Jones and Jones

[James A. Landau]

In a message dated 08/17/2002 9:31:40 AM Eastern Daylight Time,
laurence.horn at YALE.EDU writes:

> >And "Avenue of the Americas" for 6th was an attempt by the city to
>  >do something multicultural or whatever, in the 60s or 70s.
>
>  Definitely pre-70's.
>
>  >   I think one sees
>  >it only in writing, on corporate addresses and such.  To my limited, non-
>  >New Yorker knowledge, most NYers say "6th Avenue".

In a story set in pre-Castro Havana (in a collection of Leslie Charteris's
"Saint" stories entitled "Sen~or  Saint"---no I'm not a Saint fan, this is
the only Charteris book I've ever read) there was a comment that Havana's
Fifth Avenue---"like New York's Sixth is officially called 'Avenue of the
Americas'" but nobody in Havana bothers.  (I have no idea what Castro has or
has not done about the name, or even if it ever existed.)

I'm aware that the numbered streets in Manhattan begin only above a certain
latitude.  My question was why, in a part of south-of-14th-Street Manhattan
where the grid is a reality, the numbers get abandoned.

Most of the numbered Avenues lose their numbers in Harlem---I personally saw
Malcolm X Avenue and Frederick Douglass Avenue and another one whose name I
don't recall offhand.  Here there is an obvious explanation---in Harlem of
Harlem Renaissance fame why not rename avenues after celebrated African
Americans, starting with one who was an absolute institution in the US
Congress, namely Adam Clayton Powell.  That however leaves me wondering about
that famous black hero, Mr. Lenox.

And abut Yiddish---I asked somehow how to get to the subway and added "I have
a map".  "Map, shmap," he replied, and insisted on pointing out the direction
on the actual street.

     - Jim Landau