The Great Saunter (32-mile walk around Manhattan)
"The Great Saunter" is the Shorewalkers name for its 32-mile walk around Manhattan's rim. The New York City Marathon, by comparison, is a mere 26.2 miles long. The Shorewalkers…
Scullers’ Row
"Scullers' Row" (or "Sculler's Row") is in the Sherman Creek area of Washington Heights/Inwood. Scullers' Row used to have many rowing clubs, but that disappeared…
Bus (slang term for ambulance)
"Bus" is a slang term for "ambulance" that dates to before World War I. (Random House Historical Dictionary of American Slang, Vol. I A-G)bus n.(...)2. an automobile or other…
Manhattanization
"Manhattanization" actually comes from San Francisco! In the late 1960s and early 1970s, San Franciscans were afraid that new skyscrapers would block out their veiw of the hills.…
Uptown Arts Stroll
The Uptown Arts Stroll began in 2003 in Washington Heights and Inwood. Artists use local restaurants and stores as if it were all one large art gallery. The "art stroll" had been used…
Restaurant Week ($19.92…$20.12)
"Restaurant Week" got started in 1992 (although it wasn't called that back then), when restaurants began charging $19.92 for meals. Restaurant Week was less than a week when it…
Central Park SummerStage
Central Park began its "SummerStage" program in 1986. It was not the first "SummerStage;" Hartford and Chicago both had earlier festivals. SummerStage consists of events…
Lulu (or Looloo)
"Lulu" (or "looloo") means a payment "made in lieu of" something or nothing. It's widely used in New York State, but it's not certain if it comes from New…
2005: Statement from a co-worker of Charles Gillett
This was sent to me, and I got the OK to post it here. From: Gilbert Tauber To: bapopik@aol.comSent: Thu, 16 Jun 2005 01:55:48 +0200Subject: Message from Big Apple web site visitor Dear Mr.…
St. Patrick’s Day Parade
The New York Gazette will eventually be digitized. Until them, we don't know much about St. Patrick's Day in New York in the 1700s. The St. Patrick's Day Parade is one of New…
Wall Street Run (and Heart Walk)
The "Wall Street Run" began in 1981. It benefits the American Heart Association and takes place on Wall Street.…
(Gate) Crasher
New Yorkers love something for nothing. (Historical Dictionary of American Slang, A-G)gate-crasher n. a forward or undesirable person who attends or enters a sporting event, social function, or…
AIDS Walk
New York City did not hold the first AIDS Walk, but the event in 1986 was one of the first. New York's annual AIDS Walk remains one of the biggest in terms of walkers and the amount of money…
Parabuilding
A "parabuilding" is a new building that transforms an existing older building. The term appears to have been coined by architecture critic Herbert Muschamp of the New York Times. (Google…
Lava Lamp (Hearst Building)
The Hearst Building (at Eighth Avenue and 57th Street) never got finished because of the Depression. However, in 2003, plans were made to finish it with a "lava lamp" skyscraper.…
Chocolate Show
Since 1998, New York has held a Chocolate Show. The Big Apple becomes a little sweeter -- a Big Bonbon, perhaps? http://www.chocolateshow.com/home.php?titre=6&id_code=26The Chocolate Show in…
Brainstorm
"Brainstorm" was the catch word at the trial of the century. Harry Kendall Thaw had shot and killed architect Stanford White (September 11, 1853 - June 25, 1906) over their mutual…
Term Limits (yes, it’s an issue again)
14 June 2005, New York Sun, "Trampling on Term Limits" by Henry J. Stern:Twelve years after term limits for city elected officials were adopted by referendum, the City Council is making…
Contextual Zoning
"Contextual zoning" has been a buzzword in the city planning community for about two decades. It regulates new building to fit the existing buildings in the area.…
“Like No Other Market” (Fairway)
Before Bloomingdale's was "like no other store in the world" and H&H Bagels was "like no other bagel in the world," there was Fairway ("Like No Other…