Lights Out NY
"Lights Out NY" is a program to encourage buildings to turn off lights late at night. The lights interfere with bird migratory patterns, and the program also helps save energy. FOR…
Zebra (420 West 42nd Street)
The building at 420 West 42 Street has stripes, so it's known as the "Zebra" building. "Oreo" is another nickname that has been used for it. http://www.420w42.com/…
Cemetery Belt (Glendale)
Glendale in Queens has been called the "Cemetery Belt." Glendale began to be surrounded by cemeteries after Manhattan stopped added cemeteries in 1852.…
Darth Vader Building (Family Court)
The Family Court Building in lower Manhattan has been called the Darth Vader Building by some. It's a gloomy building. http://www.downtownexpress.com/DE_11/talkingpoint.htmlMore darkness comes…
Stuff and Guff, or Gog and Magog (Herald Square figures)
The New York Herald newspaper used to be printed at what is now still called Herald Square (34th Street, where the Macy's department store is). Two bell ringers (dubbed "Stuff" and…
Toaster (Columbia University Law School)
Columbia University's Law School has been said to look like a toaster. That's one of the better comments on several of Columbia's newer buildings.…
African American Day Parade
The African American Day Parade literature states that it is the largest black parade in America. The parade is held up Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. Boulevard (Seventh Avenue), from 111 Street to 142…
Sock and Sausage Fests (criticism of street fairs)
Street fairs have came under criticism in the summer of 2005. A New York Post writer editorialized that the street fairs are all the same and that many should be eliminated. The debate was…
Only city with a foreign policy (politicians visiting Israel and Puerto Rico)
New York City politicians have regularly visited places such as Israel and Puerto Rico to appeal to those ethnic constituancies. New York City has sometimes been called the only city to have a…
CultureFest
NYC & Company (formerly the New York Convention and Visitors Bureau) has hosted a "CultureFest" since 2001. Many organizations have participated.…
Bus Festival
The New York Transit Museum hosts an annual "Bus Festival." It's very moving. http://www.mta.nyc.ny.us/mta/museum/New York Transit Museum12th Annual Bus FestivalCelebrating a Century…
The public be damned! (William H. Vanderbilt)
"The public be damned" was the famous 1882 retort of railroad magnate William H. Vanderbilt. The writer Rufus Hatch popularized the phrase in this damning interview. 17 October 1882,…
“Harlem of the West” (San Diego, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago)
Various western cities have claimed the title of "Harlem of the West" for their African-American communities. San Diego's and San Francisco's claims stand out. Some people have…
Only the little people pay taxes (attributed to Leona Helmsley)
Leona Helmsley (wife of Harry Helmsley, the real estate manager) was convicted of tax evasion. Her Connecticut housekeeper testified that, in 1983, Leona Helmsley told her that "only the…
The Little Chapel That Could (St. Paul’s); The Little Church That Could (St. Nicholas)
St. Paul's was still standing after September 11, 2001, helping the victims in that tragedy. It quickly earned the nickname "Little Church That Could" or "Little Chapel That…
City Bakery’s Hot Chocolate Festival
City Bakery (3 West 18th Street) has held an annual "Hot Chocolate Festival" since the early 1990s. http://www.hot-chocolate-festival.com/directions.phpThe City Bakery is located at 3…
Queen of Soul Food (Sylvia’s)
Sylvia's restaurant at 328 Lenox Avenue (127th Street) has become a Harlem institution. It was started in 1962 by Sylvia Woods (1926-2012). Sylvia's has used the trademarked slogan…
New York Salsa Festival; New York Salsa Congress
New York has had an annual Salsa Festival for over 30 years. There is also a much-newer annual Salsa Congress. http://www.radiocity.com/eventcalendar/eventprofile2?event_id=5919&category=2 The…
Forty-Ninth State
Before the United States had 50 states (and before the "51st state" idea for New York City), there were 48 states and the "49th state" idea. This idea has been proposed both for…
Next Wave Festival (BAM)
The Brooklyn Academy of Art's (BAM) "Next Wave Festival" features avant-garde works. It's been a popular program for over two decades.…