Results tagged “naming”

There's been many opinions tossed around regarding the name change of the Triborough Bridge to the Robert F. Kennedy bridge, but like it or not it's all goin' down on November 19th. NYMag notes that there's a bit of irony surrounding the change, however, saying "there’s no reason to think Kennedy, an environmentalist before his time, would have wanted his name associated with the notorious bottleneck site." Columbia University's Kenneth T. Jackson says, "with the MTA facing a billion-dollar deficit, I think Bobby Kennedy would be calling for us to find ways to save the planet and run more buses and subways rather than spend money to change signage." Maybe that's all just more opinion, but he goes on to say that RFK "believed, appropriately, that cars didn’t belong in New York." Even RFK, Jr. agrees that there's some irony surrounding the naming, but says his father would have appreciated the honor nonetheless. The $4 million honor.

The Health Department has released their annual report on baby names in New York City, and among newborn boys the name "Jayden" is (almost) number one with a bullet, ranking #2 overall and #1 among black and Hispanic babies. Jayden wasn't even in the top ten in 2006, and baby name expert Laura Wattenberg shares a theory with City Room about the his stunning rise in popularity: Two years ago, one Jayden James Federline entered the world stage, the offspring of recording artist Britney Spears. “Britney Spears seems to have shifted the standard spelling. That name used to be spelled every which way, but now the ‘y’ spelling has become dominant,” Wattenberg says.

One positive addition to Coney Island recently took place, as Councilman Domenic M. Recchia Jr. dedicated the corner of Stillwell and Mermaid Avenues to Granville T. Woods Way. Woods not only invented some of the technology that keeps the subways running, but he also helped bring us the roller coaster -- an invention he debuted at Coney Island in the summer of 1909. A little bit more about the man:

In 1887, he patented the Synchronous Multiplex Railway Telegraph, which allowed communications between train stations from moving trains. Granville T. Woods' invention made it possible for trains to communicate with the station and with other trains so they knew exactly where they were at all times.

Continue reading "Granville T. Woods Gets Coney Island Dedication"