Harmony Row (West 28th Street)
New York City has had two different places that went by the name of "Harmony Row." "Harmony Row" was the name for the music publishers assembled on West 28th Street, between…
Heroin Highway (Eighth Avenue; Long Island Expressway)
A "heroin highway" is any street where heroin is either transported or sold. Hastings Street in Vancouver, British Columbia, was called a "heroin highway" in 1955. The U.S.…
Hobowery (hobo + Bowery)
The Bowery (both the name of a street and a neighborhood) in Manhattan was a depressed area for much of the 1900s. Syndicated newspaper columnist Walter Winchell (1897-1972) called the place…
Hope Island (Broadway and West 47th Street, outside Palace Theatre)
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 Street (Texas “Hew-ston/Heuston” or New York City “House-ton/Howston”)
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…
Hungarian Boulevard or Hungarian Broadway (East 79th Street in Yorkville)
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…
Incandescent District (Broadway)
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…
Iron Pipeline (I-95)
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 (West 49th Street and Eighth Avenue)
"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 (West 133rd Street)
"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
"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…