Usually you have to be in the mountains somewhere, way up high or in a cave or maybe some really acoustically enhanced building to experience echoes. What I didn’t realize just until yesterday is that there is an echo underneath the 7 train all throughout Queens Blvd.

You might have seen the space under the above ground train tracks being occupied by cars. Well yesterday when I was in dire need of a restroom and crossed my way to the Burger King on 40th street and Queens Blvd. I experienced this echo and was instantly amazed.

My mom, who works in LIC said “didn’t you know that? the echo goes throughout Queens Blvd.”

Well then we just all started hooting and hollering and saying ‘hello’ which seems to be the most common phrase uttered when an echo is recognized.

You don’t have to take my word for it, try it out for yourSELF.

No, it’s not Fringe week just yet. Don’t get all Shakespeare-eyed on me and reminisce about those days you became an unpaid stage hand just so you could watch the gritty and real life of off-off-Broadway productions. Don’t think of that time you did gigs with your band for free drinks. Don’t even try to recall the PA gig you did on the Sopranos in hopes that some day you will make Second Second Assistant Director.

No. Forget those dreamy gigs you’ve taken in the past. Live in the now. Let’s snap back into reality as Eminem would say. It’s time to take a deep look at your wallet, your pocket, your bank account and measure it against your lifestyle.

Are you living with more than 2 people you’ve never met before you started living here? Are you working multiple jobs and having barely enough time to sleep? Do you survive on Cup of Noodles and Mac n’ Cheese? Does the thought of free food still excite you?

It seems that a lot of people did take into account all of the above and the big moves have finally started. A few of my personal friends have done so, but this New York Magazine article proves it: people are fleeing NYC for more affordable places where their dollar goes farther. Places like Buffalo, NY - imho one of the biggest architectural nightmares ever. But you know what? It beats sleeping on an air mattress.

Are you moving?

OK, any of you guys who tried to skimp past vallentine’s day with a $5 teddy bear and some sweethearts are gonna suffer soon. I learned about the emerging movement for a really great holiday designed just for us called–Steak and BJ day from the L.A. Metroblog. There’s also a website to get info– or at least there was untill they crashed the server!!!!

Callifornia has nearly destroyed the planet and given the world a lot of crap but if this catches on–ALL WILL BE FORGIVEN.

Bitter singles might enjoy the dark twist a local boy from Gowanus and his friends put on Valentines day. I will celebrate the occasion by brutally killing some chocolate bunnies.

Okay, I am going to cut into those barbecues and last-minute tanning opportunities, to remind everyone what today is.

Today is Labor Day. It’s a day off for most of us. It’s the unofficial last day of summer, even though the real coming of fall is more than 2 weeks away. If you have a summer share in the Hamptons, Fire Island, or the Jersey Shore, it’s time to say good-bye to the housemates and haul you stuff home. If you have a cabana at a beach club, it’s time to clean out. It’s time to put the whites away; it is still against the unwritten rules of fashion to wear white after today, or anything linen. And although there may even be a heat-wave in mid-September, you have to switch to the fall suits for work. If you are a student or teacher in NYC, the party’s over. The lines at the teacher store. Staples, CVS, Duane Reade are going to be around the block.

How many of you know that Labor Day was born out of the Labor Movement. The first official Labor Day celebration was Tuesday, September 5, 1892, and became a national holiday in 1894. I am proud to say that this tradition began in our city. But, in walking around my neighborhood today, I saw a lot of people working. And, aside from the bank and post office, retail businesses were all open for business and enjoying enormous response to the usual Labor Day sales.

So, if you’re reading this, take a moment to think of the worker who doesn’t have a day off today. Or, better yet, look at some bridge or building or tunnel that was built 100 or 80 or even 10 years ago, and think of the worker who put it there, who could have even been you grandparent or other ancestor. And, most importantly, remember the reason for the formation of the Labor Movement. Read about the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, which happened where the NYU campus is today. Read “The Jungle” by Upton Sinclair. If you don’t become a vegan after reading it, at least you will gain an appreciation of those before us who formed labor unions to fight for workers’ rights. Whether you love or hate labor unions, they are a big part of New York City’s history and legacy, and Labor Day stands as an annual reminder of their struggles 100+ years ago

Ever notice those 5-foot tall compressed nitrogen tanks on the streets around the city? With all of the crazy stuff going on in the world these days, and with New York a perennial target of people who want to do us harm, the sight of an oblong, shiny metal cannister will always produce concern among the citizenry. But, though ominous-looking, the are actually quite necessary.

The various utility companies place these tanks above ground and run lines down into the infrastructure for a number of reasons. The most common use is to pressurize pipes, lines, and wires. Below NYC is a maze of water, sewage, heat, cold, and other elements, and pressurizing these delivery systems helps to keep the lines safe from the elements.

Each Thursday, Metroblogging NYC posts an interesting, little-known trivia tidbit that will help you get to know this city we call home and will also shock and amaze others at parties or around the coffee machine at work. If you have a suggestion for a good trivia subject, LET US KNOW. You can read past trivia entries here.

I’m a bit late this week, but, better late than never… Anyway, you may have heard that while NYC’s subway system is the largest in America, Boston’s “T” system is the oldest. While it is true that Boston’s MBTA is older than any municipal network in the country, a New York inventor actually experimented and commenced construction on a subway line as much as 30 years before Boston’s system launch!
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Each Thursday, Metroblogs NYC posts an interesting, little-known trivia tidbit that will help you get to know this city we call home and will also shock and amaze others at parties or around the coffee machine at work. If you have a suggestion for a good trivia subject, LET US KNOW. You can read past trivia entries here.

BOW… BAH DAH DAH DAH, BOW WOW BOW. CHICKA!!!! (That is my attempt at transcribing the bumper music from Seinfeld).

If shown a picture of Tom’s Restaurant, most will recognize its exterior as that of Monk’s, the coffee shop where the four neurotic characters from the hit 90’s show spent a good chunk of their time. But, did you know that the Morningside Heights eatery was the inspiration for two other popular works besides Seinfeld?

In 1981, singer-songwriter Suzanne Vega sat at Tom’s and tried to imagine what it would be like to describe life in a fly-on-the-wall perspective. As she continued to write, her creativity led her to pen the famous song “Tom’s Diner.” While the song’s diner was undoubtedly meant to symbolize an unnamed restaurant, not necessarily in Manhattan, Vega is clear that this particular greasy spoon diner was her inspiration.

In 1997, author Meredith Sue Willis released the novel Trespassers. Set in 1968, the story has a short descriptive paragraph where it talks about how Tom’s is a microcosm of New York:

“He knew a restaurant called Tom’s, which he said had nothing really bad, and the hand-cut steak fries were top quality. It was a diner with big stainless-steel coffee pots and red vinyl booths. I think I had hoped for something darker and more atmospheric, but after I’d looked around at the coat racks, desserts under glass, the steam in the air, I thought, But this is the real New York, this is what is.” (p.60)

A lot has happened at this small, family-owned shop located on Broadway and 112th Street (Hopstop, Google Maps). Only in New York could an ordinary place like this become such a haven of creativity for locals.

Each Thursday, Metroblogs NYC posts an interesting, little-known trivia tidbit that will help you get to know this city we call home and will also shock and amaze others at parties or around the coffee machine at work. If you have a suggestion for a good trivia subject, LET US KNOW. You can read past trivia entries here.

New York is a vast and large city, with each borough acting semi-autonomously. This phenomenon is present because at one time, the five boroughs were in fact separate cities. At one time, Manhattan and Brooklyn were the urban havens, while Staten Island, the Bronx, and much of Queens were “farm country.” But, once they finally did unite as one in 1898, each individual borough kept its cultural ties, historic individuality, and name. Did you ever wonder where their monikers came from? Well, here is your guide.
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Each Thursday, Metroblogs NYC will be posting an interesting, little-known trivia tidbit that will help you get to know this city we call home and will also shock and amaze others at parties or around the coffee machine at work. If you have a suggestion for a good trivia subject, LET US KNOW. You can read past trivia entries here.

When you think of Abercrombie & Fitch, the image of a dimly lit mall store with blasted music and lots and lots of plaid comes to mind, filled to the brim with hormonal teenagers trying to fit in. But, did you know that A&F started on South Street as a lower Manhattan outdoor sporting store? The brand began with David Abercrombie’s vision of becoming the premier hunting and fishing store in Manhattan. Some of his prominent clients were Teddy Roosevelt, Charles Lindbergh, Amelia Earhart, Greta Garbo, Katharine Hepburn, Clark Gable, and John Steinbeck. Ernest Hemmingway also shopped there, and it is rumored that he purchased a gun at A&F that he would eventually use to commit suicide.

A client named Ezra Fitch eventually bought in, and the partnership did not go well, mainly because Abercrombie wanted to stick with the outdoor goods that made them popular and Fitch wanted to diversify and grow. So Fitch ultimately purchased Abercrombie’s shares and became the sole owner. While the brand continued to grow and gain prominence for a while, it fell into disrepair and would all but disappear by the 1970s. It was purchased in 1988 by Limited Brands and converted to a trendy clothier, and has been a retailing powerhouse ever since.

More Reading:
- About Lower Manhattan
- Wikipedia