Tungsten Territory (Broadway)
Broadway's bright lights gave it the nickname "Tungsten Territory." Broadway columnist Walter Winchell (1897-1972) used "Tungsten Territory" in 1927 and "Tungsten…
Twenty-Three Skidoo (23rd Street myth)
One of the popular New York City myths is that the slang term "twenty-three skidoo" comes from the Flatiron Building at Twenty-Third Street and Broadway/Fifth Avenue. Tourist buses pass…
Ulcer County (Madison Avenue advertising agencies)
Syndicated newspaper columnist Walter Winchell (1897-1972) wrote in a column in March 1949: "Sights You Never See on the New York Map: (...) 'Ulcer County,' the sector along Madison…
Ulcer Gulch (Madison Avenue)
Madison Avenue (home to many advertising agencies) was popularly called "Ulcer Gulch" in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s. "Ulcer Gulch" was cited in 1942 as the nickname for the War…
Vain Stem (vain + Main Stem, for Broadway)
"Vain Stem" (vain + Main Stem) was a nickname for Broadway in Manhattan that was used in the 1930s and 1940s. "The newest name for B'way, 'The Vain Stem,'"…
Vanity Address
A "vanity address" is an address that the building owner requests from the borough president's office. In Manhattan, for example, a Fifth Avenue address might sound better than a…
Vesey Squeezey or Vesey Squeezy (pedestrian traffic at Vesey Street)
The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 on the World Trade Center affected nearby Vesey Street. PATH rail commuters created a crush of pedestrian traffic on Vesey Street each rush hour, in the…
Wailing Wall Street (Wailing Wall + Wall Street)
The term "Wailing Wall Street" (Wailing Wall + Wall Street) is associated with the Wall Street Crash of 1929 and "Black Thursday" (October 24th), but printed citations appeared…
Wall Street (from a graveyard to a river)
Wall Street (the financial capital of the United States) is, according to the old saying, "between a river and a graveyard" -- the East River and Trinity Church Cemetery. The comment has…
White Light Belt (Broadway)
Broadway is known for its bright lights, and has been called the "Bulb Belt," "Great Bright Way," "Great White Way," "Incandescent District," "Lane of…
Whoopee Row (West 133rd Street)
"Whoopee Row" was West 133rd Street in Harlem, between Lenox Avenue and Seventh Avenue. Many night clubs, speakeasies and fried chicken restaurants were located there. "'Whoopee…
World’s Longest Parking Lot (Long Island Expressway)
The Long Island Expressway (LIE) extends into New York City as the Queens-Midtown Expressway and the Horace Harding Expressway. The LIE has long been known for its bumper-to-bumper traffic. The LIE…
Yappian Way (Broadway)
"O. Henry" called Broadway the "Yappian Way." It's a pun on Rome's "Appian Way" for the New Yorkers who "yap" (talk excessively). The term has…
Yashkin Street (Orchard Street)
Orchard Street on the Lower East Side of Manhattan has long been known for its discount shopping, leading to the nickname of the "Bargain District." The early 20th-century entrepreneurs…
Yiddish Broadway or Yiddish Rialto (Second Avenue in Manhattan)
The Lower East Side of Manhattan had numerous Yiddish theaters in the early 1900s, but most of them disappeared by the 1940s. The area was called the "Yiddish Rialto" by at least 1908.…
Zoo Lots Avenue (New Lots Avenue, Brooklyn)
New Lots Avenue in Brooklyn has several connections to the New York City Subway. However, the areas and the stations are so dangerous -- especially the elevated station at the intersection of New…