Investigating the origins of American words, names, quotations and phrases. Over 41,000 entries.
There are 12 community boards in Manhattan, with about 50 members on each one. The Manhattan Borough President makes about 600 appointments. It's one of the BP's biggest responsibilities.…
The revision of the city charter in the late 1980s has made the once-powerful borough president's office rather toothless. We now have a very strong mayor and a strong city council, but…
On the website of the current Manhattan Borough President is a drawing of an apple. A heart is cut into the apple. "Manhattan--The Heart of the Big Apple" is just below the illustration.…
On June 1st, right at the deadline, I filed with the Campaign Finance Board to be a candidate for Manhattan Borough President. I had intended to run for Public Advocate. Nothing could be easier.…
"Gothamland" is "Gotham" + "Disneyland." Author Tom Wolfe, in an opinion in the June 12, 2005 New York Times about New York City's future, wrote that New York has…
The term "Battle of the Bands" existed before Harlem, but Harlem's Savoy Ballroom (596 Lenox Avenue/Malcolm X Boulevard) made it famous in the late 1930s. Chick Webb, Count Basie and…
"Charter schools" were started in Minnesota in the early 1990s. They operate independently of the local school system, thus offering much-needed competition. (Oxford English…
Ny Waterway operates a ferry service. Ferries used to be commonplace before our bridges, but now ferries are back, freeing Manhattan from having more cars. "Take to the water" is a slogan…
The "Taste of Times Square" began in 1994 in, well, Times Square. It usually takes place on West 46th Street, between Broadway and Ninth Avenue (including Restaurant Row). The 2006…
It has been said that Harry N. Allen coined the word "taxicab" in the fall of 1907, and that he also introduced the color "yellow" to his vehicles. I think that's wrong on…
The first "magnet school" was in Philadelphia in the 1960s, not New York. A "magnet" school specializes in something (science or performing arts or business, for example) to…
Hong Kong and Shanghai are sometimes called the "Big Lychee." It was recently voted down as an official Hong Kong nickname, but it still might be used.…
The "Blue Zone" is the area in lower Manhattan that has a blue line near the curb. Parking is not allowed Monday-Friday 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. The fine for parking here is $65, but don't…
The "XYZ Buildings" are the three big boxes near Rockefeller Center on the Avenue of the Americas (Sixth Avenue). Architecture critic Paul Goldberger wrote that they'll never be…
The "yellow cab" takes street hails; the "black car" does not. Many executives have used a "black car" service, if only to the airport. The color of the vehicle is…
New York City has taken control of much abandoned property. City government is called "the landlord of last resort." It appears that this was coined by George Meany in 1967 to describe…
Henry Stern was a former New York City Councilman and Parks Commissioner and now runs NY Civic (www.nycivic.org). He said, some time in the 1960s, that the New York City Council was less than a…
Many "salutes to Israel" occurred in 1948 with the formation of the Jewish state. The programs held in New York City were particularly important in the formation of the modern state of…
The Steuben Day Parade in September celebrates German Americans, in honor of the Revolutionary War hero. General Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben had been honored by New York State and had been the…
The Pulaski Day Parade, held each October, is the celebration for Polish Americans. Count Casimir Pulaski served under General George Washington and helped establish America's first cavalry.…