Manhattan of the Midwest Department
By now, you’ve probably seen or heard about those “Old Fourth Ward Historic District” signs that have been popping up around our neighborhood. As needless, pretentious signage goes, they rank right up there with the “Annarbour” boundary markers. But they’re just symbols of a problem that goes far deeper: the name “Old Fourth Ward” itself, clearly designed to mislead students into thinking that they’re supposed to vote in the Fourth Ward, and townies into thinking that the area has some historical significance. So we think it’s time to start a movement to rename the whole area to … NoHu! (North of Huron, obvs.) Drop it into casual conversation! “Ooh, nice hat — did you get it at one of those NoHu boutiques?” Use it on your blog! “The NoHu crowd isn’t going to be happy with this new three-story high-rise they’re proposing.” Change your online handle to “NoHu Insurgent”!
Of course, New York neighborhood abbreviating didn’t stop with Soho (we’ll drop the second capital from NoHu when the name becomes universally accepted,) and there’s no reason to think that this is going to stop here. We fully expect sobriquets like NoMad (north of Madison) and ACoNoCa (apartment complexes by North Campus) to catch on when this trend gets going full steam. Any more ideas?
“Obvs”? Sounds like you’ve been reading too much Uncle Grambo lately.
Abbreviations… well, does that mean I live in the “OWeSi”? Doesn’t quite work for me. But ACoNoCa is awesome. Sounds like a Hawaiian retreat.
posted by Dave on March 7th, 2005 at 10:08 amBurns Park = BuPa?
posted by Anna on March 7th, 2005 at 10:34 amHa! ACoNoCa is a palindrome. AAiO you’re awesome. I guess I live in the West South Main area (WeSoMa). It’s an area about as hip and trendy as Bob Hope.
posted by WeSoMa Mandrake on March 7th, 2005 at 10:59 amI’m down with any name that contains “soma”, or any other substance that would make living here tolerable.
posted by ann arbor is overrated on March 7th, 2005 at 12:07 pmI didn’t even know I made a Huxley reference. Thanks for pointing it out.
posted by WeSoMa Mandrake on March 7th, 2005 at 12:23 pmWell, then I guess I’m WeNoMa… No soma hook-up in this neighborhood.
posted by meg on March 7th, 2005 at 12:33 pmOh, and how ’bout all those ash trees that just got cut down in KeTo (Kerrytown)?
posted by meg on March 7th, 2005 at 12:35 pmI spent several years living in WoMaSoLi (West of Main, south of Liberty), or as it’s alternately known, NoWaDi (North of Washtenaw Dairy).
posted by rjwhite on March 7th, 2005 at 12:42 pmByPfi? (By Pfizer). Might sound a little too Greek, but its hard to abbreviate Dead Zone into anything clever.
posted by HNG on March 7th, 2005 at 12:48 pmHm, I guess I live in ArbWa - the Arborland Wasteland, or alternately, WaHuPaPa (Washtenaw, HuronParkway, and Packard). Wow, that makes it sound more exciting than it is.
posted by Lisa on March 7th, 2005 at 1:13 pmFunny, my friends and I have been doing this ever since we found our about ChiBro (Chicken Broil) Park in Manchester. The “i” in “Chi” is long, by the way, and the folks around the area get pissed if you use a short “i”. The coffee at our work was long ago dubbed “hobro” (Hot and Brown) using this principle.
posted by Greg from PauSta (Pauline & Stadium) on March 7th, 2005 at 2:20 pmI live in SubWaLaRi — the Suburban Wasteland Ring that comprises basically everything more than a mile from campus.
(After spending last weekend in Chicago, of course, all of A2 fits in this category to some extent . . .)
posted by Murph on March 7th, 2005 at 2:26 pmBurns Park = BuPa?
Nah, I think it should be BurPa
posted by Alex(andra) on March 7th, 2005 at 3:38 pmPauline and Stadium could be PaSta, too.
Good to see you around, rjwhite. How’s the real-city thing working out for you?
posted by ann arbor is overrated on March 7th, 2005 at 3:51 pmHow about !AA for everything outside of Ann Arbor? Or maybe !A^2? Or Natwo…..
Can’t think of any cool short names for Ypsi….Except Ypsi….but Ypsi is cool….
posted by Kozzie on March 7th, 2005 at 4:06 pmIn NYC, after SoHo, there was TriBeCa (Triangle Below Canal), which certainly has a Caribbean sound to it. But my favorite NYC neighborhood acronym is DUMBO (Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Underpass), which is across the East River, in Brooklyn.
posted by Larry Kestenbaum on March 7th, 2005 at 4:42 pmEr, that should be “Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass”. As should be obvious.
posted by Larry Kestenbaum on March 7th, 2005 at 4:52 pmI live one block from Michigan Stadium. How about FoSatPaGo….Football Saturday Parking Goldmine.
posted by Kblow on March 7th, 2005 at 7:00 pmThe best NYC acronym, in my humble opinion, is actually NoLita (North of Little Italy). It has a total Humbert Humbert ring to it that I kind of dig…
posted by Alex(andra) on March 7th, 2005 at 8:25 pmMaple/Miller = MaMi
posted by Dan Arbor on March 7th, 2005 at 9:32 pmLoBurPa (Lower Burns Park, on the wrong side of packard from the park proper)
posted by Edward Vielmetti on March 8th, 2005 at 12:24 amSoNeOb, I guess.
Sort of Near Observatory, that is.
posted by art student on March 8th, 2005 at 1:17 amI live in Dexter by MaHRD (Mast-Huron River Drive). And it’s pronounced “Mah Herd”.
posted by McNally on March 8th, 2005 at 1:42 amActually, quick question. I used to live across from Pi Hi (Pioneer high school). Does anyone know when that abbreviation started? It’s been around at least ten years.
posted by McNally on March 8th, 2005 at 1:44 amUm… “PaPla” for the Packard/Platt area? That sounds really awful…
posted by srah on March 8th, 2005 at 7:48 amPiHi has been around at least since the 70s I think…
Hmmm, I guess I live at CoNoDivKiABro (corner of north division/kingsley above broadway bridge).
posted by OFWinsurgent on March 8th, 2005 at 9:12 amNoHu - Brilliant.
The amusing thing is the new signs going up just confounded a bunch of people I know. “That wasn’t there before… right?… I’m not just really drunk right now… right?”
“Well, you are, but no, those are new.”
posted by Jen on March 8th, 2005 at 7:10 pmkizzie, a couple decades ago Ypsi was called Ypsitucky. Don’t know if it still is.
posted by ebh on March 9th, 2005 at 5:09 pmI love these! I live in MaDex, I suppose. (Maple/Dexter, for those in the know) Or maybe MaDexMi, if you add Miller on the end.
posted by KGS on March 9th, 2005 at 5:35 pmThe only previous mention I’d heard of “Lower Burns Park” was about three years ago when scouting out housing for the upcoming fall. A real estate agent used the term somewhat derogatorily in reference to the less fashionable (but still grossly overpriced) homes west of Packard. I ended up living in one for a year, on Woodlawn. It turned out to be a great undergrad house, definitely the best digs I’ve had here. But don’t go looking for the “Lower Burns Park is Underrated” blog anytime soon.
And I heard a guy refer to his residence as Ypsitucky Township a couple years back. I like it.
posted by Jeff on March 10th, 2005 at 11:23 pmSo many people moved to Ypsi from the South for work at Willow Run and the auto assembly plants during the first part of the last century that adding “Ypsi” and “-tucky” was a natural. Sorry for all the prepositional phrases.
I guess I live at GedHi (Geddes and Hill), or desHi (silent H so it sounds like Desi, as in Desi Arnaz). Or HiWa (Hill and Washtenaw). Or SoEaRo (southeast of the rock).
posted by BlogLurker on March 11th, 2005 at 10:59 pmI live in Arrowwood, already simply called “Air’-Wuhd” by its residents. I don’t need an ArWoo…
posted by js on March 14th, 2005 at 11:00 amStay so good and many people come back - sure http://mens-fragrances.quickdvdshopping.com
posted by mens fragrance on March 17th, 2005 at 1:30 pmSave DiWoo! Oh, right, already done and passe, like
posted by Anonymous on March 20th, 2005 at 5:52 pmHefty Mayor signs.