Kerosene Row
"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
"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…
Lane of Lights and Laughter (Broadway)
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.…
Lapskaus Boulevard (Eighth Avenue, Bay Ridge)
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…
Limousine Alley (56th Street, between Sixth and Seventh Avenues)
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…
Little Broadway (White Street in TriBeCa)
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…
Longest Street in America (Broadway)
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…
Lung Block
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…
Mad. Ave.
"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 (125th or 126th Street)
"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…
Main Stem (Broadway)
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…
Main Stem Femme (a Broadway girl)
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 Stemmer (Mainstemmer)
"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…
Main Street Across America (Lincoln Highway)
The Lincoln Highway (dedicated in October 1913) was the first road across the United States. In 2009, a sign was placed in New York's Times Square to mark the beginning of the highway that…
Marble Row (Fifth Avenue, between 57th and 58th Streets)
"Marble Row" was the row of white marble mansions on Fifth Avenue, between 57th and 58th Streets in Manhattan. Mary Mason Jones, daughter of John Mason (president of the Chemical National…
Mazda Lane (Broadway)
"Mazda Lane" is a 1920s-1930s nickname for Broadway. "Mazda" was the name of light bulbs, and Broadway is "the Great White Way." "Mazda Lane," like the…
Melody Lane (West 28th Street)
"Melody Lane" was another name for what is now called "Tin Pan Alley," where the song publishers assembled on West 28th Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. Melody Lane got…
Millionaires’ Row (Fifth Avenue)
Fifth Avenue was called "Millionaires' Row" by around the year 1900 because many rich people lived there. Nowadays, however, the average price of a home in Manhattan is a million…
Minnesota Strip (Eighth Avenue, near Port Authority Bus Terminal)
In the 1960s and 1970s, the area of Eighth Avenue between the Port Authority Bus Terminal (42nd Street) and 59th Street became overrun with teenage prostitutes from the Midwest and was dubbed the…
Murder Avenue (Myrtle Avenue)
Myrtle Avenue (Fort Greene, Brooklyn) used to be known as "Murder Avenue" in the early 1990s, but the neighborhood has changed. http://www.myrtleavenue.org/newsPress_media_2004.cfmMyrtle…