溫蒂的遊玩胡說八道和美國異想世界

紐約-世界大熔爐
美國影集《慾望城市》（Sex and the City）成功的替人們對於紐約畫下一個夢想藍圖，它在全球賣的只是影集或電影，它行銷了紐約。

“Maybe I can't leave New York. I don't know how I'd do someplace else.”
- Carrie Bradshaw
四個女人，四種紐約生活，讓許多人對這個土地懷抱夢想，希望有一天可以穿著華服、過著劇裡的紐約生活，找到自己的Mr.Big大人物。

對於一個時尚人而言，紐約是個必須朝聖地；
對於一個藝術人而言，它是一個盡情揮灑創意的天地；
對於一個表演者而言，它提供無數個站上國際舞台的機會；
對於商人而言，眾多的人帶來無限的商機；
對於一個紐約客而言，它是一種毒藥，又愛又恨；
對於一個旅客而言，它是個謎。

所謂的時尚，在紐約是一種態度，是一種對於生活的品味，各國文化造就出專屬紐約的生活態度， 所謂紐約的冷漠，不過是不懂得欣賞在一片黑色底下的精采熱情，
如果沒有對於生命的熱情，那麼就不可能造就出每一齣經典Broadway劇，就醞釀不出Marc Jacobs這種設計鬼才，
也不會有Wall Street裡每天跟股市打交道的一群金融高手，
更不會有無數個廚師每天絞盡腦汁創造出藝術料理，
在紐約，它的特別來自於一切生活習慣於創造藝術、欣賞文化。

New York- The Big Apple

It goes without saying that New York City is one of the most popular
cities in the world. Is it for the reason that a lot of people want a
taste of the Big Apple? Or is it that people just want to fit in the
so-called trendy American lifestyle? Fashionably speaking, it is a city
that tops all the cities in the States.

New York City is the place that combines the past, present, and future of the world.
The vast numbers of museums in the city are what take people into history.
From MOMA to street graffiti, you see art, you feel art, and then you understand art.
From luxury dining to the famous chicken on rice in the financial district,
you sense food is not just something to fulfill your physical hunger,
but also a way of life.
From taking a ride on the subway, you’ll see different expressions, different colors, and different cultures.
From the stock markets on Wall Street, you predict future with numbers.
From every New York fashion week, you forecast not only clothing and accessories,
but movements in the world. There’s always something to do in the city.
It isn’t just a city to travel to; it is a city to wander around for a lifetime.


Goes without saying的意思是不言而喻，所以在文章裡整句話的意思可解釋為，人人皆知紐約市全世界最熱門的城市之一。
Example: It goes without saying that Steve Jobs is the coolest icon in the world.
So-called的意思為所謂的，在文章裡整句話可解釋為，還是人們只是想融入所謂的時尚美國生活?
Example: After seeing Avatar, I’m convinced once again that James Cameron is a so-called genius in the movie industry.


Fun Fact: 為什麼紐約又稱大蘋果?

Big Apple has been a nickname for New York City for as long as I remember.
It was first popularized in the 1920s by John J. Fitz Gerald, a sports
writer for the New York Morning Telegraph. It is rumored that Fitzgerald
got the term from jockeys and trainers in New Orleans who aspired to race
on New York City tracks, referring to the "Big Apple." He explained his
use in a February 18, 1924, column under the headline "Around the Big
Apple":

“The Big Apple. The dream of every lad that ever threw a leg over a
thoroughbred and the goal of all horsemen. There's only one Big Apple.
That's New York.”

原來是1920年代一位紐約早報的體育記者開始公開的使用這個詞，讓世人對於紐約市和大蘋果做了連結。
Later on, in the late 1920s and early 1930s, New York City's jazz
musicians started referring to New York City as the "Big Apple." An old
saying in show business was "There are many apples on the tree, but only
one Big Apple." The nickname hit off in the public in the 1970s, due to a
promotional campaign by the New York Convention and Visitors Bureau.
一直到了1970年這個詞正式被紐約政府拿來當作一個行銷城市的說法。

Hit off解釋為竄起、紅起來的意思
Example: iPhone hit off the market as soon as it came out in the stores.