovacollective.org/SoloArtsFestival.phpJune 8-25Center Stage, NY48 West 21st…
Seventh-inning stretch (Manhattan College’s claim to origin)
Manhattan College has claimed to have originated baseball's "seventh inning stretch" in 1882. The seventh inning is the time before the end of the game where the spectators stretch…
Jana Hunsaker Memorial Wheelchair Tennis Tournament
Jana Hunsaker was a tennis instructor at the USTA National Tennis Center in Queens. The memorial wheelchair tennis tournament is a new annual event.…
Corporate Challenge
The Corporate Challenge began in 1977; it was sponsored by Manufacturers Hanover, but is now sponsored by JP Morgan Chase. The 3.5-mile race has grown in popularity and now takes place on two days.…
Oz Prize or Ozzie (Asia Society journalism award)
The Asia Society (located on Park Avenue) awards the somewhat oddly named "Oz Prize" or "Ozzie" each year, but it has nothing to do with Australia. It's the nickname of the…
Big Crapple
For those who think "the Big Apple" is a load of crap, there's always "the Big Crapple." http://www.yaleherald.com/archive/xxvi/12.4.98/ae/1999.htmlThe Big Crapple?…
Sugar Daddy
In 1923, Dorothy Keenan King (a New York model) was found chloroformed to death in her New York City apartment. She had called John Kearsley Mitchell her "heavy sugar daddy." It is…
Cop (“copper” badge myth)
"Cop" (policeman) probably comes from "cop," meaning to "nab" a suspect. One myth suggests that "cop" comes from "Constable On Patrol." This has no…