In place-names lie stories. That’s the truth that animates this fascinating journey through the names of New York City’s streets and parks, boroughs and bridges, playgrounds and neighborhoods. In his newest book Names of New York, geographer and writer Joshua Jelly-Schapiro explores the power of naming to shape experience and our sense of place, and traces the ways in which native Lenape, Dutch settlers, British invaders, and successive waves of immigrants have left their marks on the city’s map. He excavates the roots of many names, from Brooklyn to Harlem, that have gained iconic meaning worldwide.

As recent arrivals continue to find new ways to make New York’s neighborhoods their own, the names that stick to the city’s streets function not only as portals to explore the past but also as a means to reimagine what is possible now. Join FRIENDS and Joshua for an interesting talk about the origins and meaning of a few Upper East Side and New York City’s familiar names.

You can purchase a copy of the book here.