THE ORIGIN OF DELANCEY STREET

Hopping off the train at the ever bright and fragrant subway station at Delancey Street, you may find a large pair of crimson berries dangling in your face. What’s the deal with the cherries at Delancey? It has nothing to do with Pac Man, gambling or a veiled reference to Chekhov. Folks, Delancey Street was named after the blue-blooded Loyalist and acting colonial governor of New York in the 1750s, James DeLancey.

DeLancey was one of the earliest Trustafarians, born into a rich landowning family who owned a sprawling farm downtown which stretched all the way from the East River to the Hudson. The pride and joy of the DeLancey farm was a spectacular cherry orchard, which was located on the site of present day Orchard Street.

The Revolutionary War was raging at the time, and Jimmy D was convinced America was better off remaining part of England. Spoiler alert: it was a loser’s bet. And so it was after the redcoats were sent packing that the farm was forcibly confiscated and divided up among smaller (and not British sympathizing) landowners. Presumably DeLancey’s prize cherry trees were plowed under with gusto, seeing as how the last time we were on neighboring Orchard Street there were none to be found.

Today all that remains of the legendary DeLancey cherries is on the uptown side of the F train subway platform in the form of several beautiful mosaics, forever dangling and forever British.