Working Girl
"Working Girl" was the title of a 1988 New York-based movie, directed by Mike Nichols and starring Melanie Griffith, Harrison Ford, Sigourney Weaver, and Joan Cusack. "I'm in…
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Master of the Universe
Tom Wolfe's 1987 novel The Bonfire of the Vanities (New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux) coined this term for Wall Street. It's not used much today. The true "Master of the…
Greater New York
"Greater New York" was a term used much in the 1890s when the unification of the boroughs was being discussed. The unification occurred in 1898. It was used after 1898. In 1903, an early…
Chelsea Market
Chelsea Market, between 15th and 16th Streets and Ninth and Tenth Avenues, opened in April 1997. It's a pleasant place to eat food or to buy food products. Every neighborhood should have one…
Fulton Fish Market
The Fulton Fish Market was on Fulton Street in Manhattan. In 2005, it moved to the Bronx Hunts Point area. Former New York Governor Al Smith got his start with what he called an "F.F.M."…
Paddy’s Market (formerly of Ninth Avenue)
"Paddy's Market," from 35th to 42nd Streets on Ninth Avenue, began in the 1880s and died with the Lincoln Tunnel construction of 1937. It used to be full of pushcarts on a Saturday…
Ninth Avenue International Food Festival
The Ninth Avenue International Food Festival has been held each May since 1974, from about 37th to 57th Streets. The festival reflects the international character of this avenue in Manhattan. In my…
Feast of San Gennaro
The Feast of San Gennaro is probably the worst time to visit Little Italy, but nobody asks me. It's been held on Mulberry Street since September 1926 and is one of New York's most…
Give me your tired, your poor (“The New Colossus”)
Emma Lazarus wrote "The New Colossus" poem in 1883. It was affixed to the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty in 1903. She did not coin the term "new Colossus." See the 1878…
“New York’s My Home” (1956)
"New York's My Home" (1956) was composed by Gordon Jenkins and performed by Sammy Davis, Jr. It contains the lyric "When you leave New York, man, you don't go…
Algonquin Hotel (“Gonk” & the “Round Table”)
The Algonquin Hotel, at 59 West 44th Street, was the place of the "Algonquin Round Table" or "Vicious Circle" of writers of the 1920s. It is believed that writer and wit Dorothy…
“When you leave New York, your next good meal will be in San Francisco”
Yes, there's good food in New York and there's good food San Francisco. Some say that you can get a good meal in New Orleans. See "Names and Phrases" for other ways to finish…
When you leave New York…
"When you leave New York..." There are many ways to finish this, but all generally tell you that you're not going anywhere special. "When you leave New York you are camping…
Limousine Liberal
"Limousine liberal" was Democratic candidate for mayor Mario Procaccino's epithet to then-mayor John Lindsay in the 1969 mayoral election. Lindsay was re-elected. "Limousine…
New York City Marathon
The New York Marathon (started in 1970) has grown into one of New York City's greatest sporting events. It's usually won by some runner from not from New York, but whatever.…
Freedom of the City
The "Freedom of the City" was an honor that has been replace by the "key to the city." It was a scroll that gave you citizenship privileges. Like the key to the city, it was…
Dakota
The "Dakota" apartment house, at West 72nd Street and Central Park West, is probably most famous today as the last residence of Beatle John Lennon. The building was finished in 1884. It…
Key to the City
New York City honors distinguished guests with parades and a "key to the city." It actually doesn't open anything. The most frequent recipients have been New York Yankees baseball…
English Muffin
The English muffin dates back many, many years. However, the English, oddly enough, called it simply a "muffin." Samuel Bath Thomas opened a shop in New York City in 1880 and helped to…
Gibson (cocktail)
The Gibson cocktail usually has gin, vermouth, and cocktail onions. There have been many theories about the name "Gibson." The 1904 date (below) rules out other Gibsons and might favor…