Pulaski Day Parade
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.…
Archive for 06/2005
Dominican Day Parade
The Dominican Day Parade began as a small celebration in Washington Heights in 1982. Now, it's held each August on Fifth Avenue and is one of New York's largest ethnic parades.…
Puerto Rican Day Parade
New York held a Puerto Rican Day Parade in 1958, and it's since become national, held in other American cities. In 1998, it was featured in an episode of the television show Seinfeld, for…
Skee-Ball
Remember Skee-Ball? From Coney Island, right? Maybe you've played it recently at a street fair? Actually, the game comes from Philadelphia, but that doesn't mean that Coney Island…
U. S. Open (tennis)
The U. S. Open (tennis) did not begin in New York, and it can probably be played anywhere in the United States. However, the first modern U. S. Open was held at the West Side Tennis Club in Forest…
“Wait ‘til next year!” (Brooklyn Dodgers)
The old Brooklyn Dodger chant (from when they were, barely, "still in the league") was "wait 'til next year." This phrase pre-dates the nickname "Trolley Dodgers"…
Gay Pride Week (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender PRIDE March; Moment of Silence)
"Gay Pride Week," held every June, is one of New York's most important festivals because it literally grew from New York itself. It commemorates the famous Stonewall Inn riots of…
Harlem Week
"Harlem Week" began as "Harlem Day" in 1975. It became "Harlem Week" in 1977. The annual festival takes place in August. There was also a "Harlem Week" given…
River-to-River Festival
The River-to-River Festival began in 2002. Like the annual Tribeca Film Festival, it's another attempt to revitalize the downtown area after the tragedy of September 11, 2001. 13 May 2002, PR…
NYC Grand Prix (at Icahn Stadium)
The June 2005 Reebok Grand Prix at the new Icahn Stadium on Randall's Island is the stadium's first international track & field competition. It looks like the Grand Prix will be an…
Millrose Games & Wanamaker Mile
The Millrose Games is Madison Square Garden's longest-running sporting event, since 1908. The Millrose features the Wanamaker Mile, named after department store merchant Rodman Wanamaker.…
Heeler (Tammany Hall politics)
The ward "heeler" was a feature of corrupt Tammany Hall politics in New York City in the 19th century. The political boss had you under his heel. This is not to be confused with a…
Flatiron District (Flatiron Building)
The "Flatiron District" gets its name from a single building in its district the Flatiron Building (1902, formerly the Fuller Brush Building). The buiding is triangular in shape, like a…
Gold Coast
"Gold Coast" is used more often in Chicago than it is in New York. Here, it's the upper east side, along the Museum Mile. Or the "Gold Coast" can be the upper west side.…
Copperhead (Civil War nickname)
A "Copperhead" was a person from the North who sympathized with the South during the Civil War. The term appears to have started in April 1861, when copperhead snakes were sent by mail…
Perfect Manhattan (cocktail)
What's a "Perfect Manhattan"? That's whiskey with a splash of both dry and sweet vermouth. Of course. http://www.cocktail.com/recipes/p/PerfectManhattan.htm1 1/2 - 2 oz blended…
Waldorf of Harlem (Hotel Theresa, now Theresa Towers)
The Hotel Theresa opened in 1913 at Seventh Avenue, between 124th and 125th Streets. The Harlem hotel ended its racial segregation policy in 1940. The Theresa quickly became the most important…
Wall Dog
The "wall dog" is the person who painted that advertisement on the wall. There were many "wall dogs" in the 1920s, but their numbers have been dwindling with the new…
Acropolis of America (Morningside Heights)
The area of Columbia University in Morningside Heights is sometimes called the "Acropolis of America" or "New York's Acropolis." Part of that is old Columbia puffery,…
SRO (Single Room Occupancy)
"SRO" first meant "standing room only," in the 1890s. Later, in the 1930s and 1940s, "SRO" was used to mean "single room occupancy." Both meanings of…