I love learning the history behind street signs with ambiguous names. I recently came across the “Canyon of Heroes,” located in the Financial District of downtown Manhattan. On that street, there’s a line of granite strips on the floor, dispersed periodically along the concrete floor:
The strips, as I later found out, commemorate the 206 ticker-tape parades that have been held over the past 100 years. They honor those who have made significant achievements in the New York area, including veterans, athletes, and politicians, among others.
Strangely enough, I’ve lived in New York City for over two decades and have never heard of such events. The parades, however, are usually held all along Broadway, aka the “Canyon of Heroes,” from the Battery to City Hall. During such an occasion, hoards of spectators gather on the streets and look out from windows of nearby buildings to toss confetti into the air. The resulting celebration creates an artificial snowstorm of paper.
