# In what other cities (than NYC) are we expected to know which streets matter? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 8, 2006, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-what-other-cities-than-nyc-are-we-expected-to-know-which-streets-matter/367847 "2006-08-08T12:41:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2006, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-what-other-cities-than-nyc-are-we-expected-to-know-which-streets-matter/367847/21 "2006-08-08T16:23:08Z")
I’m certain the only streets in this metro area (Kansas City) that anyone would ever know of outside of here would be “12th Street and Vine”, from the song “Kansas City”. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2006, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-what-other-cities-than-nyc-are-we-expected-to-know-which-streets-matter/367847/22 "2006-08-08T16:43:56Z")
[QUOTE=rainwalker78] Me! What do you know? Whats up with the detour on Demonbreun? [/QUOTE] It’s been a while since I was actually on Demonbreun, but as best I can recall it was something to do with the funky bridge over the interstate. Seems it was bad enough they were going to spend a season or two fixing it. Ever hear it pronounced any way than D’mumbrun? (Or does that have too many letters?) ---
**Author:** ![GLWasteful](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f05b48/32.png) [@GLWasteful](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GLWasteful)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2006, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-what-other-cities-than-nyc-are-we-expected-to-know-which-streets-matter/367847/23 "2006-08-08T18:12:55Z")
[QUOTE=Una Persson] I’m certain the only streets in this metro area (Kansas City) that anyone would ever know of outside of here would be “12th Street and Vine”, from the song “Kansas City”. [/QUOTE] And it doesn’t even exist as an intersection. Half-assed park, yes. But not an intersection. ---
**Author:** ![Antinor01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2006, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-what-other-cities-than-nyc-are-we-expected-to-know-which-streets-matter/367847/24 "2006-08-08T18:32:24Z")
[QUOTE=robardin] I also picture Las Vegas as being one long strip of neon-lit casinos, which it isn’t of course, so it must be a particular street – but I don’t know the name. [/QUOTE] It is quite simply…Las Vegas Blvd, otherwise known as The Strip. ---
**Author:** ![Amaranta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Amaranta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amaranta)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2006, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-what-other-cities-than-nyc-are-we-expected-to-know-which-streets-matter/367847/25 "2006-08-08T19:19:50Z")
Well, Winnepeg has **Portage and Main** , which guide books and enthusiastic Winter-peg Tourism people will tell you is “Canada’s most famous intersection!”. But really, g’head, ask a random 10 Canadians if they even know what city it’s in and you’ll get blank stares. But someone really, really \*wants \*it to be a street that matters. Vancouver’s got \*\*Robson \*\*Street (think: high end shopping), \*\*Hastings \*\*(think: heroin and that guy walking around with tin foil on his bike helmet and the straps of his backpack), and \*\*Granville \*\*Street (think: well, ages ago it was the “Theatre District” then it got kinda scummy and became the “pawn ‘n’ porn” strip and now they’re trying to fix it up with a bunch of clubs and bars and make it an “Entertainment District” again). There’s some other semi-famous Vancouver streets, but those are the ones that most Canadians probably know. And I guess you can throw **Sussex Drive** in there for Canadian streets that matter. ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2006, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-what-other-cities-than-nyc-are-we-expected-to-know-which-streets-matter/367847/26 "2006-08-08T19:29:46Z")
[QUOTE=GLWasteful] And it doesn’t even exist as an intersection. Half-assed park, yes. But not an intersection. [/QUOTE] Whoa, you’re right - Google sat view shows me it’s a blasted clean triangle of grass, littered with condoms, McDonalds wrappers, and Bud bottles\*. Not much fun at all. - Yes, Google maps is _just that good…_ ---
**Author:** ![Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac8455/32.png) [@Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bippy_the_Beardless)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2006, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-what-other-cities-than-nyc-are-we-expected-to-know-which-streets-matter/367847/27 "2006-08-08T20:41:04Z")
If you hear mention of Greenwich, Chelsea or Soho you will of course know the city is London (won’t you) 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Necros](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/necros/32/11086_2.png) [@Necros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Necros)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2006, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-what-other-cities-than-nyc-are-we-expected-to-know-which-streets-matter/367847/28 "2006-08-08T20:55:07Z")
Paris’s Champs Elysees gets my vote. Is the Bund in Shanghai actually just one street that runs along the river there? Or just the name of the area? ---
**Author:** ![UncleBeer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/977dab/32.png) [@UncleBeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBeer)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2006, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-what-other-cities-than-nyc-are-we-expected-to-know-which-streets-matter/367847/29 "2006-08-08T21:05:37Z")
[QUOTE=GorillaMan] A few examples for London [/quote] Don’t forget Bond St. ---
**Author:** ![Alive\_At\_Both\_Ends](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/73ab20/32.png) [@Alive\_At\_Both\_Ends](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alive_At_Both_Ends)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2006, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-what-other-cities-than-nyc-are-we-expected-to-know-which-streets-matter/367847/30 "2006-08-08T21:07:38Z")
[QUOTE=jjimm] In London to most people, “Harley Street” would immediately mean “rich private doctors”, and “Saville Row” would mean expensive tailor shops. [/QUOTE] Given your location, how could you have left out Oxford Street? (shopping). ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2006, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-what-other-cities-than-nyc-are-we-expected-to-know-which-streets-matter/367847/31 "2006-08-08T21:59:06Z")
[QUOTE=Stranger On A Train] There are many in and around Los Angeles, albeit mostly thanks to being popularized on film and in song: [ul] [li]Sunset Blvd[/li][li]Rodeo Dr[/li][li]Santa Monica Blvd[/li][li]Mulholland Dr[/li][li]Melrose Ave[/li][li]Wonderland Dr[/li][li]Olympic Blvd[/li][li]Rampart St[/li][li]Beverly Blvd[/li][li]Pacific Coast (Malibu) Highway (PCH)[/li][li]Avenue of the Stars[/li][/ul] and of course [ul] [li]Hollywood Blvd[/li][/ul] Stranger [/QUOTE] The thing about famous NYC streets is that they seem to denote a certain cultural or social context, at least traditionally if no longer accurate today. For instance, Fifth and Park Avenues are where the rich people live. Ditto Cental Park West, East, North, and South (are there actually streets so named on all four sides?). Broadway is theater, and 42nd St. is, or was, music. Seems to me that in L.A. most of the major streets are sooooo long, and pass through neighborhoods as different as possible with regard to ethinicity, prosperity, physical setting, and so on. Many of the L.A. streets you mention are famous only because a particular scandal or other event occurred there, like Rampart. ---
**Author:** ![DooWahDiddy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9bcb4/32.png) [@DooWahDiddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DooWahDiddy)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2006, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-what-other-cities-than-nyc-are-we-expected-to-know-which-streets-matter/367847/32 "2006-08-08T22:26:29Z")
[QUOTE=Spectre of Pithecanthropus] [snip] Ditto Cental Park West, East, North, and South (are there actually streets so named on all four sides?). [/snip] [/QUOTE] All of those except Central Park East exist, because the eastern border of Central Park is 5th Ave. Although, be careful about your preconceptions… Central Park North is in Harlem, not the best part of town, although admittedly getting better. And Central Park West is only the “rich, glitzy part of town” in the lower half of Central Park… about halfway up it gradually starts to decline. Same thing on the east side, 5th Ave. ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2006, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-what-other-cities-than-nyc-are-we-expected-to-know-which-streets-matter/367847/33 "2006-08-08T22:29:50Z")
[QUOTE=robardin] Chicago: **The Loop** The Loop isn’t a street. It’s the central downtown business district within the “loop” of el tracks. [QUOTE=Stranger On A Train] There are many in and around Los Angeles, albeit mostly thanks to being popularized on film and in song [/quote] You left out Pico and Sepulveda. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2006, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-what-other-cities-than-nyc-are-we-expected-to-know-which-streets-matter/367847/34 "2006-08-08T23:49:34Z")
[QUOTE=Bippy the Beardless] If you hear mention of Greenwich, Chelsea or Soho you will of course know the city is London (won’t you) 😉 [/QUOTE] You will unless you are in NYC, where there’s Greenwich Village, the Chelsea Hotel, and the arty district South of Houston. Hell, the whole city is named after York, in the old country. This is strange, a native Hoosier spouting bits of knowledge about New York City. 😛 Do I hear a whoosh? ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2006, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-what-other-cities-than-nyc-are-we-expected-to-know-which-streets-matter/367847/35 "2006-08-09T00:25:34Z")
[QUOTE=Surly Chick] And let’s not forget Bourbon Street. [/QUOTE] And Basin Street Is the street Where the elite Always meet . . . ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2006, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-what-other-cities-than-nyc-are-we-expected-to-know-which-streets-matter/367847/36 "2006-08-09T00:30:43Z")
[QUOTE=An Arky] In DC: **Pennsylvania Avenue** , which everyone knows is where the chimp house is. **K Street** , or _Gucci Gulch_, is where the folks who buy and sell representative democracy have their cush offices. …and who can forget **the Beltway** , where the folks who reside outside of it deride those who reside inside it for being too liberal, and the folks who reside inside of it deride the folks who live outside of it for being too conservative. [/QUOTE] And Wisconsin Avenue and M Street, that is to say Yuppieville (Georgetown). And DuPont Circle, the city’s gay mecca among other things. And [Embassy Row](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Embassy_row) (Massachusetts Avenue NW). Everyone who’s ever lived in Baltimore knows Charles Street, but I doubt it’s well-known by name to anyone else. ---
**Author:** ![GLWasteful](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f05b48/32.png) [@GLWasteful](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GLWasteful)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2006, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-what-other-cities-than-nyc-are-we-expected-to-know-which-streets-matter/367847/37 "2006-08-09T00:31:03Z")
[QUOTE=Una Persson] Whoa, you’re right - Google sat view shows me it’s a blasted clean triangle of grass, littered with condoms, McDonalds wrappers, and Bud bottles\*. Not much fun at all. - Yes, Google maps is _just that good…_ [/QUOTE] I’m a little surprised that you’ve never been there. Again, it’s a less-than-stellar park, but damn, it’s also the only place in KC that people elsewhere know about\*. \*Exception being Bob Berdella’s house, but it’s been gone for some time. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2006, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-what-other-cities-than-nyc-are-we-expected-to-know-which-streets-matter/367847/38 "2006-08-09T01:27:18Z")
Here in St. Louis, some streets are known for more than just their names. **Pestalozzi** – it refers to “the brewery.” And if you have to ask, it’s Anheuser-Busch. **Edwards** – ground zero for **The Hill** , our semi-famous Italian-American neighborhood. **Arsenal** – home of mental hospital. **Ladue Road** – shorthand for “where the rich suburbanites live.” Similar to **Lindell, Westminister** and **Portland Place** , where the rich city folk live. And **The Loop** the area’s first (and probably still the best) example of a run-down neighborhood that became a trendy, youth-oriented destination. ---
**Author:** ![pbbth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f9ae1b/32.png) [@pbbth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pbbth)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2006, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-what-other-cities-than-nyc-are-we-expected-to-know-which-streets-matter/367847/39 "2006-08-09T02:11:26Z")
I guess in Dallas the most famous street that I can think of is Beltline. Anyone from anywhere in the Dallas area should know about Beltline. I am assuming that we are not counting major highways like Route 66 or I35 or things like that. ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2006, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-what-other-cities-than-nyc-are-we-expected-to-know-which-streets-matter/367847/40 "2006-08-09T02:58:05Z")
Montreal has about five streets that we imagine non-Montrealers would know about. **boulevard Saint-Laurent** (a.k.a. The Main) - Montreal’s most famous street, for smoked meat and bagels, a red light district, and the dividing line between “the anglo west and the francophone east.” **rue Sainte-Catherine** - reputation as strip clubs galore, which is true, but also it’s the main street of all of downtown. **rue Saint-Jacques** - as “Saint James Street” it was the byword for Montreal’s financial sector, when this was preeminent over Toronto’s (Bay Street). **rue Crescent** - frat boy club haven. **boulevard René-Lévesque** - mainly known for having been renamed from “Dorchester Boulevard,” used as a watchword for the nefarious deeds of the eeeeeeevil séparatisses. Let me also add **Beaudry metro** , known as the epicentre of Montreal’s gay village. Actually, gay villages worldwide are often known by streets or squares; off the top of my head I can think of Church & Wellesley (Toronto), Castro Street, Polk Street, and Folsom Street (San Francisco), Dupont Circle (Washington), Christopher Street (NY - in fact Pride in Berlin is called “Christopher Street Day”), and Chueca in Madrid. Going back to famous streets in other cities, I can think of **La Rambla** in Barcelona and **Strasse des 17. Juni** and **Unter den Linden** in Berlin. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-what-other-cities-than-nyc-are-we-expected-to-know-which-streets-matter/367847.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-what-other-cities-than-nyc-are-we-expected-to-know-which-streets-matter/367847.md?page=3)