“‘I’ before ‘E,’ except when you run a feisty heist on your weird beige overweight foreign neighbor”
"I" before"E" is an English spelling rule, with many exceptions -- such as "neighbor" and "neighborhood." "'I'before 'E,' except…
“Asthma Alley”
"Asthma Alley" was probably coined by Jerome Kretchmer, an environmental protection administrator, in 1970. Parts of the south Bronx, western Queens, and Harlem have all been called an…
“Brooklyn of Seoul” (Seongsu-dong, South Korea)
Entry in progress -- BP Wikipedia: Seongsu-dongSeongsu-dong is a dong, or neighbourhood, of Seongdong-gu in Seoul, South Korea. It is further subdivided into Seongsu-dong 1-ga and Seongsu-dong…
“Brooklyn of Tokyo” (Daikanyamach?, Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan)
Entry in progress -- BP Wikipedia: Daikanyamachō, ShibuyaDaikanyamachō (代官山町, Daikan'yama-chō), or simply Daikanyama (代官山), is a place in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan. The…
“By way of Canarsie” (Canarsie, Brooklyn)
To go somewhere "by way of Canarsie (Brooklyn)" is to go out of the way, or in a roundabout way. New York (NY) Post columnist Leonard Lyons (1906-1976) wrote in "The Lyons Dens"…
“El Bronx” (Bogotá, Colombia)
"El Bronx" is a neighborhood of the city of Bogotá, the capital of Colombia, that's named after the New York City borough of "The Bronx." El Bronx is a high crime area,…
“Everybody hates white people, but everybody wants to live in their neighborhood”
"'Everybody hates white people, but everybody wants to live in their neighborhood.'-Joe (latino)" was posted on Facebook by Lewis Newman on February 7, 2021. "Let me get…
“Everybody ought to have a Lower East Side in their life”
American composer and lyricist Irving Berlin (1888-1989) grew up in extreme poverty in Manhattan's Lower East Side. However, he enjoyed many friendships and the cultural richness that the…
“Greenwich Village, home of short-haired women and long-haired men”
Greenwich Village's gay community has been well known since at least the early 1900s. The Village has been called the home of "long-haired men" (gays) and "short-haired…
“Harlem of the West” (San Diego, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago)
Various western cities have claimed the title of "Harlem of the West" for their African-American communities. San Diego's and San Francisco's claims stand out. Some people have…
“Hooverville” (1930)
During the Great Depression of the 1930s, shacks across the country were called "Hoovervilles" after then-President Herbert Hoover. This appears to have begun in Chicago, not New York.…
“I came from a tough neighborhood. On my street, the kids take hubcaps - from moving cars”
New York-born actor, film director and comedian Woody Allen said in his comedy act in the 1960s: "I was the sensitive kid, poet. There were tough kids in my class, there was a kid in my class…
“I live in a tough neighborhood. They got a children’s zoo. Last week, four kids escaped”
Rodney Dangerfield (1921-2004) was a self-deprecating comic. He told a joke about his neighborhood (cited in print since at least 2003 and in his 2004 book): "I live in a tough neighborhood.…
“I told the doctor I broke my leg in two places” (joke)
New York City has some tough neighborhoods. "I told the doctor I broke my arm/leg/nose in two places," a comedian sometimes says. "The doctor told me to quit going to those…
“I’m not saying I live in a rough area, but I bought an Advent calendar and all the windows were boarded up”
An Advent calendar has windows, where people can open and have a treat such as a chocolate. This is the subject of several jokes. "I had an advent calendar from Woolworths actually...all the…
“Let me get this straight. Everyone hates white people, but everyone wants to live where white people are”
"'Everybody hates white people, but everybody wants to live in their neighborhood.'-Joe (latino)" was posted on Facebook by Lewis Newman on February 7, 2021. "Let me get…
“Love thy neighbor as thyself, but choose your neighborhood”
"Love thy neighbor as thyself" is in the Bible in Leviticus 19:18 and in several passages of the New Testament. "Love thy neighbor as thyself, but choose your neighborhood" is a…
“Mainhattan” (Frankfurt am Main, Germany)
Frankfurt am Main (the Germany city of Frankfurt, on the river Main) has called itself "Bankfurt" (Bank + Frankfurt) and "Mainhattan" (Main + Manhattan). There are many banks…
“Manhattan of the South” (Brickell in Miami, Florida)
Entry in progress -- B.P. Wikipedia: BrickellBrickell (/ˈbrɪkəl/ brik-əl) is an urban neighborhood in Miami, Florida, United States. A neighborhood of greater Downtown Miami, Brickell is Miami…
“Manhattan on the Maas” (Rotterdam, the Netherlands)
Rotterdam, the second-largest city in the Netherland and the largest port in Europe, has been nicknamed "Manhattan on the Maas" or "Manhattan on the Meuse" (the Nieuwe Maas/New…