Downtown Grand Central (Fulton Street Hub)
The Fulton Center (a Lower Manhattan transit center and retail complex centered at the intersection of Fulton Street and Broadway, planned after the destruction caused by the September 11, 2001…
Archive for 06/2006
ViVa (Viaduct Valley)
ViVa (Viaduct Valley) is the small but emerging West Harlem area, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ManhattanvilleManhattanville is the part of Manhattan in New York City bordered on the south by…
Death Street (Houston Street)
Houston Street in Manhattan has sometimes been called 'Death Street" for bicyclists. http://www.nydailynews.com/news/local/story/430576p-363009c.html 28 June 2006, New York Daily News,…
“We Do Dishes” (Fishs Eddy)
'We Do Dishes" is in the window of the Fishs Eddy store (dishware and more). It's not a registered trademark, but it's catchy.…
“All You Can Eat”
Restaurants used to have "all you can eat" specials for a specific price. In the old days, it was a mere twenty-five cents! It is not known if this practice was popularized in New York…
Chocolate Milk
Chocolate milk sounds so simple. When and where did it start? It appears that "chocolate milk" (or "chocolated milk") began in the South and came to New York in the 1920s.…
Ice Cream Cone
The "ice cream cone" was popularized at the St. Louis World's Fair in 1904. The St. Louis firm of Cornucopia Waffles clearly was the major influence in the development of the ice…
Penny Lick
A 'penny lick" was a glass of ice cream that sold for a penny. The term was popular in the 1890s, just before the invention of the ice cream cone. It is not known if the "penny…
Two Cents Plain
"Two cents plain" in the lower east side of the 1920s and 1930s meant a glass of seltzer water. Harry Golden's 1959 New York memoir of this title helped to popularize the old term.…
Smoothie (Smoothee, Smoothy)
A "smoothie" (or "smoothee" or "smoothy") was originally someone or something that is "smooth." The "You're an Old Smoothie" Broadway song…
Red Hots
"Red hots" came into use before the term "hot dogs." Some say that Harry Stevens coined "red hots" at the Polo Grounds in the early 1900s. Like the standard "hot…
“Every Cookie Needs a Belly” (Cookie Island)
Cookie Island's slogan is "Every Cookie Needs a Belly." Cookie Island went out of business after the MTA cleared the area for a downtown transportation hub in 2006. Cookie…
“The Center For Health in the Center of the World” & “Another Day, Another Breakthrough”
Mount Sinai Hospital was founded in 1852. "The Center For Health in the Center of the World" was first used in 2000. "Another Day, Another Breakthrough" is an even more recent…
“A new school, For a new century, In a new neighborhood” (Claremont Prep)
Claremont Prep is located near the New York Stock Exchange, a seemingly strange place for a grade school. http://www.claremontprep.org/home.html A new schoolFor a new centuryIn a new neighborhood.…
Broadway Under the Stars
"Broadway Under the Stars" is a free sampler of Broadway given "under the stars" in Central Park. The annual program began in 2002.…
“Location! Location! Location!” (real estate adage)
It's often said that the three most important things to know about selling real estate are: "location, location, and location." It is assumed that this saying comes from New York…
Chicken a la King
"Chicken a la king" was widely served in New York hotels in the early 1900s. Several theories have it that the dish is named after a New York "King." Some say that the dish is…
“Coney Island Bloodhounds” (hot dogs) & “A Midget from Harlem” (small chocolate soda)
Soda jerk slang in New York City (1900-1940) contained some regional terms. "Coney Island bloodhounds" were hot dogs. A "midget from Harlem" was a small chocolate soda. The…
“City Juice” & “One on the City” (water)
"City juice" and "one of the city" is old soda jerk slang for simple "water." The terms were briefly in use in the 1920s and 1930s, but have long since disappeared. 1…
Soul Food
The term "soul food" is used in Harlem, but it is not clear where the term originated. "Soul food" is cited in print from at least 1960. Wikipedia: Soul foodSoul food is an…