A plaque remaining from the Big Apple Night Club at West 135th Street and Seventh Avenue in Harlem.

Above, a 1934 plaque from the Big Apple Night Club at West 135th Street and Seventh Avenue in Harlem. Discarded as trash in 2006. Now a Popeyes fast food restaurant on Google Maps.

Recent entries:
“Don’t call them illegal firearms. Call them undocumented weapons and let them live…” (3/24)
“Why do we live in a culture where everyone is expected to have an opinion on everything?” (3/24)
“They’re not illegal firearms. They’re just undocumented firearms trying to live in sanctuary homes” (3/24)
“I don’t call them illegal firearms. They’re undocumented protection devices and I keep them…” (3/24)
“Forever (n): The period of time it takes for the coffee to brew” (3/24)
More new entries...

A  B  C  D  E  F  G  H  I  J  K  L  M  N  O  P  Q  R  S  T  U  V  W  X  Y  Z


Entry from March 04, 2005
Mistake on the Lake
"Best Location in the Nation" was soon ridiculed with "Mistake by/on the Lake." This nickname was popular in CB slang in the 1970s, during Cleveland's fiscal crisis.

These 1960s citations seem to indicate earlier use, but I haven't found that yet.

5 November 1967, New York Times, pg. SM16:
Cleveland used to kid itself into believing its slogan, "Best Location in the Nation." Negroes preferred "Mistake on the Lake.

22 October 1968, New York Times, pg. 1:
Cleveland, that ethnically Balkanized "mistake by the lake" that elected a Negro Mayor last year, produced the largest Negro insurrection (as opposed to riot) in recent history.

Posted by {name}
Big Plum, Mistake On The Lake (Cleveland nicknames) • (0) Comments • Friday, March 04, 2005 • Permalink