D there are 8 million or so NYCer's now, and we have been losing population for the past 20 years.. they must have gone somewhere! no doubt is is just one of the dispora of NYers you heard.

stoop--is just a dutch word for steps (a few steps, a staircase is (or was) trap--and in NYC area, 'stepped granite' (like the famous devils staircase in northern island) is called 'trap rock' --the western edge of the hudson (ie, the NJ side) has miles of it. not a pretty at the devils staircase--(i don't think it ever was) but its also been mined --up until the 1930's or so.

NYC retains a lot of ducth terms that have come into everyday speach, and many dutch place names.. but the dutha are appalled at how we mangle the names with our english pronounciations. (there was a thread... )


my other obsession