Big Apple
"The Big Apple" was popularized as a name for New York City by John J. Fitz Gerald in a number of horse-racing articles for the "New York Morning Telegraph" in the 1920s. The earliest of these was a casual reference on 3rd May, 1921:
Empire Expo Center
Its major annual event is the Great New York State Fair which draws approximately one million visitors during its 13-day run, and the entire complex is often referred to as the Fairgrounds. Its name comes from the nickname of New York State, "The Empire State". The State Fair Coliseum located within the Empire Expo Center was the original home of the Syracuse Nationals (now Philadelphia 76ers) professional basketball team.