And that guy had the nerve to put his store in a few blocks up from me.

FORBES: Spy store vs. spy store

As described by ice sculptor Joseph Amendola in his book Ice Carving Made Easy, written records dating back to 600 BC reveal that in the highlands of northwest China, farmers would flood their fields with water, wait for it to freeze, harvest blocks of ice and then store them in insulated facilities to help preserve perishables like seafood.

BBC: The origins of ice sculpting

At an Apple store in downtown San Francisco, customers lined the length of one and a half city blocks.

WSJ: Global Sales of iPhone 5 Kick Off With Crowds

As an example of his community spirit, the jeweler recalled a gentleman who visited the store recently, explaining that his daughter, in labor at Lenox Hill Hospital a few blocks south, couldn't get her wedding band off her swollen hand and was in extreme pain.

WSJ: Jeweler Under Siege