Investigating the origins of American words, names, quotations and phrases. Over 41,000 entries.
The Grand Hyatt at 42nd Street and Lexington Avenue, next to Grand Central Terminal, used to be the Commodore Hotel. That hotel was named after "Commodore" Cornelius Vanderbilt, the…
The Theatre Development Fund's TKTS. booth in Times Square began in 1973, just a small shack selling discount theater tickets for performances on the same day. It quickly became a success.…
"Madhattan" (fmad + Manhattan) illustrates the craziness of New York City. James Aswell (1906-1955) used "Madhattan" often in his "New York" newspaper columns in 1932…
How to spell "Manhattan"? One easy way for people to remember "Manhattan" is this: "A man in a hat got a tan." (It must have been a bad hat!) Variants include "A…
The Chase Manhattan Bank had a popular slogan during the 1960s that is still remembered by many today: "You have a friend at Chase Manhattan." The bank is now known as J. P. Morgan Chase…
Gothic Cabinet Craft was founded in 1969 and is one of the Northeast's largest manufacturers and retailers of wood furniture. "Real Wood Furniture at Incredible Prices" is the slogan…
The Michelangelo Hotel is located at 152 West 51 Street, near Times Square and the Broadway theaters. Its slogan is "Elegance Without Attitude."…
The new Alex Hotel is located at 205 East 45th Street. "Over Night Or Over Time" is its slogan. The hotel's Alex Lounge serves signature "red apple martinis." Only in the…
The Roger Smith Hotel is located on a hotel row, at 501 Lexington Avenue. Its slogan is "Positive, Open, Friendly." http://www.jimsdeli.com/lodging/42-51_e/rogsmith.htmRoger Smith…
Waterfront Ale House at 155 Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn has been around since 1989. The place is nothing extraordinary, but it's slogan certainly is: "Home of Warm Beer, Lousy Food, and…
The Pan American Hotel on Queens Boulevard is close to the LaGuardia and JFK airports. It calls itself "New York City's Most Convenient Hotel." http://www.panamhotel.com/ Pan…
The New York, New York Hotel & Casino opened in Las Vegas in 1997. Its trademarked slogan is "The Greatest City in Las Vegas." The casino duplicated many New York City landmarks.…
HOT 97 (WQHT radio station, 97.1 FM) calls itself "The Official #1 Station for Hip Hop and R&B." In 2005 and 2006, incidents of gunfire at the station have caused some to nickname the…
Liberty Travel began in 1951 with a small office at 220 West 42nd Street. Today, there are Liberty Travel branches through the city and the country. Liberty Travel specializes in package vacations,…
"Drums Along the Hudson" is billed as "A Native American Festival & Shad Fest." It's a new annual event held each spring in Inwood Hill Park.…
The Sikh Day Parade began in the 1980s. It's quickly becoming a popular New York City ethnic parade. More Sikh immigrants have perhaps located in Queens than any other borough.…
Oppenheimer Funds is now owned by the Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (MassMutual), but Oppenheimer maintains a presence at Two World Financial Center, 225 Liberty Street.…
The Z-100 (WHTZ) radio station started a "morning zoo" format in the early 1980s with Scott Shannon. Shannon had used a similar format on another station, but Z-100 was called the…
"La Kalle" is the slang Spanish spelling of "la calle" (meaning "the street"). Several Spanish radio stations owned by Univision call themselves "La Kalle."…
LoMo (Lower Morningside Heights) is another new one to the endless stream of neighborhood nicknames. http://dreaminaret.blogspot.com/2006/02/rise-of-soha-and-lomo.htmlWednesday, February 08,…