Artie (in disguise) mentions a game called "Drop The Handkerchief" which was interrupted after the incident with the thimble (and never gotten around to) is a variation on the children's game "Duck, Duck, Goose" in which the chaser is designated by dropping a cloth or rag behind one of the players as they stand in a circle.
The character Lola Cortez, introduced as a dancer and actress, may be a reference to Lola Montez (1821-1861), a dancer who was notorious for her connection to famous men of her era, including Franz Liszt and King Ludwig I of Bavaria, from whom she received the title Countess of Landsfeld. Her last years were spent in New York.
At the end of this episode James West debuts a new hair style which he keeps throughout the end of the series.