Big Apple Corner (sign stolen, 2021-2024)
[See also part one, "Big Apple Corner (1992-1997)," and part two, "Big Apple Corner (1997 Law & Today)," and part three, "Big Apple Corner (New York Morning Telegraph…
Big Artery or Hardened Artery or Main Artery (Broadway)
Broadway has been called the Main Artery and the Big Artery and the Hardened Artery. "Main Artery" probably dates to the 19th century. "One short block from Broadway -- main artery…
Big Red with the Long Green Stem (Seventh Avenue/Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard)
"Big Red with the Long Green Stem" was Seventh Avenue (now Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard) in Harlem, between roughly 130th and 150th Streets. The term combined several slang terms:…
Big Rue (Broadway)
Broadway in Manhattan has long been known for its theatrical entertainments, In 1926, it was sometimes called the "Big Rue" -- where a French word is substituted for "Big…
Big Stem (Broadway)
"Big Stem" is a nickname of Broadway, in Manhattan's theater district. It's a combination of "main stem" and "big" (as in "Big Apple," "big…
Big Street (Broadway)
The "Big Street" is a nickname for the Broadway theater district in New York City, also called the "Great White Way." Sheppard "Shep" Friedman (1875-1921), an editor…
Black Girl Magic Row (Tompkins Avenue, Bedford-Stuyvesant)
Entry in progress -- BP Wikipedia: Bedford–Stuyvesant, BrooklynBedford–Stuyvesant (/ˈbɛdfərdˈstaɪvəsənt/), colloquially known as Bed–Stuy, is a neighborhood in the northern section of…
Block Party
The Oxford English Dictionary added "block party" in 1997, and OED's earliest citation is 1919. I've found "block party" from 1907. Unfortunately, the first New York…
Bloody Angle (Doyers Street)
Doyers Street (in Chinatown) was called "the Bloody Angle" around 1900 because of murders that occurred on the street. The term has long fadded into history, but the angle of Doyers…
Bohemian Boulevard or Bohemian Broadway (East 72th Street in Yorkville)
"Little Bohemia" has been the name of a section of Yorkville (in Manhattan) since at least the 1890s. East 72nd Street or East 73rd Street has been called "Bohemian Boulevard"…
Bone Alley
"Bone Alley" used to be a densely populated and filthy area of Manhattan, at Pitt Street and Willett Street. The New-York (NY) Daily Tribune of May 12, 1875 probably explains the name:…
Bongo Boulevard (51st Street, between Seventh Avenue and Broadway)
Syndicated newspaper columnist Walter Winchell (1897-1972) wrote in a column in March 1949: "Sights You Never See on the New York Map: (...) 'Bongo Blvd.' (the short block on 51st…
Book Row (or, Booksellers’ Row)
"Book Row" (or "Booksellers' Row") was lower Fourth Avenue, between 9th and 14th Streets. Another "Booksellers Row" opened on Fifth Avenue, near the Barnes and…
Bottle Alley (47 Baxter Street)
"Bottle Alley" was located at 47 Baxter Street, Manhattan, in the mid-19th century. "No. 47 Baxter-st. is known as 'Bottle-alley,' a name derived from the fact that many of…
Boulevard of Broken Hearts or Boulevard of Broken Dreams (Wall Street)
A book by Howard M. Wachtel was titled Street of Dreams: Boulevard of Broken Hearts; Wall Street's First Century (2003). The nickname "Boulevard of Broken Hearts" has been very…
Boulevard of Death (Queens Boulevard)
Queens Boulevard has been called the "Boulevard of Death" from its many 1990s fatalities. It takes a long time for a pedestrian to cross the street, and the cars pass by quickly. 23…
Brewers Row (North 11th Street, Williamsburg; Linden Street, Bushwick)
Entry in progress -- B.P. Google BooksThe Curious New Yorker: 329 Fascinating Questions and Surprising Answers about New York CityBy Andrea KannapellNew York, NY: Times Books1999Pg. ?:In fact,…
Bridal Row; Wedding Row
A Lower East Side Street (I forget which) was said to have so many wedding shops that it was called "Bridal Row." That name doesn't seem to come up in the digitized New York Times…
Broadway (slang for flashy dresser, loud talker)
The Sporting News Record Book (1937) included this piece of baseball slang: "Broadway -- A flashy dresser, loud talker." "Broadway" is the name of a main thoroughfare in many…
Broadwayite
A "Broadwayite" is someone who works on Broadway or who goes to Broadway shows. The term "Broadwayite" has been cited in print since at least 1863, but New York City's…