1960s: Fun City

Play Street

A "play street" is a street closed to vehicular traffic so that children can play. "Play streets" -- cited in New York since 1915 -- usually are designated during the summer,…

Playcation (play + vacatinn)

"Playcation" (play + vacation) became a popular term -- following "staycation" -- the financial crisis of 2008. Maxine Maesinger (1925-2001), the "Big City Beat"…

Playground of the Southwest (Galveston nickname)

Galveston has been called the "Playground of the Southwest" since at least 1911, A 1918 newspaper explained the nickname: "An excellent beach, fishing, hunting, motoring and boating…

Plaza District

Midtown Manhattan's "Plaza District" is the area around the Plaza Hotel (at Central Park South/59th Street and Fifth Avenue). Wikipedia defines the Plaza District as "between…

PLT (plant, lettuce and tomato)

McDonald's restaurants in some countries introduced the "PLT" (plant-lettuce-tomato) sandwich in 2019. The name is a take-off on the "BLT" (bacon-lettuce-tomato) sandwich.…

PM (precious metals)

Precious metals are rare metallic chemical elements of high economic value, such as gold, silver, platinum and palladium. The term "PM" for "precious metals" has been cited in…

Pocho & Pochismo

"Pocho" is a term for a Mexican who lives in the United States. "Pochismo" is an English word given a Spanish form or pronunciation. "Pocho" is generally regarded as…

Poetry in Motion

The MTA's "Poetry in Motion" program began in 1992. Poems were placed in the buses and subways, just as ads would be. The poems are either short or cut down to just a few lines. Some…