Big Apple Corner (1997 Law & Today)

[See also part one, "Big Apple Corner (1992-1997)," and part three, "Big Apple Corner (New York Morning Telegraph site)," and part four, "Big Apple Corner (sign stolen,…

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…

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…

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:…

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 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…

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…