Scullers’ Row

"Scullers' Row" (or "Sculler's Row") is in the Sherman Creek area of Washington Heights/Inwood. Scullers' Row used to have many rowing clubs, but that disappeared…

Shao-Lin (Staten Island)

"Shaolin" or "Shao-Lin" is "Staten Island" in hip-hop slang. It's no "boogie down Bronx" in my opinion--not that rappers ask for my opinion. A Google…

Shoe District

Around 1900, the "shoe district" was on Duane Street, near West Broadway. Major shoe companies such as Endicott-Johnson were located there. Recently, the area of West 8th Street near…

Silk Stocking District

I live in the "Silk Stocking District" on the upper east side of Manhattan. The term is an old one, meaning wealthy people who dress expensively. 8 September 1895, New York Times, pg.…

Skyville (Schuylerville, Bronx)

Schuylerville is a middle-class neighborhood in the East Bronx. The Wikipedia entry states that Schuylerville has been nicknamed "Skyville," but this nickname appears only infrequently in…

Slime Square (slime + Times Square)

The Times Square area of New York City began deteriorating in the 1950s; in the 1970s, the area was a center for pornography and crime. The nickname "Slime Square" (slime + Times Square)…

SoBro (South Bronx)

"SoBro" is the "South Bronx." The nickname "SoBro" had been in various uses since at least the 1970s and 1980s, but became a trendy nickname in 2005. SoBROAbout…

Sodom by the Sea (Coney Island)

Coney Island has sometimes been called "Sodom by the Sea," in reference to the vices of the Biblical city of Sodom. The headline for the New York (NY) Times on October 15, 1893 was:…

SoFo (South of Fourth Street)

"SoFo" is "South of Fourth Street" in Brooklyn. The term - a new one - is also the name of a bar there. http://www.papermag.com/guide/bars/brooklyn.htmlSOFO 550 Court St.,…

SoHa (South of Harlem)

"SoHa" is "SOuth of HArlem." Morningside Heights is the traditional name. Yes, it's another derivative from "SoHo." Attention Brooklyn real estate developers!…

SoHell (South of Hell’s Kitchen)

SoHell (south of Hell's Kitchen is a neighborhood name that was coined by New York magazine in August 2006. (The Gothamist citation below is from August 8th, but New York magazine dates its…

SoHo (South of Houston Street)

"SoHo" means SOuth of HOuston Street. The Oxford English Dictionary has no mention of New York's Soho, but has this for London: The name of a district in the West End of London,…

SoMa (South of Macy’s)

SoMa (South of Macy's) is a nickname for the area south of Herald Square in Manhattan. The "SoMa" nickname is taken from the well-established SoMa (South of Market) in San Francisco.…