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…
Museum Mile
"Museum Mile" along Fifth Avenue contains the following: El Museo del Barrio at 104th Street Museum of the City of New York at 103rd Street International Center of Photography at 94th…
Music Row (West 48th Street)
New York City's "Music Row" was a collection of music instrument stores and repair shops along Manhattan's West 48th Street, between Sixth and Seventh Avenues. The stores began…
Newspaper Row
Newspapers in the 19th century liked to be close to the source of news -- city hall. In the second half of the nineteenth century (roughly 1875-1900), Park Row in Manhattan was also called…
Old Glory Corner (Fifth Avenue and 16th Street)
The New York City firm of Annin and Company (or Annin Flagmakers) began at Fulton and William Streets in Manhattan in 1847, Its address was nicknamed "Old Glory Corner" because it made so…
Palace Beach (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…
Panic Beach or Panic Island (Broadway and West 47th Street, opposite Palace Theatre)
The Palace Theatre (Broadway between 46th and 47th Streets) opened in 1913 and hosted vaudeville acts until 1932, when it became a movie palace. The Palace Theatre now is home to Broadway shows. To…
Park Avenuer (wealthy/snobby person who lives on Park Avenue)
A person who lives on Park Avenue -- a street known for its wealthy residences -- is a "Park Avenuer" or "Park Avenoor." The term "Park Avenoor" was popularized by…
Parkway
Thanks to Prospect Park in Brooklyn, we drive on a "parkway." We also park on a "driveway," but that's another story. Merriam-Webster's dictionary has 1887 for…
Peacock Alley
If you're staying at the Waldorf, perhaps this bit of "alley" history will prove interesting. OSCAR OF THE WALDORFby Karl SchriftgiesserNew York: E. P. Dutton & Co., Inc.1943Pg.…
Pickle Alley (Essex Street)
The Lower East Side of Manhattan had many Jewish immigrants in the early years of the 1900s; Essex Street was once the home to many shops that sold pickles. Food52 wrote about "A History of…