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Joined: Jul 2000
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old hand
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old hand
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 1,094 |
We've probably discussed this before, but what exactly is the difference between uptown and downtown, if any?
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Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 1,055
old hand
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old hand
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 1,055 |
>what exactly is the difference between uptown and downtown, if any?My answer would be that uptown is usually topographically more northern or higher above sea level - which is often the richer area of town over-looking downtown. Downtown on the other hand is, apart from often being the centre of town and thus located in the bottom of the valley (if there is one), is often the central business district. In general it seems people use these in just as abstract a way as 'I'm going up to Amsterdam' ,or 'I'm popping down to Lake Garda'. I had a theory for a while that men used the 'up to' and 'down to' exclusively according to geographic relation, but alas, men seem to use them pretty carelessly too. The inconsistency really is quite silly; I've been on the phone before with a friend who said 'I'll come up to Munich', and I replied 'No, I'll come up to Cologne!'. Of course, according to height above sea level, he was right, but according to topography, I was
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Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 5,400
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 5,400 |
Yes, belligerentyouth, was right, Up town is where the money is.. As to whether it is always UP-- it's hard to tell NY's uptown, is just North --actually its mid manhattan island. the upper east side of manhattan has so much wealth-- it made a real "blip" on the census map-- a 1 mile, by 1/2 mile strip, Fifth Ave to Lexington from 60th to 80th street, mostly apartment buildings, so fairly high density, had average family income over $1.5 million. Down town, still included the "lower east side" -- an area of low income,-- the same area featured in the 1930's movies, "the Bowery boys". Alphabet city -- an area in manhatten that has Avenues with letter names, Ave A, Ave B, etc., was the site of the first planned public housing in US--Jacob Riis's plan.
though, now parts of NY's Downtown have become trendy, and more expensive, (TriBeca, or Dumbo) they are still reletively cheap compared to the upper east side.
DUMBO=Down Under Manhattan Bridge Overpass, TriBeca=Triangle Below Canal, SoHo=South of Houston.
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Joined: Nov 2000
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veteran
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veteran
Joined: Nov 2000
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I have always been amused by the Aussie word "outback" which we know the meaning of, but in Pennsylvania it means the little house of ease at the back of the garden.
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Joined: Nov 2000
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veteran
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veteran
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 1,289 |
My native city, Harrisburg PA, was (and as far as I know, still is) like Gaul, divided into three parts: Downtown, Uptown, and The Hill. The Hill is a geographically separate section at the top of a broad high hill which rises up from Cameron (11th) Street at the eastern end of the city. Downtown is the area from the river to Cameron St. going W to E and from the south end of the town about 15 or 20 blocks or so north and comprising the central business district and the state capitol complex. North of Downtown is Uptown, much of which was the high-class residential area. (No longer -- there are no high class areas in Harrisburg any more.) So, like NY and most other cities, Downtown usually connotes the most crowded, busiest and lively areas of a city and Uptown generally connotes a wealthy or higher class area.
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