Peacock Network (NBC)
NBC (originally the National Broadcasting Company) is sometimes called the "Peacock Network." The peacock symbolized the new color broadcasts and was introduced in the 1950s.…
“It’s 10 p.m. Do you know where your children are?”
New York City's Channel 5 (then WNEW, now FOX television) has a 10 o'clock newscast. Before each newscast appears the public service announcement: "It's 10 p.m. Do you know…
Poor Man’s Harvard (CCNY nickname)
City College of New York used to be known with pride as the "poor man's Harvard." The nickname was popular in the 1930s-1950s. Valparaiso University (Indiana) had used this nickname…
Coffee Pot & Coffee Pot Canyon (Broadway)
The Historical Dictionary of American Slang cites "coffee pot" from 1928 and defines it: "Esp. N.Y.C. a small lunchroom or diner." There were so many "coffee pots"…
Benny (Bayonne, Elizabeth, Newark, New York acronym?)
A visitor to the New Jersey shore is called a "benny." This may come from the "benefit" of New Jersey's shore in the summer. It may also come from the "benjamins"…
Grand Sample Station & Breadway & Snacks in the City (Trader Joe’s)
Trader Joe's first New York City store opened in 2006 on East 14th Street. Parts of the store have cutesy New York City names, such as "Grand Sample Station" and "Breadway"…
Staten Island Sinker (spitball)
A "Staten Island sinker" is the late George Bamberger's term for a "spitball" pitch in baseball. Bamberger was born on Staten Island and would briefly play for the New York…
Manhattan Wiring (electronics)
"Manhattan wiring" is an electronics term. The wiring supposedly looks like Manhattan's grid system of streets. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manhattan_wiringManhattan wiring (also…
Manhattan Skyline (Tombstoning)
"Tombstoning" is also sometimes called "Manhattan skyline." It is when pieces stand up vertically (like a "tombstone" or the "Manhattan skyline") and they…
Manhattan Rubber (bowling ball)
"Manhattan Rubber" bowling balls were popular in the 1950s and early 1960s. The "Manhattan Rubber" was most popular in Chicago.…
YAI Central Park Challenge
The annual YAI Central Park Challenge raises funds for people with disabilities. http://www.yai.org/about.cfmWelcome Since its inception in 1957, YAI/National Institute for People with Disabilities…
Big Apple Field Hockey (BAHF)
The Big Apple has a field hockey organization. Several tournaments are held each year. http://www.bigapplehockey.com/public_html/Pages/about.htmlBAHF, Inc. (Big Apple Hockey) is a not-for-profit…
Little Cuba
Florida has neighborhoods called "Little Havana" or "Little Cuba." This one New York City citation below may be isolated. The term is not in use today.…
Little Senegal
The area of 116th Street in Harlem is called "Little Senegal" because of the many African immigrants in the area. The 2002 film Little Senegal helped to establish the name.…
ORIGINAL 9-11 SONG: “We Will Stand Together (United We Stand)”
Where is our 9-11 song? Where is the music video? I will always remember the first "Saturday Night Live" after 9-11. Could New York laugh again? Mayor Rudy Giuliani was there to open the…
Miss Brooklyn (proposed Brooklyn skyscraper)
"Miss Brooklyn" is the proposed Frank Gehry-designed 60-story skyscraper on the Atlantic Yards site. The nickname comes from Gehry himself.…
Manhattan Solstice (Manhattanhenge or Sensational Sunset)
The "Manhattan Solstice" is when the sun is in perfect alignment with Manhattan's "grid" street pattern. You can stand on any street that runs perfectly east-west and see a…
Subway Shmutz (Schmutz) Survey
The Straphangers Campaign of the New York Public Interest Research Group issues an annual "Subway Shmutz" (Yiddish for "dirt," and also spelled "schmutz") survey.…
Brooklyn International Film Festival
The Brooklyn International Film Festival is much younger than the New York Film Festival. It's not the Cannes (France) Film Festival yet, but it's more local.…
Mafrika Festival (Music of Africa)
The Mafrika Festival is a new festival that could grow into an annual event. It celebrates African culture in New York City with the music and arts of Africa.…