Bulb Belt (Broadway)

Broadway's bright lights gave it the nickname "Bulb Belt." "No-bulb belt" (Off-Broadway) was cited in print in 1928. Broadway columnist Walter Winchell (1897-1972) used…

Buzzard Boulevard (Broadway)

"Back to Broadway, otherwise known as Buzzard Boulevard," Broadway columnist Mark Hellinger (1903-1947) wrote in 1933. Hellinger meant that Broadway was full of buzzards -- human vultures…

Chow Mein Stem (Broadway; Mott Street)

Broadway has been called "the Main Stem" since at least the early 1900s. The Broadway nickname of "Chow Mein Stem" (chow mein + main stem) reflects a time when chow mein…

Chow Mein Street (Broadway)

Chinese restaurants serving chow mein used to crowd Broadway around Times Square. "Chow-Mein Street" (a street where Chinese people live) was cited in the New York City humor magazine…

Club Row (West 27th Street)

West 27th Street in Chelsea has become known as "club row" became of its many night spots. Page SixROCK AROUND THE BLOCK[ (9 clubs + 7,000 people) x 5 nights ] - 1 block = West 27th…

Club Row (West 44th Street)

Manhattan's West 44th Street has many clubs, such as the Cornell Club (6 East 44th), the Harvard Club (27 West 44th), the Penn Club (30 West 44th), the New York Yacht Club (37 West 44th), the…

Counterfeit Triangle (Canal Street area)

The "Counterfeit Triangle" area of Manhattan that sells counterfeit merchandise is bounded by Canal, Walker, Baxter and Centre Streets. The name "Counterfeit Alley" had been…

Cross-Roads of the World

Times Square became known as the "Cross-Roads of the World" by about 1923-1924. The nickname had been used before for European cities (London, Paris, Rome) or the Near East. It was soon…

Dead Line

The "deadline" started as a Civil War term, then became the police line at Fulton Street, and then became the police line at Fourteenth Street. The newspaper use of "deadline"…

Dead Man’s Curve

"Dead Man's Curve" is more popularly known today as a song by Jan and Dean, but it was the corner of 14th Street and Broadway. Some find it irony that a statue of Gandhi now stands…

Death Avenue; Slaughter on Tenth Avenue

"Death Avenue" was the nickname of Eleventh Avenue, from about 1890. It got its name from New York Central train accidents. Previously, Fourth Avenue had been "Death Avenue."…

Death Street (Houston Street)

Houston Street in Manhattan has sometimes been called 'Death Street" for bicyclists. http://www.nydailynews.com/news/local/story/430576p-363009c.html 28 June 2006, New York Daily News,…