Museum Mile: downtown traffic passing the Metropolitan Museum of Art at 81st Street is largely buses and taxis

Fifth Avenue is a major thoroughfare in the center of the borough of Manhattan in New York City, New York, United States. The section of Fifth Avenue that crosses Midtown Manhattan, especially that between 49th Street and 60th Street, is lined with prestigious shops and is consistently ranked among the most expensive shopping streets in the world.^[1] The "most expensive street in the world" moniker changes depending on currency fluctuations and local economic conditions from year to year. For several years starting in the mid-1990s, the shopping district between 49th and 57th Streets was ranked as having the world's most expensive retail spaces on a cost per square foot basis.^[2] In 2008, Forbes magazine ranked Fifth Avenue as being the most expensive street in the world. Some of the most coveted real estate on Fifth Avenue are the penthouses perched atop the buildings. ^[3]

Fifth Avenue originates at Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village and runs northwards through the heart of Midtown, along the eastern side of Central Park, where it forms the boundary of the Upper East Side and through Harlem, where it terminates at the Harlem River at 142nd Street. Traffic crosses the river on the Madison Avenue Bridge. Fifth Avenue serves as the dividing line for house numbering in Manhattan. It separates, for example, East 59th Street from West 59th Street. From this zero point for street addresses, numbers increase in both directions as one moves away from Fifth Avenue, with 1 West 59th Street on the corner at Fifth Avenue, and 300 West 59th Street located three blocks to the west of it.

History[link]

The lower stretch of Fifth Avenue extended the stylish neighborhood of Washington Square northwards. The high status of Fifth Avenue was confirmed in 1862, when Caroline Schermerhorn Astor settled on the southwest corner of 34th Street, and the beginning of the end of its reign as a residential street was symbolized by the erection, in 1893, of the Astoria Hotel on the site of her house, later linked to its neighbor as the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel (now the site of the Empire State Building). Fifth Avenue is the central scene in Edith Wharton's 1920 Pulitzer Prize winning novel The Age of Innocence. The novel describes New York's social elite in the 1870s and provides historical context to Fifth Avenue and New York's aristocratic families.

Originally a narrower thoroughfare, much of Fifth Avenue south of Central Park was widened in 1908, sacrificing its wide sidewalks to accommodate the increasing traffic. The midtown blocks, now famously commercial, were largely a residential district until the turn of the 20th century. The first commercial building on Fifth Avenue was erected by Benjamin Altman who bought the corner lot on the northeast corner of 34th Street in 1896, and demolished the "Marble Palace" of his arch-rival, A. T. Stewart. In 1906 his department store, B. Altman and Company, occupied the whole of its block front. The result was the creation of a high-end shopping district that attracted fashionable women and the upscale stores that wished to serve them. Lord & Taylor's flagship store is still located on Fifth Avenue near the Empire State Building and the New York Public Library.

Upper Fifth Avenue[link]

By the turn of the 20th century, the very rich of New York had migrated to the stretch of Fifth Avenue between 59th Street and 96th Street, the stretch where Fifth Avenue faces Central Park. Entries to the park include Inventor's Gate at 72nd Street, which gave access to the park's carriage drives, and Engineers' Gate at 90th Street, used by equestrians.

A milestone for Fifth Avenue came in 1916, when the grand corner mansion at 72nd Street and Fifth Avenue that James A. Burden had erected as recently as 1893 was demolished to make way for a grand apartment house, 907 Fifth Avenue, of 12 stories around a central court, with two apartments to a floor;^[4] its strong cornice above the fourth floor, just at the eaves height of its neighbors, was intended to soften its presence. This was the first such replacement.

In January 1922, the city reacted to complaints about the ongoing replacement of Fifth Avenue's mansions by apartment buildings by restricting the height of future structures to 75 feet (23 m), about half the height of a ten-story apartment building.^[5] Architect J. E. R. Carpenter brought suit, and won a verdict overturning the height restriction in 1923. Carpenter argued that "the avenue would be greatly improved in appearance when deluxe apartments would replace the old-style mansions."^[6]

This area contains many highly notable apartment buildings, including 810 Fifth Avenue and the Park Cinq, many of them built in the 1920s by architects such as Rosario Candela and J. E. R. Carpenter. A very few post-World War II structures break the unified limestone frontage, notably the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum between 88th and 89th Streets.

Traffic flow[link]

Fifth Avenue carries one-way traffic downtown (southbound) from 135th Street to Washington Square Park, with the changeover from two-way traffic taking place on January 14, 1966, at which time Madison Avenue was changed to one way uptown (northbound).^[7] Two-way traffic on Fifth Avenue is allowed north of 135th Street only. From 124th Street to 120th Street, Fifth Avenue is cut off by Marcus Garvey Park, with southbound traffic diverted around the park via Mount Morris Park West.

Fifth Avenue is one of the few major streets in Manhattan along which streetcars did not run. Instead, Fifth Avenue Coach offered a service more to the taste of fashionable gentlefolk, at twice the fare. On May 23, 2008, The New York Times reported that the New York City area Metropolitan Transportation Authority's bus division is considering the use of double-decker buses on Fifth Avenue once again, where they were operated by the Fifth Avenue Coach Company until 1953,^[8]and again by MTA from 1976 to 1978.

Parade route[link]

Fifth Avenue is the traditional route for many celebratory parades in New York City; thus, it is closed to traffic on numerous Sundays in warm weather. The longest running parade is the annual St. Patrick's Day Parade. Parades held are distinct from the ticker-tape parades held on the "Canyon of Heroes" on lower Broadway, and the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade held on Broadway from the Upper West Side downtown to Herald Square.

The Latino literary classic by New Yorker Giannina Braschi, entitled "Empire of Dreams," takes place on the Puerto Rican Day Parade on Fifth Avenue.

Bicycling route[link]

Bicycling on Fifth Avenue ranges from safe with a bike lane south of 23rd Street, to scenic along Central Park, to dangerous through Midtown with very heavy traffic during rush hours.^[9]

Overturned Midtown Bike Ban[link]

In July 1987, then New York City Mayor Edward Koch proposed banning bicycling on Fifth, Park, and Madison Avenues during weekdays, but many bicyclists protested and had the ban overturned.^[10] When the trial was started on Monday, August 24, 1987 for 90 days to ban bicyclists from these three avenues from 31st Street to 59th Street between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. on weekdays, mopeds would not be banned.^[11] On Monday, August 31, 1987, a state appeals court judge halted the ban for at least a week pending a ruling after opponents against the ban brought a lawsuit.^[12]

Economy[link]

Many airlines established ticketing offices along Fifth Avenue. In the years leading up to 1992, the number of ticketing offices along Fifth Avenue decreased. Pan American World Airways went out of business, while Air France, Finnair, and KLM moved their ticket offices to other areas in Midtown Manhattan.^[13]

Shopping[link]

Between 49th Street and 60th Street, is lined with prestigious boutiques and flagship stores and is consistently ranked among the most expensive shopping streets in the world. ^[14]

• Most of the world's luxury boutiques are located on Fifth Avenue, which include Louis Vuitton, Tiffany & Co., Gucci, Adidas, Prada, Bottega Veneta, Armani, Fendi, Versace, Tommy Hilfiger, Cartier, Omega, Chanel, United Colors of Benetton, BCBG Max Azria, Harry Winston, Salvatore Ferragamo, Nike, Escada, Swarovski, Zara, Bvlgari, Emilio Pucci, Ermenegildo Zegna, Gap, Diesel, Abercrombie & Fitch and many more.
• Fifth Avenue is home to luxury department stores Lord & Taylor, Saks Fifth Avenue, Barneys, & Bergdorf Goodman.
• Fifth Avenue is home to New York's fifth most photographed building, the Apple Store.
• Fifth Avenue is home to the largest Build-A-Bear Workshop in the world.

Gallery[link]

• 

  Fifth Avenue, 1878: illustration from The Wickedest Woman in New York: Madame Restell, the Abortionist by Clifford Browder

• 

  Fifth Avenue, 1918, photograph from the Library of Congress Collection

• 

  Memorial to New York architect Richard Morris Hunt, Fifth Avenue between 70th and 71st Streets

• WashSqParkand5thAve.JPG

  An aerial view of Washington Square Park and the start of Fifth Avenue. The major thoroughfare has its origin at the base of the Washington Square Arch and the intersection of Washington Square North.

See also[link]

• Transportation in New York City
• List of upscale shopping districts
• Madison Avenue
• Park Avenue

References[link]

14. http://www.businessinsider.com/meet-the-man-who-builds-apples-beautiful-retail-stores-2010-3#

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: 5th Avenue (Manhattan)

• Fifth Avenue Photos
• Fifth Avenue Directory and Images
• Greek Independence Day Parade, Fifth Avenue
• New York Songlines: Fifth Avenue

Further reading[link]

• Gaines, Steven (2005). The Sky's the Limit: Passion and Property in Manhattan. New York: Little, Brown. ISBN 0-316-60851-3. 

Coordinates: 40°46′26″N 73°57′58″W / 40.774°N 73.966°W / 40.774; -73.966

Mac Miller
Mac Miller performing at the Governor's Ball in 2011.
Background information
Birth name	Malcolm McCormick
Also known as	Easy Mac
Born	(1992-01-19) January 19, 1992 (age 20) Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Genres	Hip hop
Occupations	Rapper, producer, actor, songwriter
Years active	2007 – present
Labels	Rostrum Records, Most Dope Entertainment
Associated acts	Wiz Khalifa, Beedie, The Ill Spoken, I.D. Labs, Big Jerm
Website	www.macmillerofficial.com

Malcolm McCormick (born January 19, 1992),^[1] known by his stage name Mac Miller (previously Easy Mac), is an American rapper from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He is signed to Rostrum Records and released his debut album Blue Slide Park on November 8, 2011.^[2]

Early life[link]

Malcolm McCormick was born on January 19, 1992, the son of an architect and a photographer, and raised in the Point Breeze part of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.^[1][3] His father is Christian and his mother is Jewish; Miller was raised Jewish and had a Bar Mitzvah.^[4][5][6] Before attending Taylor Allderdice High School, Miller attended Winchester Thurston School.^[7] In high school, Miller decided to focus on his hip-hop career, later noting, "Once I hit 15, I got real serious about it and it changed my life completely ... I used to be into sports, play all the sports, go to all the high school parties. But once I found out hip-hop is almost like a job, that's all I did."^[1] Miller, a self-taught musician, plays piano, guitar, drums, and bass.^[1][8]

Career[link]

Before embarking on a solo career, Miller was part of rap group The Ill Spoken together with fellow Pittsburgh rapper, Beedie. The Ill Spoken released the mixtape How High in 2008. Prior to changing his name to Mac Miller, he was known as EZ Mac and released the mixtape But My Mackin Ain't Easy in 2007 at 15 years old. In 2009 Mac Miller released two mixtapes The Jukebox: Prelude to Class Clown and The High Life before getting signed to Rostrum Records.

In early 2010, Miller signed with Rostrum Records.^[9] Rostrum president Benjy Grinberg met Miller while recording with Wiz Khalifa at ID Labs.^[10] Although Grinberg started giving Miller advice, he didn't show any interest in getting involved with his career until the artist began work on the K.I.D.S. mixtape, when, as he later told HitQuarters, Grinberg "noticed a maturation in his sound and approach to his music."^[10] By that point Miller had started attracting interest from different record companies but chose Rostrum due to its location in his hometown and association with Wiz Khalifia.^[10] K.I.D.S. was released by the label in August 2010.^[1] The mixtape was inspired by the movie Kids. A significant breakthrough came in late 2010 when Miller embarked on his first "Incredibly Dope Tour", selling out at every location on the tour.^[10]

Miller's 5th^[when?] release was a mixtape titled Best Day Ever. The mixtape features his single "Donald Trump" and the hit songs "Wear My Hat", "BDE Bonus" and "All Around The World." The mixtape featured mainstream producers such as Just Blaze, 9th Wonder, and Chuck Inglish. On November 22, 2010 his first single "Knock Knock" premiered its video on YouTube.^[11]

On March 29, 2011, he released an EP called On And On And Beyond. The six-track work was produced by Rostrum Records.

On July 5, 2011, Miller announced the title of his first album Blue Slide Park on his YouTube channel, set for a Fall release.^[12] In September 2011 it was revealed that Miller would release a mixtape titled 92 Til Infinity hosted by DJ Jazzy Jeff prior to the release of Blue Slide Park.^[13] However, the release did not happen, and it was since then left in planning.

Prior to his 2011 national Blue Slide Park tour, Miller traveled Europe on his "Incredibly Dope Tour" visiting cities such as London, Manchester, and Amsterdam.

On October 14, 2011, Mac Miller released a 13 song mixtape called I Love Life, Thank You for reaching 1,000,000 followers on Twitter. It had features from Sir Michael Rocks of The Cool Kids, Talib Kweli, and Bun B.

On November 2011, Blue Slide Park debuted at number 1 on the Billboard 200 with first week sales of 144,000 copies.^[14]

On March 23, 2012, Mac Miller released his seventh mixtape called Macadelic. He released "Loud" as a single off the mixtape as well as filiming a music video. Miller also released a video for "Thoughts From A Balcony".

Awards and honors[link]

In 2009 at age 17, he made it to the final four in Rhyme Calisthenics, the MC competition at Shadow Lounge.^[15] In 2010, he won two awards at the Pittsburgh hip-hop awards.^[16] His video "Live Free" won video of the year and he also won Best Artist Under 21. In September 2011 Maroon 5 announced that Mac Miller will be featured on their remix of their top chart song "Moves Like Jagger".^[17] In 2011 Miller was one of eleven rappers featured in XXL magazine's Freshman Class of 2011.^[18] The video for the first single released from this mixtape, "Donald Trump", has reached over 53 million views on YouTube^[19] and Donald Trump himself, who is referenced on the song, acknowledged the video on the social networking site Twitter when it reached 20 million views stating "Who wouldn't be flattered?". He declared that Miller was the “new Eminem,” and stated “I am very proud of him.”^[20] Endorsements by Donald Trump helped Miller become increasingly more popular. The song also charted on iTunes debuting at #73 and peaking at #40,^[21] before Miller was signed to a major label. In 2011, his first TV appearance took place in the VH1 show Single Ladies; he played a fictionalized version of himself that succeeded in selling one of his mixtapes to one of the main characters. Also in 2011, he was a part of MTV Jams Fab Five artists.^[22]

Musical philosophy[link]

Mac Miller includes Big L, Lauryn Hill, The Beastie Boys, Outkast, and A Tribe Called Quest among his influences.^[8] He also has a close relationship with fellow Pittsburgh rapper Wiz Khalifa, saying "Wiz has been a big brother to me with this music thing so far. Our relationship is beyond music. He really is just my homie, whether I will be making music or not."^[23]

As an artist, Mac Miller has performed in a number of different styles. His classic musical style contains lyrics focused on marijuana, women, and "a dream". However, Miller has lately been experimenting with new styles in his music, such as in his 2012 mixtape Macadelic. Most songs have a heavy psychedelic influence, and include lyrics with deeper meaning. Also, older artists and music performers are praised on some of Mac's new works (the beginning of "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" by the Beatles is used as an interlude for the song "Loud").

Discography[link]

Studio albums

• Blue Slide Park (2011)

Extended plays

• On and On and Beyond (2011)

Mixtapes

• But My Mackin' Ain't Easy (2007)
• The Jukebox: Prelude to Class Clown (2009)
• The High Life (2009)
• K.I.D.S. (2010)
• Best Day Ever (2011)
• I Love Life, Thank You (2011)
• Macadelic (2012)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official Mac Miller Website

Gold Panda (born Derwin Schlecker) is a musical composer, performer and producer from the United Kingdom.

He was born in Peckham, London,^[1] in 1980 and hails from Chelmsford, Essex.^[2] He lived in Japan and studied at the School of Oriental and African Studies at University of London.^[3] Gold Panda released several small-issue 7" records and singles in 2009, on Various Production's label among others. The song "Quitters Raga" was named number 75 on the 100 best of 2009 by music website Pitchfork.^[4] In 2010 he signed with Ghostly International and released his debut full-length, Lucky Shiner, in September of that year.^[5][6][7][8]