Polar Bears
According to the Coney Island Polar Bear Club (www,polarbear.org): The Coney Island Polar Bear Club is the oldest winter bathing organization in the United States. We swim the Atlantic Ocean at…
Archive for /P40900
Litterbug (Litter Bug)
"Litterbug" (also spelled "litter-bug" or "litter bug") is a term that comes from the "jitterbug" era of the late 1930s and early 1940s. Many city…
Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus
Why exactly is this Christmas letter to the old New York Sun so famous? Because people want to believe in Santa Claus? The famed "Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus" letter to…
Little Bohemia
Greenwich Village was long known for its "Bohemian" ways, and it was sometimes called "Little Bohemia." The Yorkville section of Manhattan was also called "Little…
GWB (George Washington Bridge, not G. W. Bush)
"GWB" is the George Washington Bridge. George Washington was our first president. He meant a lot to this city and to this country. George W. Bush is the 43rd president of the United…
Windy City (Chicago nickname)
Buffalo, New York, was called a "windy city" in the late 1840s because of the winds off of Lake Erie. Chicago, Illinois, was called a "windy city" later in the 1850s and in the…
Rockettes
The Rockettes are New York City's high-kicking dance company. The "Missouri Rockets" began in St, Louis in 1925, and were created by Russell Markert (1899-1990). In 1928, the company…
Dirty Water Dog
A post on Roadfood.com, 11-19-2003: "A 'dirty water dog'is an affectionate name for a push cart hot dog or a hot dog you would get off a lunch truck. I think it may be a New York/New…
Mad. Ave.
"Madison Avenue" has long been known for advertising, just as "Wall Street" means finance and "Fifth Avenue" means wealth. "Mad. Ave." is an abbreviation,…
Five Points
The "Five Points" section of Manhattan has been made famous in the book and film Gangs of New York. "Five Points" was the intersection of five streets: Mulberry Street, Anthony…
Little Germany (Kleindeutschland)
The East Village was once called "Little Germany," or "Kleindeutschland." Its future was largely destroyed by the deaths in the ship tragedy of the General Slocum in 1904. (See…
Delicatessen Store (“Deli”)
The "appy" and the "deli" both are associated with New York. "Appetizing stores" sell fish and dairy products. "Delicatessen stores" sell meats. (Oxford…
Appetizing Store (“Appy”)
The "appy" and the "deli" both are associated with New York. "Appetizing stores" sell fish and dairy products. "Delicatessen stores" sell meats. New York…
Op-Ed (opposite editorial)
The New York Times started its now-famous "Op-Ed" section in 1970. However, "op-ed" ("opposite editorial") can be dated to the New York World in the 1920s. New York is…
Meet Me at/under…
New York City has had several famous "meet me" phrases. Judy Garland told everyone to Meet Me in St. Louis (1944), and that title is from an authentic period song written for the 1904 St.…
EV (East Village)
First, it was simply the "East Side." Then came "Lower East Side" (now L-E-S). Then came "East Village." Now, "EV"? "East Village" became a popular…
Miss Subways
"Miss Subways" was a beauty contest (actually, talent agencies ran the show and it wasn't much of a "contest") that was featured in the New York subways from 1941-1976. The…
Bed-Stuy (Do or Die); Bed-Stuy and Proud of It
The Bedford-Stuyvesant area of Brooklyn (Bed-Stuy) is sometimes called "De(a)d-Stuy." It's a tough place. A documentary Bed Stuy (Do or Die), about the ambulance corps, was released…
“Does Macy’s tell Gimbels?”
Macy's is the World's Largest Store, at 34th Street and Herald Square. in New York City. Across the street on 34th Street was once a rival store called Gimbels. "Does Macy's…
Dead End Kids
The wonderful New York play Dead End (1935) started it all. It was made into a film in 1937, and the "Dead End Kids" were on their way to many films and national recognition. Depending on…