Broadway Flip Sundae
Pete's Place is on 256 Third Avenue, at East 21st Street. On the wall is an old-time menu (I was told it's from the 1920s) of a former store at the same location called the Gramercy Sweet…
Archive for 03/2005
Mile High City (summary)
In the second-half of the 1800s, it was determined that Denver was a "mile high." Around 1900, Denver became known as the "mile high city." 20 July 1905, Wellsboro (PA) Gazette,…
Motor City or Motown (Detroit nicknames)
Ford's first "Model T" was introduced in 1908. Within ten years, the city had earned the nickname "Motor City." I contributed the 1919 citation to the Oxford English…
Charm City (Baltimore nickname)
"Charm City" is an example of a coined city nickname that has stuck. According to The Sun (Baltimore, MD) on July 11, 1974: "The 'Charm City, U.S.A.' promotion, prepared as…
Home Run Apple
When a New York Mets baseball player hit a home run at Shea Stadium, a large "apple" located just beyond center field rose from inside a black hat. It was a gimmick that was started in…
“Big Apple” (song by Bob Emmerich and Buddy Bernier, 1937)
"The Big Apple" is a 1937 song that was associated with the dance craze of that year. Music is from Robert Emmerich, lyrics from Buddy Bernier, and it was performed by Tommy Dorsey's…
Broken Windows; COMPSTAT; CAPSTAT
"Broken Windows" is a theory of policing that says you go after the little things (e.g., "squeegee men") and it will help you take care of the big things (e.g., murder rate).…
Big Apple Martini (or Big Apple-tini)
In recent years, many places have been serving a "Big Apple Martini" (or, "Big Apple-tini" or "Big Appletini"). The concoction varies from place to place and does not…
Children’s Menu; Oscar’s Sauce (from the Waldorf)
"Oscar of the Waldorf" got much publicity in the early 1920s for offering a "children's menu." The first establishment to offer a "children's menu" is…
Scratch ‘n’ Match (Daily News promotional game)
The Daily News has run a promotional game called "scratch 'n' match" since 1995. In March 2005, an incorrect number was printed on tickets that resulted in multiple $100,000…
“Ghostbusters” (1984, 1989)
Ghostbusters (1984) was a blockbuster comedy film, directed by Ivan Reitman, with a script by and starring Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis. Comic actor Bill Murray was the lead…
MTA; MetroCard
The MTA (Metropolitan Transportation Authority) has quickly been getting a bad reputation for high fares and poor service. This has created some uncomplimentary nicknames. "MetroCard" was…
“N.Y.C.” (1977)
The musical Annie (1977) was based on a comic strip about a little orphan girl. It was a great Broadway success and was later made into a big-budget (but unsuccessful) film. The most-remembered…
“Only in New York” (2002)
Thoroughly Modern Millie was a 1967 movie that starred Julie Andrews and Mary Tyler Moore. The stage version, starring Sutton Foster, opened on Broadway April 2002 and closed June 2004. The action…
Slumlord
A "slumlord" (or "slum landlord") is the owner of a property in disrepair who lets to tenants. The term is American and dates after the Second World War (1945--). Our first…
Lush Worker
A "lush worker" is a pickpocket who preys on drunks. People who fall asleep in the subway often get pickpocketed, and the term "lush worker" has been applied to these…
Biggest Little City in the World (summary)
"Biggest little city/town" pre-dates "Big Apple." Reno, Nevada is commonly known as the "biggest little city in the world." Although Reno has used this slogan since at…
Living Landmarks
The private New York Landmarks Conservancy began naming "living landmarks" at a fundraising dinner in 1994. These are "New Yorkers who have made New York New York." One example…
NIT (National Invitation Tournament)
Madison Square Garden plays host to college basketball's National Invitation Tournament (N.I.T.). It used to be the tops in college basketball, but that was before the NCAA college basketball…
Shea Town
Shea Stadium (named after a lawyer named Shea, not the Che on T-shirts) is the home of the New York Mets. Since about 2002, "Shea Town" has been used in rap music to mean New York City.…