New York's Palace Theatre at 1564 Broadway (at West 47th Street) was the biggest vaudeville venue. Performers (often waiting for auditions and calls) could be found on the sidewalk in front of…
Houston is the name of the most populated city in Texas, named after Sam Houston in 1836. it is pronounced "Hew-ston" or "Heuston." Houston Street in New York City is named (by…
Both "Little Hungary" and "Little Germany" used to be located in Manhattan's lower east side. Gradually, both communities moved uptown to Yorkville. Yorkville's East…
Broadway's bright lights gave it the nickname "Incandescent District." The term "Incandescent District" has been cited in print since at least 1905. Broadway columnist…
Interstate-95 is called the "Iron Pipeline" because it's used to smuggle guns into New York City from the South. It's believed that the term originated in Georgia. 11 October…
"Jacobs Beach" (or "Jacobs' Beach") was named after Mike Jacobs (1880-1953), New York City's leading boxing promoter from the mid-1930s until he retired in 1946.…
"Jungle Alley" was West 133rd Street in Harlem, between Lenox Avenue and Seventh Avenue. Many night clubs, speakeasies and fried chicken restaurants were located there. "Jungle…
"Kerosene Row" was an area of Mulberry Bend that was prone to fires. It was destroyed in the 1890s to create Mulberry Bend Park, now known as Columbus Park. "Kerosene Row" was…
"Knish Alley" is a name for the Jewish Lower East Side, specifically Second Avenue. It was also called the "Yiddish Rialto" because Yiddish actors performed there and ate at the…
Broadway's bright lights gave it the nickname "Lane of Light(s) and Laughter." "That Lane of Light -- Broadway" was printed in Variety (New York, NY) on June 10, 1911.…
Bay Ridge in Brooklyn used to be the city's Norwegian neighborhood, one of the world's largest neighborhoods of Norwegian immigrants.. Today, the neighborhood is mostly Chinese. Eighth…
Syndicated newspaper columnist Walter Winchell (1897-1972) wrote in a column on September 24, 1948: “Many midtown side streets have their own 'personality.' Take 56th between 6th and…
White Street in Tribeca is being called "little Broadway" because of its many entertainment offerings. http://www.nypost.com/entertainment/64596.htmYOUR BEST BETS FOR THIS WEEKENDBy…
Broadway has sometimes been called "the longest street in America." "And our Great White Way is the brightest spot in the universe. The finest parks in the world are here. And the…
The term "Lung Block" described an area of the Lower East Side in the early 1900s where there were high instances of tuberculosis. The name was probably coined by Ernest Poole for the…
"Madison Avenue" has long been known for advertising, just as "Wall Street" means finance and "Fifth Avenue" means wealth. "Mad. Ave." is an abbreviation,…
"Main Drag of Many Tears" was the slang name of 125th Street (or 126th Street) in the 1940s. The Apollo Theater was then one of the main attractions of 125th Street, one of Harlem's…
Broadway has also been known as the "Main Stem." The term (used mostly in the 1920s and 1930s) is now historical. A "Main Stemmer" (or "mainstemmer") was another term…
Syndicated newspaper columnist Walter Winchell (1897-1972) introduced the term "main stem femme" in Life magazine on June 4, 1928, in an article titled "Along the Main Stem."…
"Main stem" was a popular nickname for Broadway, especially in the 1920s. A person who worked on the Broadway or who enjoyed Broadway shows was a "Main Stemmer" (or…