Forgotten New York is in Association with the Greater Astoria Historical Society, a non-profit organization supported by the Long Island City community.
Walking down West 21st Street in Chelsearecently I spotted a classic car parked by the sidewalk, and a not-so-quick online search revealed that it was a Studebaker Gran Turismo Hawk, one of the make’s last great gasps, produced from 1962-1964. I wasn’t aware that New York State produced special license pates for [...]
Categorized in: Forgotten Slices Tagged with: cars Chelsea Manhattan
Jahn’s chain of ice cream shoppes once covered the NYC metropolitan area with a heady combination of lactose and sucrose. The first Jahn’s was opened way back in 1897 in Mott Haven, Bronx by John Jahn, which (dissapointingly) is pronounced “John JAN.” His three children, Elsie, Frank and Howard, opened Jahn’s in Jamaica, Richmond Hill, and [...]
Categorized in: Forgotten Slices Tagged with: restaurants Richmond Hill
Categorized in: Forgotten Slices Tagged with: Pearl Street restaurants
I’ll admit it, I had never ventured into the Bright Food Shop at 8th Avenue and West 21st Street in Chelsea. An old NY Magazine review said: Sit with your morning cup of Joe and behold the construction of true huevos rancheros, with two layers of soft tortilla, two eggs, and a mass of beans, sour cream, cilantro, and [...]
Categorized in: Forgotten Slices Tagged with: diners Manhattan restaurants
All five NYC boroughs have a Grand Street or Grand Avenue (Brooklyn’s Grand Street and Queens’ Grand Avenue run continuously). The late Bronx historian John McNamara, in History in Asphalt, claims the Bronx’ Grand Avenue, on the University Heights-Fordham border, was named for its proximity to the Grand Concourse. I was first shown a two-block stretch of Grand [...]
Categorized in: Forgotten Slices Tagged with: Bronx
Categorized in: Neighborhoods Tagged with: Brooklyn Sunset Park
An explanation for the title, I suppose, is in order. Your webmaster has been a NYC explorer since boyhood; I used to make my parents or grandmother take me on bus rides all over Brooklyn in the early to mid-60s, all the local lines in Bay Ridge, the B16 down Fort Hamilton Parkway and 13th Avenue; [...]
Categorized in: Neighborhoods Tagged with: Brooklyn Sunset Park
A few months ago FNY took you on a tour of the eastern end of Jamaica Avenue in Floral Park and Bellerose, the part that was recently renamed Jericho Turnpike to match its Nassau and Suffolk County extension. This week, we’ll take a journey down Jamaica Avenue’s western end, that rides along the south end [...]
Categorized in: Neighborhoods Roads Street Scenes Walks Tagged with: Brooklyn Jamaica Avenue Jamica Jamica Brooklyn Queens Woodhaven
The ghost of George Washington is all over New York City. There he is taking the oath of office at Federal Hall at Wall and Nassau Streets…he’s bidding farewell to his charges at Fraunces Tavern…he’s on horseback in Union Square and at the Williamsburg Bridge…two of him at Washington Square Arch…wearing his Masonic apron in [...]
Categorized in: Street Scenes Tagged with: Downtown Manhattan Tribeca
On Fridays, Barbara Corcoran, queen of New York realtors, had a column in the Daily News and takes questions from prospective buyers, sellers, and renovators. One of the questions on Friday, November 9th, 2007, was of particular interest to your webmaster, a resident of Queens, a land that the queen of New York realtors rarely visits…I’ll quote… [...]
Categorized in: Forgotten Slices
Look at any street map of Borough Park that includes subways and you will see that the BMT West End line travels in a right of way north of 39th Street, turns south at 9th Avenue and then along an elevated line down New Utrecht Avenue to 86th Street, then along Stillwell Avenue to Coney Island. Except [...]
Categorized in: Forgotten Slices Tagged with: 10th Avenue subways
The Cryder farm water tower, Cryder Point Apartments, Whitestone GUEST POST BY JASON D. ANTOS author, Whitestone, Arcadia 2006 The Town of Whitestone was first settled by the Dutch in 1645 where they lived side by side with the local Native American tribe, the Matinecock Indians. The Matinecocks were a division of the Algonquin Nation. Matinecock in translation [...]
Categorized in: Forgotten Slices Tagged with: Queens Whitestone
Categorized in: Neighborhoods Street Scenes Tagged with: Queens Richmond Hill
8th Street exists in Manhattan in two distinct sections: from Cooper Square west to 6th Avenue, and from Avenue B east to Avenue D. (5th Avenue divides it East and West). An entire section, from Cooper Square to Tompkins Square Park is called St. Mark’s Place because of the nearby presence of St. Marks in the [...]
Categorized in: Forgotten Slices Tagged with: Greenwich Village
