“Olympia, WA” (1995) (“52nd and Broadway” lyric)
"Olympia, WA" by the punk band Rancid was on their album ...And Out Come the Wolves (1995). The lyrics mention the corner of 52nd Street and Broadway. Someone should tell Rancid that…
“I Left My Heart in San Francisco” (1954, 1962) (“Forgotten in Manhattan” lyric)
"I Left My Heart In San Francisco" was written in 1953 by George Cory (music) and Douglass Cross (lyrics) in Brooklyn, NY, when they had moved to New York City but were nostalgic for San…
Wait in Times Square and eventually everyone you know will pass
Times Square has always been crowded with people. It's an old New York City proverb that, if you wait long enough in Times Square, everyone you know will pass by you. The proverb dates back to…
Cross-Roads of the World
Times Square became known as the "Cross-Roads of the World" by about 1923-1924. The nickname had been used before for European cities (London, Paris, Rome) or the Near East. It was soon…
Quick Lunch; Beef and—, Sinkers
"Quick lunch" was a term popular in the late 1800s. Was the "quick lunch counter" invented by Patrick Dolan, at 3 Park Row? A Souvenir of New York's Liquor InterestsNew…
Big Apple Greeter
"Big Apple Greeter" (www.bigapplegreeter.org) was started in 1992 by Lynn Brooks. It's New York's version of Welcome Wagon. Volunteer residents show visitors what's what…
Get the hook!
"Get the hook!" This was a cry from the audience to get a bad performer off the stage. Someone in the wings would get a hooked pole and hook the performer away. "The hook" was…
Poverty Hollow
"Poverty Hollow" is an old name for the "Lower East Side." The name is not used today. 24 October 1899, New York Times, pg. 3:If Signor Nicola Galante is not the next…
Rubberneck Row
"Rubberneck Row" was Forty-Fourth Street. Tourist buses used to visit that street around about 1900. Visitor would at attractions from one side of the street to the other. Their necks…
“Broadway Baby” (1971)
"Broadway Baby" was written for the 1971 Stephen Sondheim musical Follies. The musical was not a big success when it first debuted, but it has been successfully revived several times. The…
Lobster Palace
"Lobster palaces" were turn-of-the-century (1900, that is) restaurants-night clubs around Broadway. The name arose because expensive food, such as "lobster," was often served at…
Disco Diva
"Disco diva" is a term about as dated as "disco" itself. Whatever became of Studio 54? Grace Jones? 30 December 1977, New York Times, pg. C17:At Studio 54 (489-7667), the $40 a…
Smart Alec
Gerald Cohen did research on the New York City origins of "smart alec." A piece on "smart alec" appeared in a New York Times "F.Y.I." column in 2002. Gerald Cohen…
Lounge Lizards; Tea Hounds; Tango Pirates
"Lounge lizards" and "tea hounds" and "tango pirates" (and "gigolos") infested Broadway about the year 1917. These were men who frequented the tea rooms.…
Original New York Seltzer (from California)
"Original New York Seltzer" is from California. (FACTIVA news database)David Krenbrink: Soft Drink Messiah? By M. R. Annett and W. S. Annett 1,969 words 1 February 1986Bc Business Pg. 52…
“On Broadway” (1963)
"On Broadway" (1963) was recorded by the Drifters and was a big hit for George Benson. It's from the famed songwriting teams of Cynthia Weil and Barry Mann, and Mike Stoller and…
Porterhouse Steak
"Porterhouse steak" was allegedly first served at Martin Morrison's porter house at 327 Pearl Street in Manhattan, in 1814. Several stories from the late 1800s describe this in…
Gas House District
The "Gas House District" used to be around 18th street and east of First Avenue. There were actual gas houses there in the 19th century, but they have long since been removed. The term is…
New York Rangers (Tex’s Rangers)
The manager of Madison Square Garden was Tex Rickard. He saw how well the New York Americans hockey team did, so he started his own team. Newspapers (see 1935 citation) called the team…
MaHi (Marble Hill)
"MaHi" is "Marble Hill." You already know, of course, that "Washington Height and Inwood" is "WaHI." At the "WaHI" web site, "MaHi" has…