Studiare inglese a New York - Curiosità sulla 42esima strada!

La 42esima strada è una delle mete preferite dai turisti, inclusi gli studenti dei nostri corsi di inglese a New York.

Si tratta di una delle vie più importanti di Manhattan. Qui si trovano numerosi edifici famosi per la loro storia o... per la loro apparizione al cinema. Il palazzo del Daily News, ad esempio, ha ispirato il quartier generale del Daily Planet di Superman, la NY Public Library appare in Ghostbusters e la Grand Central Terminal in molti film tra cui Intrigo internazionale di Hitchcock.

Leggi l'articolo di Speak Up e ascolta l'audio dell'intervista cliccando sul link a fondo pagina.

42nd Street is one of Manhattan’s most important roads. It cuts a line through the centre of the island (“Midtown”) from east to west. It captures the spirit of New York, a mixture of excitement and controversy. It is also famous for the 1933 musical film 42nd Street, directed by Lloyd Bacon with choreography by Busby Berkeley.

A long journey

The corner of 42nd Street and Broadway in Times Square is a historic location. It is the start of the Lincoln Highway1, the first highway to cross2 the USA. The highway followed the path3 of today’s 42nd Street. Then it crossed the Hudson River into New Jersey, and continued 3,389 miles (5,454 km) across the country to San Francisco, California!

Tourist attraction

Vast numbers of tourists visit 42nd Street every year. They come to see Times Square. They see a show at one of 42nd Street’s theatres. And they get their shoes cleaned4 on a street corner by one of New York’s many shoeshine men5.

Visitors can take a tour not only of 42nd Street, but also separate tours of its iconic buildings. There is the United Nations, a massive 18-acre site, the Daily News Building, the Chrysler Building, Grand Central Terminal and theatres like Walt Disney’s New Amsterdam Theater.

Crime

Until the 1980s 42nd Street was famous for crime and prostitution. Its theatres showed exploitation movies6. It was a dangerous7 place. A comedian once said, “They call it 42nd Street because you’re not safe there for more than 40 seconds!” The area has, however, been transformed with new shopping centres and the artistic revival8 of its theatres. One building here represents this more than any other: that is the Manhattan Plaza.

Miraculous

Manhattan Plaza is known

1    highway: autostrada as “the Miracle of 42nd Street.” It helped transform the notorious area called Hell’s Kitchen. The Plaza was built in the 1970s as part of the city’s affordable housing9 programme. Manhattan Plaza accommodates over 3,500 people, a wonderful10 community of artists and locals. Famous residents include Broadway composer Alan Menken, singer Alicia Keys, Mickey Rourke and Samuel L. Jackson. Jackson actually11 worked there as a security guard.

2    to cross: ad attraversare
3    followed the path: seguiva il percorso
4    they get their shoes cleaned: si fanno pulire le scarpe
5    shoeshine men: lustrascarpe
6    exploitation movies: film di bassa qualità che puntano a fare soldi grazie a effetti speciali o sensazionalistici (lett. exploitation: sfruttamento)
7    dangerous: pericoloso
8    revival: ripresa, rinnovamento
9    affordable housing: alloggi a prezzi accessibili
10    wonderful: meravigliosa
11    actually: in realtà

Per ascoltare l’audio dell’articolo vai sul sito di Speak Up:
(link: http://www.speakuponline.it/articolo/42nd-street)

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