20 Weird and Wonderful NYC Facts You’ll Totally Wanna Brag About

Ever wonder why New York’s taxis are shouting bright yellow? Back in 1915, a guy named John Hertz found out that yellow is the easiest color to spot from far away. So it wasn’t just for flashy style - it’s science! That’s why fast food signs love yellow and red too. Before yellow took over, taxis came in all sorts of colors, but NYC made yellow official in 1968. Now, that’s one flashy way to grab your ride!

New York is a language party like no other! It's got so many languages that some are only hanging on here. Take Gottscheer, a nearly extinct Germanic language, or Seke from Nepal kept alive in Brooklyn. NYC’s like a linguistic superhero saving languages you never thought you'd hear again.

Hog Island once hung out near Long Island but decided to disappear - slowly though, not poof! Years of erosion and one strong hurricane in 1893 shrunk it bit by bit until it was gone by the 1920s. Nature basically gave it the slowest disappearing trick ever.

Sure, you know the Big Apple, but NYC has over 100 nicknames! Some are funky, some spooky - like Fear City from the tough ’70s, or The Modern Gomorrah when crime was high in the 1800s. There’s even The City So Nice They Named It Twice (because, duh). Whatever mood you're in, NYC's got a nickname for that.

Love the Hamilton musical? Guess what - you can stroll through the real spots Alexander Hamilton rocked! Check out Fraunces Tavern where his last hangout with Aaron Burr happened before their famous duel. Then swing by Trinity Church (his final resting place) and his homes, including the Hamilton Grange. History class just got a heck of a lot cooler!

New York doesn’t just talk the love talk - it walks the walk. It has more married same-sex couples than anywhere else in the U.S.! Thanks to early legalization and a welcoming vibe, NYC’s not just a city; it’s a loving home for LGBTQ families, standing tall ahead of places like San Francisco.

New York busted into the art scene big time from the 1940s onward. Abstract Expressionists like Jackson Pollock went wild breaking the rules here. Then in the ’60s, Pop Art exploded with stars like Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat painting NYC’s colorful chaos. Basically, NYC gave the art world its coolest glow-up.

The US Open tennis tournament is New York’s flex: it’s the only Grand Slam that kept swinging through tough times like WWII and the pandemic. Other majors hit pause, but the US Open said, "Game on!" The electric energy at Arthur Ashe Stadium keeps tennis stylish and exciting year after year.

Pearl Street? Named for a reason! Back in the day, it was literally covered in oyster shells, since oysters were everywhere and cheap street food. Dutch settlers even called it Paerlstraat. Good times! Oysters ruled so hard that Ellis Island was called Little Oyster Island. Who needs pavement when shell-shine will do?

Meet Staten Island Chuck, the groundhog who’s surprisingly good at predicting spring - he nailed it 21 out of 27 times from ’81 to ’08! Every February 2, Chuck checks for his shadow and tells us if winter’s sticking around or if spring’s on the way. NYC’s own fuzzy forecast commentator - beat that, Punxsutawney Phil!

Believe it or not, the bustling New York Stock Exchange kicked off with 24 brokers signing an agreement under a tree in 1792. This 'Buttonwood Agreement' was the OG Wall Street moment that set financial chaos straight. Today, there's a buttonwood tree outside the NYSE as a cheeky nod to this shady (literally) meeting.

Here’s a fun food fact: Rochester, NY, helped make Jell-O, marshmallows, and French’s mustard household favorites. A local carpenter dreamed up Jell-O, machines pumped out marshmallows, and the French brothers gave us that zesty yellow mustard. Rochester: small town, big flavor!

Playing on some NYC playgrounds means you’re actually hanging out on old cemeteries! Yep, from Police Officer Moira Ann Smith Playground to Washington Square Park, thousands of bodies are buried underneath. Talk about history coming to life while you swing!

Once upon a time, NYC considered cracking down on aggressive flirting. Yep, in 1902 and again in the 1920s, a law almost made hitting on someone the crime of the century! The idea was to stop annoying and unwanted advances, which laid the groundwork for today’s rules about respect. So next time you chat someone up, be glad you’re not a mashin’ masher!

Jeans used to be just work pants - then NYC turned them into high-fashion gold! Back in the mid-60s, boutiques like Limbo started selling funky customized worn jeans for big bucks. BAM! Denim went from blah to must-have, kicking off the whole designer denim craze we still can’t resist.

With over 70 Michelin-starred restaurants, New York isn’t just a foodie city; it’s a food superstar! It’s the only US spot giving Tokyo and Paris a run for their fancy culinary money. New spots keep nabbin’ stars, and Sushi Sho even scored the ultra-rare three stars. Fancy forks ready?

Fun fact: being NYC's Mayor is huge, but it hasn’t been a launchpad to bigger political gigs since 1869! John T. Hoffman was the last one to score a promotion that big. Some think running the city is such a wild ride it's a tough sell anywhere else. Or maybe Americans just love political outsiders more - NYC's loss, Washington's gain!

The New York Yankees are baseball royalty with 27 World Series wins and the only team to nail a three-peat three times! But wait, there’s more! The Islanders took four NHL rings in a row, and the New York Arrows dominated indoor soccer with back-to-back titles. Basically, NYC loves a winning streak!

Here’s a wild NYC law for ya: on Sundays, it’s technically illegal to carry a melting ice cream cone in your pocket. Why? Theories range from old church rules to stopping sneaky horse thieves tempted by the sweet treat. Weird? Totally. But hey, don’t try it on a Sunday and risk getting caught red (or should we say yellow) handed!

NYC isn’t just a city; it’s a TV superstar! Famous shows like Friends, Seinfeld, Sex and the City, and 30 Rock grabbed the city as their playground. Seriously, more classic shows are set here than anywhere else - making the city a familiar face on your screen for decades. Lights, camera, New York!