Not surprisingly, feedback on the call for name suggestions for the burgeoning 'hood in the hazy Tribeca/Financial District DMZ was very strong. It all started with one man's request and some tentative borders, and here we are on the cusp of history. Now, some put forth the argument that Tribeca's borders are solid, and if the location falls within the triangle below Canal, it's Tribeca and only Tribeca. But what are neighborhood names, really? As one commenter pointed out, Tribeca was originally just a reference to Lispenard Street, and the name got slapped on the whole area (this goes completely against our accepted Tribeca creation myth that Robert DeNiro emerged from the womb, looked down upon the pavement of Greenwich Street and said, "I shall call this Tribeca"). It goes to show you that things change, neighborhoods evolve and nothing is ever set in stone. Now that another tower is planned for the area, let's figure this thing out!
There were many, many suggestions, so here's the plan. We chose ten favorites that we're putting to a vote in hopes of narrowing the list down, and on Wednesday we'll put the top five reader favorites in a brand new poll. Confused? Good. The birthing of neighborhoods is a confusing, messy process. There were many hilarious entries that didn't make the cut?Connecticut ("because it revolves around Greenwich"), ManTa (uh, you'll have to go back to the thread to figure that one out), etc.?but without further ado...