Unlike the NYC subway, the subway in Hong Kong uses neighborhood names for subway stops.
It makes sense, since Hong Kong’s street plan is so convoluted that no-one can be expected to remember all the street names. But that got me to wondering what NYC subway stops would be called if they were named after neighborhoods instead of streets:
For example, the 1/9 line from 125th St. down to South Ferry (official stop name, taken from the MTA website, in brackets):
Harlem [125 Street]
Columbia [116 Street-Columbia University]
Morningside Heights [Cathedral Parkway (110 Street)]
Manhattan Valley [103 Street]
Riverside [96 Street]
?? [86th Street]
Planetarium [79 Street]
Ansonia [72 Street]
Lincoln Square [66 Street-Lincoln Center]
Columbus Circle [59 Street-Columbus Circle]
?? [50 Street]
Times Square [Times Square-42 Street]
Penn Station (East) [34 Street-Penn Station]
Garment [28 Street]
Chelsea [23 Street]
?? [18 Street]
McBurney [14 Street]
Sheridan Square/West Village [Christopher Street-Sheridan Square]
SoHo West [Houston Street]
HoTun [Canal Street]
TriBeCa [Franklin Street]
Battery Park City [Chambers Street]
World Trade Center (closed) [Cortlandt Street]
?? [Rector Street]
South Ferry [South Ferry]
Anyone else?
86th - Starbucks Neighborhood (location of first Starbucks in NYC, according to the NYT many eons ago)
50th - Beware of Ravenous Tourists Neighborhood
"HoTun"? Yes, I get it, but ... "HoTun"?
50th would probably be "Clinton" (or "Hell's Kitchen" to the real New Yorkers).
18th could be Chelsea South and 23rd could be Chelsea North.
86th? Well, how about Greengrass, for Barney Greengrass, the Sturgeon King?
50th st. could just be theatre district, rector street could be financial district, and along the greengrass theme, maybe 86th st. should be brunch land. or just the upper west side. i don't get 96th st as riverside, though - not much closer to riverside than at 86th.
OK, I can see "Theatre" for 50th St. And maybe 86th should be "Riverside" and 96th "Symphony" (for Symphony Space)?
I would put Battery Park City at Rector Street, and call Chambers Street City Hall. Something needs to be called Uppper West Side, and 86th works.
Why not Rockefeller for 50th Street? Even if it is a little far West of Rockefeller Center. Or just Midtown.
A couple years ago some real estate agents try to create the neighborhood of WeVar for West of Varick. As stupid as that name is, it sounds better than HoTun.
86th street is just the UES.
I meant UWS.
WeVar HoTun, we all fall down!
I much prefer "Discounted Stolen Stereo Equipment" to "HoTun."