Washington D.C.: American Cities

American Cities
Washington D.C.
Is the capital city of the United States. It´s named after the first president, George Washington. It
was chosen by him. It is the first city in the world especially planned and built as a capital. The
letters D.C. mean District of Columbia. The capitol is not a part of any of the 50 states and there
are no skyscrapers so typical for America – they were built behind the Potomac river.
Washington D.C. lies on the Potomac River on the eastern coast of the USA and has 4 sections:
northeast (NE), northwest (NW), southeast (SE) and southwest (SW). It is a legislative,
administrative and judicial centre of the States.
The streets starting from the Capitol in the north-south direction bear numbers and streets
running in the west-east direction are marked with letters. In the centre – on Capitol Hill – is the
Capitol, seat of the Congress, the House of Representatives and the Senate. Nearby is the White
House, at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue; it has been the residence of all American presidents
except for George Washington. Important buildings include the Library of Congress – the US
national library – and Pentagon, the centre of military forces.
The Mall is a long park-like area that starts at the Capitol and extends for two miles ending at
the Washington Monument. It is a 170m high obelisk, surrounded by fifty flags, with an
elevator inside. The top offers a panoramic view of the city. Other memorials honouring famous
figures from American history include The Jefferson Memorial (honours Thomas Jefferson, 3rd
US president), The Lincoln Memorial (it is built in the classic style of a Greek temple; it houses
the marble statue of Abraham Lincoln in a chair) and many American soldiers´ memorials.
The Supreme Court is the main judicial body of the States.
In the Arlington National Cemetery veterans are buried.
Washington is world famous for its museums. There is the National Air and Space Museums, the
Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institute – a number of museums with various collections,
the National Gallery of Art and many others. There are also parks and green spaces – the most
beautiful parks are the West and East Potomac Parks and Constitution Gardens.
New York
New York is situated on the eastern coast of the USA. It was the capitol for four years during the
War of Independence. It is the biggest city in the USA, an important seaport, and a financial,
business and cultural centre. There are four airports and it has the largest subway system in the
world.
Because of the hustle and bustle of the city it is often called „the city that never sleeps“. It is
also called „the Big Apple“ as there used to be apple orchards in place of today´s New York.
New York consists of five boroughs: Manhattan, The Bronx, The Queens, Brooklyn and
Richmond.
Manhattan is the most important of them. It has a modern layout; there are avenues running
from south to north and they have names. The streets run from east to west and they have
numbers. In total there are 12 long avenues and 500 shorter streets. Manhattan is situated on a
rocky island between the East River and the Hudson River and the name is from an Indian name
man-a-hat-ta meaning heavenly land.
There are luxurious shops, hotels and offices on Fifth Avenue. The Empire State Building is
located there.
Broadway runs across the streets and avenues. It is more than 19km long, there are 33 theatres,
also the Metropolitan Opera, Carnegie Hall, cinemas, restaurants, clubs and bars.
Times Square is a centre of entertainment. There are department stores, shops, restaurants,
nightclubs and hotels. It is named after the former buildings of the New York Times newspaper.
Wall Street is the financial centre of the world. There are banks and the stock exchange.
Harlem is a black quarter with many poor and unemployed people.
The Bronx is in the north on the mainland. It has a reputation of a poor area.
Another borough is the Queens.
Brooklyn is the largest of the five; it is situated on Long Island. Originally it was a swamp and
the Dutch filled it with their garbage and created Brooklyn.
Richmond is on the Staten Island in the south.
The statue of Liberty is a copper statue given to the USA by France in 1887. She has a tablet
with 4th July 1776 in her left hand and a torch in her right hand. The statue stands on Liberty
Island near the port. It is the symbol of New York and the first sight for many immigrants; so it
has become a symbol of hope and freedom.
San Francisco
Located in the state of California, San Francisco overlooks a bay. In the past it used to be a
Spanish fort. Unfortunately, there are many earthquakes in that part of the world. After the Great
Earthquake in 1906 there was a three-day fire that destroyed the city centre. Today, San
Francisco is a picturesque city with steep streets and cable cars. The most important sight is the
Golden Gate Bridge (1,280m long) that is said to be the most photographed bridge in the world.
Another famous landmark is the prison Alcatraz where Al Capone and other dangerous
criminals were imprisoned. Just nine men managed to escape from the rock but they probably
drowned in the sea.
Los Angeles
Los Angeles is the capital of the film world. Many famous people live there in order to be near to
the film studios in Hollywood. Famous people often live in suburbs such as Beverly Hills or
Hollywood. It is the second largest city in the USA. Its name comes from the Spanish for „the
City of Angels“. Los Angeles is famous for its semi-tropical climate, palm trees and beaches.
3,5 million people live in the city and the number of cars is even higher. Most people drive to
work along the complicated network of freeways. Because of the high number of private cars,
LA is known for its traffic jams and air pollution.
Chicago
Chicago is situated on the shores of Lake Michigan. Two important rivers run through the city –
the Chicago and the Calumet. There is the tallest skyscraper Sears Tower (443 meters) in
Chicago. It is an industrial centre. There is a large Czech and Slovak community in Chicago. O
´Hare Airport is the busiest airport in the world.
New Orleans
New Orleans looks like an European-style city, like San Francisco. It is an important port town
in USA, lying in the southeast part of Luisiana by the river Mississippi. New Orleans is the home
of jazz and the birthplace of Louis Armstrong. The best jazz in the country can still be heard in
its French Quarter.
Las Vegas is famous for gambling, hotels and casinos.
Atlanta is the seat of Coca-Cola.
Nashville is considered the capital of country music.
Detroit, Michigan, is the centre of the car industry in the US.

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American Cities

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