10-Question Quiz: NYC Neighborhoods

Brian Lehrer: It's The Brian Lehrer Show on WNYC. Good morning again, everyone. In this drive, as we've been doing in recent membership drives, we are doing a 10-question quiz each day around eleven o'clock, breaking it up a little bit during the drive to have a little fun while we do all the serious content segments, and then ask you for money the rest of the show. We're covering a different theme each day; get two in a row right, and today you can choose between a Brian Lehrer Show baseball cap or the WNYC tote that says, "You can't defund the truth." Our theme for today is New York City Neighborhoods. We'll start with Cindy in the West Village, one of those New York City neighborhoods. Cindy, you ready to play?

Cindy: I'm ready.

Brian Lehrer: All right, question one, not too far from you. What does "Tribeca" stand for?

Cindy: "Triangle below Canal Street."

Brian Lehrer: Yes. Okay, number two for the hat or the tote. Which borough is home to the largest park in New York City? Or name the park.

Cindy: Oh my God.

Brian Lehrer: You've only got five to choose from.

Cindy: I know.

Brian Lehrer: Largest in terms of acreage.

Cindy: ProspectPark in Brooklyn?

Brian Lehrer: Ooh, sorry, Cindy. No, "The Bronx" is the answer to the borough question, and from the Parks and Recreation New York City government website, Pelham Bay Park in the Bronx is the largest park in New York City, spanning 2,765 acres, more than 3 times the size of Central Park, for example. It's located along the shore. It features Orchard Beach, two golf courses, hiking trails, and the Bartow-Pell Mansion. All right, let's go on to Elizabeth in Brooklyn. Hi, Elizabeth. Ready to play?

Elizabeth: Hi. I guess that's me.

Brian Lehrer: That is you. Which neighborhood is considered one of the most linguistically diverse places on earth, with over 160 languages spoken in just that one neighborhood? I'll give you one hint if you think you need it, or do you have an answer already?

Elizabeth: I have an answer. I believe it's where my husband's from, Jackson Heights in Queens.

Brian Lehrer: Jackson Heights in Queens is exactly right. I was going to give you the borough as the clue, but you didn't need it. For the hat or the tote, which Manhattan neighborhood was once nicknamed "Hell's Hundred Acres"? Hell's Hundred Acres, and I'll give you a hint. It's not Hell's Kitchen.

Elizabeth: Ooh, okay.

Brian Lehrer: A Manhattan neighborhood.

Elizabeth: I think Hell's Hundred Acres. Ah, could you give me another hint? Eastside, westside, north or south? [laughs]

Brian Lehrer: I guess low, and it was considered rough and tumble back in the day.

Elizabeth: I don't know. The Battery?

Brian Lehrer: Sorry. The answer is SoHo. According to the New York Public Library, Hell's Hundred Acres was a nickname for the industrial area now known as SoHo, coined by fire officials in the early to mid 20th century due to the high frequency of dangerous, fatal fires in its cast-iron manufacturing buildings, so how about that? Okay. Sorry, you didn't get that right. Let's try Joe in East Harlem. Hi, Joe. Ready to play?

Joe: Yes.

Brian Lehrer: Okay, question five. The Outerbridge Crossing in Staten Island's Charleston neighborhood is the most remote bridge in New York City and the southernmost crossing in New York State, connecting Staten Island to Perth Amboy, New Jersey. True or false, or not true or false-- here's the question; does it get its name, the Outerbridge Crossing, because it's the outermost bridge in the city, or is it named for a guy named Mr. Outerbridge?

Joe: It's named for a guy named Mr. Outerbridge.

Brian Lehrer: [laughs] It actually is, believe it or not. Eugenius Harvey Outerbridge lived 1860 to 1932. He was the first Chairman of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. Did you know that, or did you think, "He wouldn't ask me this question if the answer weren't counterintuitive," or did you know?

Joe: The latter. I was thinking "counterintuitive." I did not know. [laughs] [crosstalk]

Brian Lehrer: The latter? Yes, but you did it. You did it. You did it. You gamed the game. All right, question six. Which Manhattan neighborhood was historically known as "Little Syria" in the late 19th and early 20th centuries? You do get a multiple-choice on this. I should say, "Which New York City neighborhood?" I said, "Which Manhattan neighborhood?" Which New York City neighborhood was historically known as "Little Syria"? Brooklyn Heights, the Financial District, Bensonhurst, or Astoria? I accidentally gave you a clue.

Joe: Astoria. Well, yes. Okay, [laughs] I didn't know if you really gave me a clue. If you really gave me a clue-- Can you say them one more time?

Brian Lehrer: Yes. Brooklyn Heights, the Financial District, Bensonhurst, or Astoria?

Joe: Financial District.

Brian Lehrer: [laughs] That is right. [horn sound] I guess I tipped it off. Would you like a Brian Lehrer Show baseball cap or the "You can't defund the truth" tote?

Joe: The cap, please. I have your mug. It's fantastic. I'll take the cap.

Brian Lehrer: Oh, awesome.

Joe: Thank you.

Brian Lehrer: Thank you. All right, hang on, Joe, we'll take your address off the air. Let's go next to the aforementioned Astoria and talk to Josh. Hi, Josh. Ready to play?

Josh: I am. Let's roll.

Brian Lehrer: Okay, question seven. Up until the 1930s, this neighborhood was home to Manhattan's last working farm. Up until the 1930s, there was a working farm in Manhattan, where? What neighborhood?

Josh: Inwood.

Brian Lehrer: That's right. All right, question eight for the hat or the tote. This Brooklyn neighborhood was originally called "Yellow Hook" for the yellow clay found there, but the name was changed in 1853 when the city was overrun by yellow fever, and they didn't want to be associated with that. Do you know its current name? I will give you a clue that it's not Red Hook.

Josh: I was about to say it's not Red Hook. It's Bay Ridge.

Brian Lehrer: It is Bay Ridge. [horn sound] Well done. Even in Astoria, all the way up there in Queens, you knew about Bay Ridge all the way down there in Brooklyn. Would you like the hat or the tote?

Josh: I don't need another tote, but I will take the tote anyway.

Brian Lehrer: All right, one tote that says "You can't defund the truth" heading to Astoria. Josh, thank you. We'll take your contact information off the air. Let's see, what was that? That was question eight, so we have two to go. Let's try Alan in Midtown. Hi, Alan. Ready to play? Yes.

Alan: Yes, Brian. How are you doing?

Brian Lehrer: Doing all right. This Queens neighborhood was renamed in the 1880s to evoke the fresh, breezy air from the nearby Atlantic Ocean and attract homebuyers. Now, though, that same name by which the neighborhood is still known might make you think it was named after a kind of air pollution. Can you name the Queens neighborhood?

Alan: Air pollution in Queens? It's not Breezy Point, is it?

Brian Lehrer: It is not Breezy Point. I know I talked about, in the question, a breezy area, but it's not Breezy Point. I'll give you one more shot since you did not guess Breezy Point. You said, "It's not Breezy Point." Something that ends in "park." That's one more hint, now known as a-

Alan: Hell's Park? That's not [unintelligible 00:08:45], isn't it?

Brian Lehrer: -kind of air pollution. It's the word--

Alan: Yes, I don't know.

Brian Lehrer: Yes. No, it's Ozone Park. Ozone Park in Queens. Sorry, Alan. Yes, that's an interesting little, fairly obscure detail of history that it was originally called Ozone Park because the word "ozone" was associated with the fresh, breezy air from the nearby ocean. Now, of course, we think of Ozone differently. We got that, by the way, from The Bowery Boys Podcast, which is such a cool podcast about New York City neighborhoods.

All right, well, this means we only have one question left, question 10. Elizabeth in Brooklyn, you get the luxury of being able to answer only one in a row right, and you would win the hat or the tote if you get it. Hi, Elizabeth. Ready to play?

Elizabeth: Me again?

Brian Lehrer: You. Oh, you? Oh, sorry. Okay, sorry about that. My mistake. Let's try Alan in Brooklyn. Hi, Alan. Ready to play?

Alan: Yes. Good morning, Brian. How are you?

Brian Lehrer: Good morning, Alan. Okay, and we have a Brooklyn question for you, as it turns out. "BoCoCa" is a portmanteau word combining the names of three adjacent neighborhoods in Brooklyn. Can you name all three? "BoCoCa."

Alan: "BoCoCa"?

Brian Lehrer: B-O-C-O-C-A. It's not a kind of soda.

Alan: Not jumping out at me. If you asked about "RoCoCo," I'd say it's three-- [crosstalk]

Brian Lehrer: [chuckles] All right, I'll give you one more. Located in the Bronx, this neighborhood is home to one of the world's largest food distribution centers. That's an easier question, I think. Can you name the neighborhood in the Bronx? The _ _ Market, very well known. Oh, sorry, Alan, I thought you might get that one.

Alan: I know that, but I forgot it. Sorry.

Brian Lehrer: Well, that one's Hunts Point, and "BoCoCa" combines Boerum Hill, Cobble Hill, and Carroll Gardens. Thanks, everybody, for playing. That was fun. I learned some things from my producer, Nina, who put together that quiz and all the sources that she picked from for it. I hope you learned some stuff about New York City neighborhoods, and we gave away a few hats and totes. Thanks for playing. We'll do another 10-question quiz on another theme at the same time tomorrow. More Brian Lehrer Show to come today. Stay with us.

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