Sign Language
As an ESL teacher and a language learner, I think that English is a less difficult language to learn. That is until you face some technicalities. If you have any doubts just take a look at these two signs in Manhattan.
Read MoreNew Woof City
The French love dogs but when life gets tough they use the expression vie de chien or dog’s life. The same is true in English but in New York City most dogs are having a ball so life can’t get any better.
Read MoreSpellbound in NYC
Spellbound in NYC
It is almost Halloween. The stores have all the Halloween goodies you can imagine; for kids as well as for adults of any age. Pumpkins of all sizes are around and so are some signs in dire need of a [Halloween] spell check. I admit that while typing I do depend on spell check, too. But once you are tricked into trusting your spell check to do the work, then other people’s eyes are in for a treat. Misspellings can occur and as long as they are blamed on your software then people tend to overlook them. That is until the eyes catch them when they appear on a big sign. The following are some that I have spotted around New York City. I often use them as a classroom warm up activity with my English learning students to see if they can spot the misspelled words. Now, I’d like to share them with you and I start with my favorite:
Read MoreYes, You Can!
You can open a can, you can Cancan or you can can it!
Can is one of those words in English language with many meanings. Primarily, can is a modal verb for those learning the English language. It shows ability, possibility and permission. Since it is a modal verb, the infinitive does not come with “to” and it does not have an “s” when it is used for the 3rd person singular.
But, with a can of tuna fish you can show your ability and strength by opening the can with a can opener. Canned food is easy to keep (as long as the expiry date is still valid) and prepare. It is an option when you have limited time to cook or not enough space in you fridge (a New York City dilemma).
Now Cancan is a whole world apart. It is a high energy dance which has its origins in France. Cancan is performed by a chorus line of female dancers who wear long skirts with petticoats and black stockings. If you are a fan of Toulouse-Lautrec’s impressionist art, you can spot the dancers in some of his paintings.
Finally, while you wait on the New York City’s subway platforms look at the trash cans and what is written on them. You can keep the stations clean if you can “can” your trash. The first edition of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s Gazette highlights some MTA problems that can arise when careless customers do not throw away their trash correctly, i.e. dropping it in the trash can. Trash thrown on the ground can end up on tracks and it can help spark track fires or clog drains and lead to flooding. This can lead to delays in train services and in case of fire it can be dangerous.
So do not underestimate all the good work you can do. Yes, you have the ability; so you can.
New York City’s Other Famous Bridge: The Queensboro Bridge
The official name is Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge which joins Manhattan to Queens. But it is also known to New Yorkers as simply the Queensboro Bridge or the 59th Street Bridge; because of its location. You have seen it in practically any movie featuring New York City, from the 1923 Paramount Pictures’ No Man of Her Own starring Clark Gable and Carole Lombard to 2012 Batman series The Dark Night Rises. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s famed novel The Great Gatsby Nick Carraway; who narrates the story tells us “the city seen from the Queensboro Bridge is always the city seen for the first time, in its first wild promise of all the mystery and the beauty in the world.” Indeed these words should be the ones on the minds of all those travelers arriving in Manhattan in a taxi or in any other car from New York City’s JFK or LaGaurdia airports.
The building of the Queensboro Bridge was a long process. It was in 1838 that the City officials got the idea of a bridge linking the boroughs of Manhattan and Queens. However, they had to wait for almost three decades before a private company accepted to back the financing of the project and its construction. But 20 years later that company itself went bankrupt; making the project a failed one for a while. Finally in 1903 successful plans were implemented by the City’s Department of the Bridges headed by the bridge engineers and architects Gustav Lindenthal and Henry Hornbostel. The bridge was finally opened to the public on March 30, 1909 at a total cost of $18 million dollars and 50 lives of the men building it. To maintain the Queensboro Bridge over $300 million was spent on major renovations between 1987 and 2012.
Next time you are on the Queenboro Bridge, crossing the East River, look at this amazing structure and remember all those who made it possible with their hard work, money or lives and sing along with Simon and Garfunkel; the 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy):
Slow down, you move too fast.
You got to make the morning last.
Just kicking down the cobble stones.
Looking for fun and feelin' groovy.
Hello lamppost,
What cha knowing?
I've come to watch your flowers growing.
Ain't cha got no rhymes for me?
Doot-in' doo-doo,
Feelin' groovy.
Got no deeds to do,
No promises to keep.
I'm dappled and drowsy and ready to sleep.
Let the morning time drop all its petals on me.
Life, I love you,
All is groovy