Madison Avenue, New York

Running south-north from Madison Square (at 23rd Street) to Harlem River Drive (at 142nd Street), Madison Avenue passes through Midtown and further up the Upper East Side, East Harlem, and Harlem. The avenue is named after the place it arises from, Madison Square, which in turn has been named after James Madison, the fourth President of the United States.

The street's name has been metonymous with the American advertising industry since the 1920s. Thus, the term "Madison Avenue" refers specifically to the agencies and methodology of advertising ("Madison Avenue techniques" – the gimmicky, slick use of the communications media to play on emotions).

Interestingly enough, more recently, in 1984, the "Splash" movie gave rise to a new naming trend in the U.S. associated with Madison. In this film, a mermaid, who has adopted a human form, takes the name Madison after she sees it on a street sign. Ever since then, Madison, which had previously been an exclusively male name (meaning "son of Maud", Maud's son), has been used by females and become one of the most popular names for girls in the United States.

Similarly to London's Oxford Street and the neighboring Fifth Avenue, Madison Avenue is known for its fashionable shops, especially in the section between 57th and 85th Streets, exhibiting timeless elegance with a contemporary flavor that is distinctively New York. This premier luxury district is a home to flagship boutiques of the finest fashion (& jewelry) designers like Tom Ford, Giorgio Armani, Calvin Klein, Luca Luca, Hermes, and Carolina Herrera. Numerous world class art galleries and the Whitney Museum of American Art are also found here alongside internationally renowned hotels such as the Mark, the Pierre, and the Carlyle. The exquisite local restaurants, spas and salons are geared to deliver exclusive pampering to the rich and famous.