New York Quiz Questions
1. Which of these is the name of a large municipal park located in Brooklyn?
Prospect Park
2. What is the name of a free ferry service that provides a great view of the Statue of Liberty?
Staten Island ferry
3. Many New York City street names are derived from Dutch words or phrases. Which street, described a path along the stream where young ladies strolled, was originally called “Maadgde Paatje”?
Maiden Lane
4. Which is the largest New York City borough in terms of its total area?
Queens
5. It’s a beautiful Monday afternoon in August, so I head to Citi Field in Flushing for a matinee New York Mets baseball game. After the game, I am still in a sporting mood, but I don’t want to sit on the subway for a New York hour. Which of these venues is just a short walk from Citi Field?
Arthur Ashe Stadium
6. In which New York City borough could you find the biggest metropolitan zoo in the USA?
The Bronx.
7. Most people know that New York was originally called New Amsterdam, but what was the official transitional name in between the two?
New Orange
8. Which New York City borough is connected with Jersey City and New Jersey through the Holland Tunnel?
Manhattan
9. In which Upper West Side landmark theater do the Tony Awards take place?
Beacon Theater
10. Which is the most densely populated borough in New York City?
Manhattan
11. In New York City, 1940 to 1959, I grew up in an apartment at the corner of 110th St. and Riverside Drive, generally called the Upper West Side or UWS. I thought of this park as my backyard – although it was in front. What was it called?
Riverside Park
12. How many boroughs are there in New York City?
Five
13. On her first visit to New York, bubbatom1 decides to go and watch the US Open tennis tournament. Which park does she need to go to watch this great event?
Flushing Meadows
14. Which bridge connects Manhattan with Brooklyn?
The Brooklyn Bridge
15. The bridge that connects Upper Manhattan to New Jersey is named for which American President?
George Washington
16. Which is the wealthiest borough in New York City?
Staten Island
17. In which part of Manhattan is Chinatown located?
Lower East Side
18. Who was the person behind the idea of the name The Bronx?
Jonas Bronck
19. Fictional character Hannibal Lecter cynically referred to this actual place as Anthrax Island in “Silence of the Lambs” (1991). To what real island off the tip of Long Island’s north fork was he referring?
Plum Island
20. What is the Bronx famous for?
Baseball
21. When traveling south on Broadway, which famous New York City landmark would you encounter at the crossroads of Central Park West and Central Park South?
Columbus Circle
22. Which New York City borough is home to the largest landfill on the eastern coast?
Staten Island
23. What bay do you pass on your right just before you cross the Marine Parkway Bridge heading to the Rockaways?
Dead Horse Bay
24. Where is Harlem situated?
Manhattan
25. Tom’s Restaurant (of television’s ‘Seinfeld’ fame), Columbia University, and many of the exterior shots seen in television’s ‘Law and Order’ can all be found in what Manhattan neighborhood?
Morningside Heights
26. Given the exorbitant price of Manhattan real estate, it’s amazing that The City would continue to devote so much land to park space. How big is Central Park?
Over 800 acres
27. Which borough provides the most affordable living conditions?
The Bronx
28. Which borough is considered the best in New York City?
Brooklyn
29. If you visited New York in 2006, where would you go to see the world’s largest star sapphire?
In the Museum of Natural History
30. To which sport does the term big apple refer to?
Horse racing
31. I am a building in the Civic Center. Built in 1939, some say that I am reminiscent of a Babylonian Temple. I have an aerial walkway connecting me to a building across the street?
Criminal Court Building
32. What is the Oldest Building in New York City?
The Wyckoff Farmhouse Museum
33. The most common nickname for New York City is:
the Big Apple
34. What is the favorite pastime of New Yorkers in central park?
Birdwatching
35. What powered the original Central Park Carousel when it opened in 1871?
Horses
36. In which year did the first American pizza joint start working in New York City?
1905
37. Relationship with this European sister city was formalized after it publicly elected a Mayor for the first time in 1999:
London, England
38. Where is the smallest church in the world situated?
Oneida, New York City
39. What year was Brooklyn incorporated into NYC?
1898
40. Who was assassinated in the Audubon Auditorium in Manhattan?
Malcolm X
41. Who is the only US president buried in NYC?
Ulysses S. Grant
42. From which New York City landmark did the subway system start its journey?
City Hall
43. In which decade did the Harlem renaissance begin in New York City?
1910s
44. You want to start off by seeing the Statue of Liberty. You can take the Ellis Island Ferry from which park?
Battery Park
45. The world-famous Times Square is named after which popular newspaper?
New York Times
46. In 1890, “How The Other Half Lives”, a book written by a former police reporter, opened the eyes of many who had no idea how horrific slum conditions were. Its author’s name?
Jacob Riis
47. Which world-famous hotel occupied the site of the Empire State Building until 1931?
Waldorf-Astoria
48. When was New York City founded?
1624
49. How many commuter bridges cross the East River?
Seven
50. What is the former name of New York City?
New Amsterdam
51. The Empire State Building is one of New York’s best-loved landmarks. Built-in 1930, and completed in just over a year, it cost $24,000,000 to build. How many floors does it have?
102
52. What is the name of the birthplace of the gay rights movement in Manhattan?
The Stonewall Inn
53. Named for the founder of a piano manufacturing empire, what is the main boulevard in Astoria, Queens?
Steinway Street
54. What are the words imprinted on the top left-side corner of all New York Times newspapers?
‘All the news that’s fit to print.’
55. What was the name of JFK International Airport just prior to 1963?
Idlewild Airport
56. Over a quarter of New York City’s total land area consists of urban open spaces, such as parks and play areas. What is the city’s largest park?
Pelham Bay Park
57. Who was New York City named after?
James Stewart, the Duke of York
58. What famous Upper West Side building was home to Lauren Bacall, John Lennon, Gilda Radner, Judy Garland?
The Dakota
59. The Triborough Bridge connects Manhattan with which two boroughs?
Queens and The Bronx
60. Fort Jay and Castle Williams are two fortifications on this island off the southern tip of Manhattan. Name it.
Governor’s Island
61. A safety deposit box in New York City preserves the eyeballs of which famous scientist?
Albert Einstein
62. Manhattan’s East and West Sides are primarily divided by which street?
Fifth Avenue
63. Which famous New York City concert venue occupies Seventh Avenue between 56th and 57th Streets?
Carnegie Hall
64. Which historical bar was not open to women until the ’70s?
McSorley’s Ale House
65. Nearly 40,000 runners race in the New York City marathon. Where is the starting line?
The Verrazano Narrows Bridge
66. Which president was born in New York City?
Theodore Roosevelt
67. The design of Central Park was the brainchild of two men, Calvert Vaux and Frederick Law Olmstead, who submitted their design as part of a competition in 1858. What was the name of their design?
The Greensward Plan
68. Which is the most widely spoken language in New York City?
English
69. The largest store in the world was built in Manhattan. It was built in 1902. In 2006, this department store was still the biggest. What is the name of it?
Macy’s
70. Which is the largest ethnic group in New York City?
Italian
71. Who was the first customer of the New York Steam Company?
The United Bank Building
72. What is the largest hospital in Brooklyn?
Kings County Hospital
73. Which European group was the first to settle in NYC?
Dutch
74. Longtime home to Hasidic Jews and Puerto Ricans, this neighborhood is now the trend-setter for the city and home to many Manhattan “hipsters” and skyrocketing rents.
Williamsburg
75. How many counties represent Long Island?
Four counties
76. Where was the Titanic supposed to dock, had she not sunk on her maiden voyage?
Chelsea Piers
77. When NYC and Beijing (Peking), China were bound as sister cities, what gift did the Chinese government grant the city of New York?
Panda bears
78. Who are the two most famous people living in New York City?
Beyonce and Jay Z
79. What famous family was involved in the building of the Brooklyn Bridge?
The Roeblings
80. Who is one of the most famous young Instagram stars born and living in New York City?
James Charles
81. Mae West was born and raised in this part of Brooklyn:
Greenpoint
82. First, you want to visit several museums, but you won’t be able to see…
The Hope Diamond
83. In 2012, which became New York City’s tallest building at the time?
1 World Trade Center
84. AdamM7 visits the Statue of Liberty during his stay at New York. The Statue of Liberty was a gift given to the United States from which country?
France
85. Which man-made islands off the east shore of Staten Island were created to quarantine immigrants with infectious diseases?
Hoffman and Swinburne Islands
86. Which island is at the far eastern end of Suffolk County, nestled well between Long Island’s two forks and accessible by small ferries at its north and south shores?
Shelter Island
87. Which famous university calls The Bronx its home?
Fordham University