The Street Book: An Encyclopedia of Manhattan's Street Names and Their Origins

Rating:
Summary: A great primer to Manhattan's street names
Review: When people think of the street names of Manhattan, they probably think of the grid and its numbered roads. WRONG! Manhattan, especially the older neighborhoods from Houston Street south to the Battery, are filled with twisting little streets whose names resonate with Manhattan's history. This is where you'll find out why Houston Street is pronounced "HOW-ston". Where did Maiden Lane get its name from? Who was Barclay? This book will tell all. My only complaint (which prevented from giving this five stars) was with the binding: it cracked almost immediately upon opening and, right now, several pages are precariously clinging to the spine. Maybe it was only the batch that mine came out of which is so weak.

Still this is a very informative book. If only it can tell me why New Yorkers pronounce Avenue of the Americas as "Sixth Avenue".