24. WASHINGTON AND NEW YORK
15. 2. 2009
D.C. (WASHINGTON)
Why is Washington, D.C. the capital of the U.S.A.?
In 1790 American Congress decided to build the new capital. New York competed with Philadelphia for becoming the capital (Philadelphia was the seat of the government till that time). Building a new capital was a compromise. The new capital was named after the first American President George Washington. It was built on neutral land presented by the States of Virginia and Maryland, on the banks of the Potomac River.
The letters D.C. stand for District of Columbia.
What can we see in D.C.?
Washington is one of the most beatiful cities of America built in classic style.
The center of the city is the Capitol Building which is the home of Congress. People sometimes confuse the Capitol with the White House.
The Capitol
The White House is the residence of the U.S. President. (The only President who didn’t live there was George Washington, who died one year before the building was finished.) You can see tourists standing in front of it all the time. Someone is always protesting against something.
The White House
From the White House you can walk to the Washington Monument which is called „Pencil“ because of its shape.
The Pencil (Washington Monument)
Between the Capitol and the „Pencil“ there is a park, the National Mall. In this park the congressmen run their regular miles for health.
In this park, the Lincoln Memorial is situated
(which has the form of a Greek temple). There are also War Veterans Memorials (Korean War, Vietnam War, World War II).
The Lincoln Memorial.
On the other side of the Potomac River we can find the famous Arlington National Cemetery with the graves of famous personalities of American history, including the simple grave of J.F.Kennedy.
Washington D.C. is also famous for its museums.
There is also the FBI building and the building of the Defense Department, the Pentagon.
NEW YORK
- is the biggest city in the USA
- it is sometimes called "The Big Apple" or "Melting Pot" or "The City which never sleeps"
- it has 5 major parts: Manhattan, Queens, the Bronx, Staten Island and Brooklyn
- the black quarter - Harlem - is in northern part of Manhattan
- New York is situated on the Hudson River
HISTORY OF NEW YORK:
The original inhabitants were Indians. The Dutch bought it from the Indians in the 17th century (they bought the Manhattan island for goods worth 25 dollars). The original name was "New Amsterdam". In 1644 the British captured the city and renamed it New York. It became an important trading port.
In northern part of Manhattan Island there used to be a wall against Indians; now there is Wall Street - the centre of financial life with the most important stock-exchange in the world.
MANHATTAN CITY PLAN
The streets and avenues follow a geometric shape; they are numbered (only the oldest from them have got their names: Wall Street, Broadway); streets run east-west; avenues north-south.
Broadway is the centre of cultural life. There are boroughs such as Little Italy, Chinatown, Soho (South of Houston).
The City is notorious for its crime. There are drug
battles, gang wars, homeless people living in the
streets.
SKYSCRAPERS
New York is famous for its Manhattan skyline - a large number of skyscrapers on a small area. They started to build skyscrapers because there was little space and the land was expensive. Skyscrapers are built with the help of computers nowadays. They can resist wind and earthquake. A skyscraper is a small city itself - it has residential quarters, office spaces, parking lots, restaurants, shopping facilities, fitness centres, swimming pools. Interesting skyscrapers in NY are: the Empire State Building, Chrysler Building, Citicorp Center, PanAm Building, Trump Tower.
PARKS, ISLANDS
Central Park - is the only quiet place. Rock concerts tak place here. Open-air theatre or music performances. People go rollerblading here.
There are many islands in the area of New York. Roosevelt Island, Liberty Island with the Statue of Liberty (the model of this statue was given to the USA by France in 1884). The Statue is a symbol of hope and freedom. It is made of copper - that's why it is green.
ECONOMY
NY is an industrial city, a business centre and the biggest port in the USA. It has the largest subway system in the world.