Big Apple Grapple (arm wrestling)
The "Big Apple Grapple" is the big event in the arm wrestling world. The first such event was in the late 1970s; it used to take place in the World Trade Center.…
Archive for 06/2005
Mostly Mozart
Lincoln Center's "Mostly Mozart" festival includes music mostly by Mozart, but also by Haydn and Schubert. The series began in 1966.…
Brownstone
"Brownstone" apartments can be found in some of the older sections of New York. They were popular in the early 19th century. The term probably originated in New York. (Oxford English…
No pork on my fork
"No pork on my fork" is a phrase associated with the Nation of Islam. It's the name of a Harlem restaurant and it has been used in rap lyrics. Big Daddy Kane is a member of The Five…
Circle of Taste
The ultra-expensive restaurants of the Time Warner Center (Columbus Circle) organized a first "Circle of Taste" in 2005. This could become an annual charity event.…
Finntown
"Finntown," in the Sunset Park area of Brooklyn, was a popular area for immigrants from Finland in the 1880s and 1890s, but it's barely recognizable as Finntown today. The Finns had…
Skyscraper-Harlem Cycling Classic
The Skyscraper-Harlem Cycling Classic takes place in June in Marcus Garvey Park. It started in the 1970s and is billed as "New York City's oldest criterium."…
The Great Saunter (32-mile walk around Manhattan)
"The Great Saunter" is the Shorewalkers name for its 32-mile walk around Manhattan's rim. The New York City Marathon, by comparison, is a mere 26.2 miles long. The Shorewalkers…
Scullers’ Row
"Scullers' Row" (or "Sculler's Row") is in the Sherman Creek area of Washington Heights/Inwood. Scullers' Row used to have many rowing clubs, but that disappeared…
Bus (slang term for ambulance)
"Bus" is a slang term for "ambulance" that dates to before World War I. (Random House Historical Dictionary of American Slang, Vol. I A-G)bus n.(...)2. an automobile or other…
Manhattanization
"Manhattanization" actually comes from San Francisco! In the late 1960s and early 1970s, San Franciscans were afraid that new skyscrapers would block out their veiw of the hills.…
Uptown Arts Stroll
The Uptown Arts Stroll began in 2003 in Washington Heights and Inwood. Artists use local restaurants and stores as if it were all one large art gallery. The "art stroll" had been used…
Restaurant Week ($19.92…$20.12)
"Restaurant Week" got started in 1992 (although it wasn't called that back then), when restaurants began charging $19.92 for meals. Restaurant Week was less than a week when it…
Central Park SummerStage
Central Park began its "SummerStage" program in 1986. It was not the first "SummerStage;" Hartford and Chicago both had earlier festivals. SummerStage consists of events…
Lulu (or Looloo)
"Lulu" (or "looloo") means a payment "made in lieu of" something or nothing. It's widely used in New York State, but it's not certain if it comes from New…
2005: Statement from a co-worker of Charles Gillett
This was sent to me, and I got the OK to post it here. From: Gilbert Tauber To: bapopik@aol.comSent: Thu, 16 Jun 2005 01:55:48 +0200Subject: Message from Big Apple web site visitor Dear Mr.…
St. Patrick’s Day Parade
The New York Gazette will eventually be digitized. Until them, we don't know much about St. Patrick's Day in New York in the 1700s. The St. Patrick's Day Parade is one of New…
Wall Street Run (and Heart Walk)
The "Wall Street Run" began in 1981. It benefits the American Heart Association and takes place on Wall Street.…
(Gate) Crasher
New Yorkers love something for nothing. (Historical Dictionary of American Slang, A-G)gate-crasher n. a forward or undesirable person who attends or enters a sporting event, social function, or…
AIDS Walk
New York City did not hold the first AIDS Walk, but the event in 1986 was one of the first. New York's annual AIDS Walk remains one of the biggest in terms of walkers and the amount of money…