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New York City
New York City, or 'The Big Apple' doesn't need too much of an introduction. One of the most exhilarating and outrageous, famous and infamous, densely packed masses of humanity in the world, New York, New York has a hyperactive rhythm of life that you'll either love or hate. Covering an area of 785 square km, and with a population of 8 million, wherever you go or whatever you do in New York you're bound to be left dazzled and a bit stunned by the excesses you'll encounter on both ends of the scale.
纽约城,亦称“大苹果”,无需进行过多的介绍。作为世界上最刺激而又疯狂、闻名遐迩而又声名狼藉、人口稠密的城市之一,纽约州的纽约市拥有一种你非爱即憎的异常活跃的生活节奏。在占地785平方公里、拥有800万人口的纽约,无论你去哪里,无论你做何事,你一定会被你所遇到的各种无所不用其极的情形弄得眼花缭乱,有点儿目瞪口呆。
Attractions
Too many to list here, you could spend weeks (and thousands of dollars) in New York if you attempted to have a good go at seeing all the city has to offer the tourist. In this issue of Travel, we'll just give you the sights that you couldn't leave New York without missing.
1. Central Park
A huge rectangle of green vegetation located right in the middle of the skyscrapers of Manhattan, in its quieter areas Central Park can be a welcome escape from the madness and traffic in the daytime, although some parts are slightly busier with street breakdance performers, cyclists and rollerbladers. Seen from on high, the park cuts a beautiful natural green swathe through the grey-black super-modern high-rises, and is a cityscape to rival Hong Kong's Victoria Peak and Rio's statue of Christ the redeemer.
2. The Empire State Building
New York's original skyline symbol, the Empire State Building, is a limestone classic built in just 410 days during the depths of the Depression. It stands 102 storeys and almost 449m (1472ft) tall. The famous antenna was originally to be a mooring mast for zeppelins, but the Hindenberg disaster ①put a stop to that plan.
3. Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Upper East Side is home to New York's greatest concentration of cultural centres: 5th Ave above 57th St is known as Museum Mile. The big daddy of these is the Metropolitan Museum of Art ('the Met'), New York's most popular tourist site, which functions something like a self-contained cultural city-state with three million individual objects in its collection.
4. Museum of Modern Art
The new MoMA, is undoubtedly one of New York's finest museums. In its new location on W53rd St, between Fifth and Sixth Aves, the MoMA is a perfect excuse to explore its 100,000-plus paintings, sculptures, drawings, prints, photographs, architectural models and design objects. Its collection of masterpieces includes Picasso's Les Demoiselles d'Avignon, Van Gogh's Starry Night and Piet Mondrian's Broadway Boogie-Woogie. Claude Monet's Water Lilies rates a whole gallery to itself.
5. Statue of Liberty
The Statue of Liberty stands at the crossroads of the Old World and the New. The Lady with the Lamp represents not only the shining ideals of democracy but, over the years, has become a shorthand visual for the immigrants' lament inscribed on her base: 'Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free...' It's a 354-step climb to the statue's crown, the equivalent of climbing a 22-storey building, and if you want to tackle it, start early to avoid the crowds - it's hard to contemplate the American dream with your nose to the tail of the person in front.
6. Times Square
Dubbed the 'Great White Way' after its bright lights, Times Square has long been celebrated as New York's glittery crossroads. The Square went into deep decline during the 1960s when the movie palaces turned XXX-rated and the area became known as a hangout for every colourful, crazy or dangerous character in Midtown. A major 'clean-up' operation removed most of the sleaze and now the combination of colour, zipping message boards and massive TV screens makes for quite a sight.
Shopping, Eating and Entertainment
With the size and orientation of New York, this section is best split into geographical areas where you can choose that atmosphere that best suits you.
1. SoHo
Although the pulse of New York's finest art galleries beats in West Chelsea these days, SoHo (from 'south of Houston') retains its trendy appeal with a bumper crop of upmarket designer-clothing stores and shoe boutiques selling oh-so-precious curios. The district is a paradigm of inadvertent urban renewal, having transmogrified from the city's leading commercial district in the post-Civil War days to a tuned-in artists colony in the 1950s, to the impossibly expensive platinum card excesses of today. Its beautifully restored cast-iron buildings are some of the best examples of this style in the world.
2. Tribeca
This neighborhood of old warehouses and loft apartments has a fair share of restaurants and bars, along with Robert De Niro's Tribeca Films production company. It's not unusual to spot a star ②hanging out at a local restaurant or bar, and Tribeca's desolation chic makes the area a favorite for fashion photographers. Though not as touristy or architecturally significant as SoHo, the neighborhood went through an amazing transformation prior to September 11, with huge lofts, top restaurants, historic bars and a strong shopping and arts scene.
3. West (Greenwich) Village
The Village is one of the city's most popular neighborhoods, and a universal symbol for all things outlandish and bohemian. It's still a vibrant area, packed with cafes, shops and bars, all of them huddled around Washington Square Park, purportedly the most crowded recreational space in the world.
The Village (as New Yorkers call it) is kept humming by the endless supply of New York University (NYU) students and nostalgic tourists. Once known throughout the world for its swinging, smoky arts scene, the neighborhood can seem downright somnolent these days. The area's reputation as a creative enclave can be traced back to at least the early 1900s, when artists and writers moved in, followed by jazz musicians who played at famous (still functioning) clubs like the Blue Note and Village Vanguard. By the 40s the neighborhood was known as a gathering place for gay people. The coffeehouses on Bleecker St ③hark back to New York's beatnik 50s and hippie 60s. Bob Dylan reputedly began his career in the Village, Jimi Hendrix lived here and the Rolling Stones recorded here.
Getting Around
New York is infamous for its allegedly incomprehensible, dangerous subway. Although it's noisy, confusing and sometimes hot as hell, the subway is really not that difficult and is statistically safer than walking the streets in daylight. It's the fastest, most reliable way around town and most of Manhattan's sights are on its lines.
City buses run 24 hours a day. Bus maps are available at subway and train stations, and well-marked bus stops have 'Guide-a-Ride' maps showing the stops and nearby landmarks. Between 10pm and 5am you can ask to be let off anywhere along your route, even if it's not a designated stop.
名胜
要在这里列出的东西太多了,如果你想好好地畅游该市为游客所提供的所有景点,那么你可能就要在纽约用去几个星期的时间(和几千美元的花费)。而在本期的《旅游网》中,我们就将为你列出那些你在纽约绝对不能错过的景点。
1.中央公园
中央公园是一个坐落在曼哈顿摩天大楼楼群中央、满是绿色植被的巨大长方形区域,虽然有些地方因街舞者、自行车手和直排轮滑玩家而略显嘈杂,但其中一些较为安静的地方却可以成为远离白天的喧嚣和车来车往的好去处。临高下眺,这个公园在灰黑色的超现代大厦间切割出一道美丽的天然绿化带,是一个可以与香港的太平山以及里约热内卢的救世主耶稣雕像相匹敌的都市风景。
2.帝国大厦
纽约最初的天际线标志――帝国大厦,是在“大萧条”的低谷时期仅用了410天就建成的石灰石杰作。它有102层,高度接近449米(1472英尺)。(楼顶)那个著名的天线最初是用作齐柏林飞艇的停机系留装置的,但“兴登堡号”飞艇事故终止了那项计划。
3.大都会博物馆
“上东区”拥有纽约最大的文化中心聚集地:从第57大街之后开始与第五大道相交的地区被统称作博物馆街。这些博物馆中最棒的要数纽约最受欢迎的旅游景点――大都会博物馆了(简称“the Met”),它收藏有300万件单件物品,有点儿像一个独立的文化城邦。
4.现代美术馆
新的现代美术馆无疑是纽约最好的博物馆之一。现代美术馆的新址位于西53街,在第五大道和第六大道之间,提供了一个极好的理由来参观其10万多件绘画、雕塑、素描、版画、摄影作品、建筑模型以及设计作品。它所珍藏的名作包括毕加索的《亚维农的少女》、凡・高的《星夜》和皮耶・蒙德里安的《百老汇爵士乐》。克劳德・莫奈的《睡莲》系列本身就可以称之为一个完备的美术馆了。
5.自由女神像
自由女神像屹立在欧洲和美洲的交汇处。这位擎炬女神不仅象征着民主的光辉理想,而且在历经数年之后也成为了移民悲哀的缩影,而这种悲哀就篆刻在了其底座之上:“把你们那些渴望呼吸自由空气、疲惫、贫困、拥挤的人们给我送来吧……”要到达雕像的“王冠”处需爬354级台阶,相当于爬上22层高的大楼,如果你想爬上去,就要早早动身以避开拥挤的人流――面部紧贴前人的臀部,可是难于去思索“美国梦”的啊。
6.时代广场
时代广场因其绚烂的灯光而被誉为“白色大道”,长期以来被赞许为纽约璀璨的中心。在20世纪60年代,限制级影片充斥电影圣堂,这一地区成为在市中心各种有趣的、疯狂的或者危险的人物的聚集地,而这个广场在此期间经历了严重的衰败。一场大规模的“整顿”运动清理了大部分肮脏的勾当,而如今,色彩、滚动广告牌和超大电视屏幕的结合则成就了一个著名的旅游景点。
购物、餐饮和娱乐
依纽约的布局,本节最好以地理区域来加以划分,这样你就可以选择氛围与你最相适宜的地区了。
1.苏菏区
虽然目前,纽约最好的艺术馆活跃在西切尔西区,但苏菏区(得名于“south of Houston”)凭借着其出售昂贵珍品的大量高档品牌店和精品鞋店而保持着它的潮流吸引力。这个地区是城市悄然变迁的一个范例,从独立战争后该市最重要的商业区,到20世纪50年代追随潮流的艺术家们的聚居地,再到当今昂贵得出奇的白金卡泛滥成灾的地区。它那修葺一新的铸铁建筑是世界上此类建筑中一些最好的范例。
2.翠贝卡区
这个有着古旧仓库和阁楼公寓的地区,拥有相当多的餐馆和酒吧,以及罗伯特・德尼罗的翠贝卡电影公司。在当地的餐馆或者酒吧看到前去消遣的明星是司空见惯的事情,翠贝卡区那种破败的时尚感令此地深受时尚摄影师的喜爱。虽然不像苏菏区旅游味儿那么浓,在建筑上也并非那么宏伟,但这个拥有高大阁楼、高级餐馆、有历史意义的酒吧和浓厚购物和艺术氛围的地区在“911事件”以前却经历了巨大的变迁。
3.西(格林威治)村
西村是该市最受欢迎的地区之一,是公认的所有稀奇古怪和玩世不恭的事物的象征。它仍然是一个生机勃勃的地区,到处都是咖啡馆、店铺和酒吧,所有这些都簇拥在华盛顿广场公园周围,据说是世界上最拥挤的休闲娱乐场所。
由于纽约大学(简称“NYU”)的学生和怀旧的游客不断光顾,西村(纽约人这样叫它)一直保持着活跃的气氛。这一地区曾经以其自由化的地下艺术气氛而闻名世界,但如今却好像完全沉寂了。这个地区的创作圣地之名至少可以追溯到20世纪早期,那时先是艺术家和作家移居于此,后来爵士音乐家也来了,在“蓝调之音”和“前锋村”等著名的(营业至今的)俱乐部进行表演。到了40年代,这个地区则以同性恋聚集地而闻名。而布里克尔大街的咖啡店让人想起了纽约50年代的“垮了的一代”以及60年代的嬉皮士。据说,鲍勃・迪伦是在西村开始他的职业生涯的,吉米・亨德里克斯曾寓居于此,而“滚石乐队”则在这里录制过唱片。
四处行走
纽约以其据说是令人费解、充满危险的地铁而声名狼藉。虽然地铁里嘈杂、混乱,有时热得跟地狱一样,但它确实并非那样复杂,而且据统计,它比白天走在大街上行走还要安全。它是游览全城最快捷、最可靠的方式,而曼哈顿的著名景观就在其沿线之上。
城市公交车24小时运行。在地铁和火车站都备有公交路线图,标注清晰的公共汽车站拥有标有车站和附近地标的“路程指示图”。在晚上10点到凌晨5点之间,你可以要求在沿途的任何地方下车,即使那不是一个指定车站。
Links
1. Old World and the New
文中,在谈到自由女神像时,提到了这个词组。其中,“The New World”指的是“西半球”,即“南北美洲大陆”,而“The Old World”指的则是相对于美洲而言的“东半球”,不过,在更多的情况下,一般代指“欧洲”。
2. smoky
文中,在介绍“西村”的第二段文字中,用到了一个词“smoky”。这个词字面意思就是“冒烟的,烟状的”,但是在文章中,它却被用来形容一种西村艺术氛围的形象,而且暗示着这种艺术氛围是“非主流的”,属于“地下文化”的范畴。
exhilarating /iG`zil9reitiM/ adj.使人兴奋的
outrageous /aut`rei_9s/ adj.令人不可容忍的;疯狂的
infamous /`inf9m9s/ adj.声名狼藉的
hyperactive /,haip9(:)`r2ktiv/ adj.极度活跃的
rectangle /`rekt2MGl/ n.长方形
swathe /sweiN/ n.带子
redeemer /ri`d1m9(r)/ n.救世主
mooring mast停机系留装置
lament /l9`ment/ n.悲哀
hangout /h2Maut/ n.(流氓)巢穴
boutique /b6`t1k/ n.专卖流行物品的精品店
curio /`kju9ri9u/ n.珍品
paradigm /`p2r9daim/ n.范例
inadvertent /,in9d`v8t9nt/ adj.不经意间的
transmogrify /tr2nz`m4Gri,fai/ vt.转型
tuned-in adj.好赶时髦的
touristy /`tu9risti/ adj.旅游者常去的
outlandish /aut`l2ndiH/ adj.古怪的;奇异的
bohemian /b9u`h1mj9n/ adj.放荡不羁的;波希米亚的
purportedly /p8`p5tidli/ adv.据称
hum /h7m/ v.忙碌;活跃起来
nostalgic /n4`st2l_ik/ adj.怀旧的
downright /`daunrait/ adv.完全
somnolent /`s4mn9l9nt/ adj.瞌睡的
enclave /`enkleiv/ n.被包围的领土;飞地
beatnik/`b1tnik/ n.垮了的一代
① put a stop to 使……终止
② hang out 打发时间;消遣
③ hark back 想到(往事)