MoMA (Museum of Modern Art)
"MoMA" is the Museum of Modern Art (www.moma.org), located at 11 West 53rd Street in Manhattan. It was located in Queens during recent renovations, reopening November 20, 2004.…
Book Row (or, Booksellers’ Row)
"Book Row" (or "Booksellers' Row") was lower Fourth Avenue, between 9th and 14th Streets. Another "Booksellers Row" opened on Fifth Avenue, near the Barnes and…
Chicken Divan
This "Chicken Divan" dish was the signature of the Divan Parisien Restaurant, 33 East 48th Street. Dining, Wining and Dancing in New YorkBy Scudder MiddletonNew York, NY: Dodge Publishing…
Tootsie Roll
It's universally accepted that Leo Hirschfield invented the "Tootsie Roll" in New York City in 1896, naming it after his daughter. That might be correct, but I have a few questions.…
LoHo
LoHo. Yes, it's another "SoHo" knockoff real estate invention. No, it has nothing to do with whores. "LoHo" and "NoLiTa" do sound a bit scandalous, though.…
Bargain District (Orchard Street)
"Bargain District" is a modern promotional slogan for Orchard Street and the Lower East Side, but the area itself does have some history behind it. Wikipedia: Orchard Street…
“Send a Salami to Your Boy in the Army”
Most people credit Katz's Deli for "Send a Salami to Your Boy in the Army," but it actually comes from Louie the Waiter. Wikipedia: Katz's DelicatessenKatz's Delicatessen,…
Superflack
"Superflack" was mentioned in William Safire's "On Language" column of March 18, 1979. It follows "superman," "superstar," and "supermodel."…
SoCo (South of Columbia University)
"SoCo" is "south of Columbia" University. (GOOGLE)Columbia College Today... at 107th and Broadway. Now the real estate folks are calling the area SOCO (SOuth of COlumbia). Can…
SoHa (South of Harlem)
"SoHa" is "SOuth of HArlem." Morningside Heights is the traditional name. Yes, it's another derivative from "SoHo." Attention Brooklyn real estate developers!…
SpaHa (Spanish Harlem)
"SpaHa" is a new term for "Spanish Harlem." SoHo! SpaHa! Get it? (GOOGLE)PUERTO RICO HERALD: Return of Puerto Ricans Revives Spanish Harlem As a result, voguish restaurants and…
Ladies’ Mile
The "ladies' mile" is that stretch of Manhattan shopping on Sixth Avenue (Avenue of the Americas), roughly from 14th to 23rd Streets. The exact date that the "Ladies'…
Zipper
The "zipper" is that strip of news that goes around the building at 1 Times Square, at 42nd Street and Broadway. The "zipper" has been "down" a few times in its…
Fur District
The Fur District moved uptown in the twentieth century, then faced decline. It's near the Garment District (another district that has declined). John Jacob Astor (a nineteenth century New York…
Flower Market/District & FloMa
The Flower Market has decreased considerably from the 1930s, when New Yorkers bought flowers for every holiday (especially Easter). The District is Sixth Avenue from about 26th-28th Streets.…
Roaring Forties
"The Roaring Forties" represents the Times Square area (42nd Street). This appears to have been coined just after the first World War. "The Roaring Forties" is a 19th century…
Little Rumania
The Lower East Side also had a "Little Rumania." The first citation below is for an East Side establishment called "Little Rumania." New York Nightsby Stephen GrahamNew York:…
Polar Bears
According to the Coney Island Polar Bear Club (www,polarbear.org): The Coney Island Polar Bear Club is the oldest winter bathing organization in the United States. We swim the Atlantic Ocean at…
Litterbug (Litter Bug)
"Litterbug" (also spelled "litter-bug" or "litter bug") is a term that comes from the "jitterbug" era of the late 1930s and early 1940s. Many city…
Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus
Why exactly is this Christmas letter to the old New York Sun so famous? Because people want to believe in Santa Claus? The famed "Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus" letter to…