Lockhart Steele's Curbed points me to the Douglas Elliman page for Meryl Streep's townhouse. Lockhart says that the building is on 12th between 5th and 6th -- if pushed, I guess I'd call that Greenwich Village. Elliman, on the other hand, calls it a "sought after Gold Coast location". Huh? Can Gothamist explain what probably the most landlocked part of Manhattan is doing being described as "Gold Coast"? I always thought the Gold Coast was in Queensland, Australia...

Felix

Yes, the Gold Coast is indeed located on the Eastern seaboard of Australia, Felix. The area is known for its sunny weather, beautiful unpolluted beaches, golf courses, and relaxed atmosphere. Just like the Village!

If you look up “gold coast” in the dictionary, you’ll find an entry about the Gold Coast of Australia, but you’ll also find an entry for the (uncapitalized) term “gold coast.” The dictionary defines a gold coast as an informal term meaning “a rich neighborhood.” (Take that, William Safire). Now, does that gold coast sound more like Greenwich Village to you?

On a related note, many neighborhood names do have geological or historical significance - Park Slope is near a park, and it actually slopes, and Brooklyn was originally known as “Breuckelen” in Dutch. Greenwich Village was once a village, a residential neighborhood removed from the bustle of the rest of the city. A number of neighborhood names are simply made up, often by - you guessed it - real estate agents. While some, like SoHo (short for South of Houston) stick, other ‘hood nicknames like BoCoCa (Boerum Hill, Cobble Hill, Carroll Gardens) are scoffed at by residents and have yet to really take hold. One person’s “Clinton” is another’s “Hell’s Kitchen.”