NYC Mystery

September 10, 2004 9:56 AM

I hope it's okay to post a NYC-centric question here (I know there are lots of New Yorkers on MeFi). Embedded in the sidewalk pavement along Broadway, from around Battery Park up to about the Woolworth Building (and perhaps farther), are these stone slabs that contain an event or a famous person, followed by the date of the event or some date related to the person. There's one every few yards. Does anyone know what these are for, who put them there, or anything else about them?
posted by Tin Man to travel & transportation (6 comments total)

I'm sure it's some kind of "history trail" kinds of thing; perhaps the New York Historic Society or something. This is probably a question better Googled than AskMefi'd.
posted by ParisParamus at 10:45 AM on September 10, 2004

I Googled, no luck. I'm going to keep trying though.
posted by Tin Man at 11:14 AM on September 10, 2004

Is it the Walking tour of the NY battlefield? or part of it?

Do you have a sample? (I've seen them, but I can't recall the specifics)
posted by milovoo at 11:25 AM on September 10, 2004

This is probably a question better Googled than AskMefi'd.

yes, because you never know when someone will feel compelled to guess rather than attempt to answer the question.

This is a perfectly fine AskMeFi question because as Tin Man siad, there are tons of NYCers in residence here.

Good luck!
posted by terrapin at 11:26 AM on September 10, 2004

It's a "walk of fame" for the 200 ticker tape parades that proceeded up the "Canyon of Heroes, " starting with the 1886 dedication of the Statue of Liberty. These plaques were placed by the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation in 1998 as part of an overall street improvement plan.

Also note, embedded on the corner of Broadway and Maiden Lane at Barthman Jewelers there isa clock that has been there since 1899.

There are several other walks of fame in NYC, including a literary walk of fame on 41st st., and a fashion one on 7th ave. --not mentioning my favorite in this vein.. the original "Hall of Fame" in the Bronx on the former campus of NYU.
(btw, I am licensed NYC Tour Guide)
posted by Duck_Lips at 11:37 AM on September 10, 2004

Duck Lips, you're right! Just before checking this thread again, on a hunch I typed "canyon of heroes" into Google and found that yes, that's what they represent. (See this and this.)

Now I can finally relax.
posted by Tin Man at 1:08 PM on September 10, 2004