English the American Way: A Fun ESL Guide to Language and Culture in the U.S. » Unit 14: Culture Vulture
Home, sweet home. It’s great to get mail and read all the news and gossip from home. As you’re reading, are you listening to a favorite CD from the library? Are you thinking about how nice it would be to hear a concert in person? It’s not hard to do. There are plenty of opportunities to hear live music, and many of them are right in the neighborhood. Are you interested in the arts? Pick up a copy of the local newspaper. The Arts and Entertainment section will have a full list of all the cultural activities going on in the area. There are activities to make every culture vulture happy. If you do some research, you can find out what days are “pay what you wish” at some famous museums. Instead of a pricey ticket, you can give what you feel you can afford that day. (Remember that museums are not open every day, and if you’re hoping to see that special exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art, make sure it’s open on the day you plan to go. And be sure to check the hours!)
In the newspaper, you’ll be able to find theater reviews, movie times, and reviews of new music releases. Look for a section called Community Events. You’ll find that most communities have arts groups that perform locally. There are plays, classical concerts, and popular music. Even the local high schools and colleges put on plays and concerts. Ticket prices for these local performances are usually very low, and the performers are often very talented, so you can bring the whole family. In fact, you can even audition to become part of an orchestra, amateur theater group, or dance troupe. Are you wondering what it would be like to be a star? Imagine having the paparazzi follow you all day! Wouldn’t your neighbors love to see you performing onstage? We sure would!
If you live in the city or the suburbs, you’re always pretty close to a live professional performance, too. Don’t be discouraged if it seems that the tickets for these events are very expensive. Costs for professional orchestras and musicians are pretty high. But we have the inside scoop for you. You may not have to pay full price for those fancy tickets! Check to see if you can subscribe to a half-price ticket newsletter. This is a weekly listing of the plays, museums, and concerts that are offering half-price tickets. In our town, the list is delivered every week right to our e-mail box. You can get a great bargain without ever leaving your couch! But if you’re out and about and visiting the city, places like New York City often have a special kiosk where you can buy these half-price tickets. Often, they’re good only on the day of the performance, so get to the city early. Be sure to check for the hours of the ticket booths, too. And don’t forget to check at the theater box office the day of the show. You can sometimes get a great deal there, too.
You’ve probably noticed that we use the word theater in a lot of different ways. For a special night out, someone may “go to the theater.” This always means that they’re going to see a play, and it usually means a Broadway show. This is not a TV show! A Broadway show is a play that is acted out by professional actors. It’s professional theater. A Broadway show can also be a musical. That’s a play that has lots of songs and many dance numbers. Theater also refers to the building. So theater can mean the show and the place where the show is performed!
But we’re not finished yet! A theater can also refer to the place where you go to see a movie. So you go to your favorite movie theater to see a movie. Film buffs may say they’re going to the cinema. They’re talking about the movies in a fancy way. Film buffs often call movies films. You probably know that the film industry in the United States is mostly located in Hollywood, California. But did you know some people call Hollywood the “City of Broken Dreams”? Can you guess why? Imagine all the people who travel to Hollywood hoping to become rich movie stars. Only a very few ever become famous film stars. The rest live with their broken dreams . . .
ALAN: Hi, Lia. What’s happening?
LIA: Not much, Alan. But my cousin Bevin’s coming to town this week, so I’m pretty excited.
ALAN: Cool. Are you planning to stay home and catch up, or are you going into the city? Is she staying for a while?
LIA: Well, she’s not staying very long. But I really want to show her around, so I’m looking to see what’s happening in the city this week. I know she’d like to see a show, so I’m hoping to get two-fers; you know . . . two tickets for the price of one . . . for a musical on Broadway. We’re not worrying about which musical—any one will do!
ALAN: Are you thinking about eating in a restaurant, too? I think I have twofers for a great Italian restaurant right near the theater district. I’m not going into the city for a while, so I’d be happy to give them to you.
LIA: Wow, that’s pretty nice of you! I wanted to treat Bevin to a nice dinner, but I know those restaurants are pricey. But if we have a coupon to get two dinners for the price of one, I’m in! And I think I know the place you mean. I read a review of Luigi’s Restaurant in Sunday’s paper; the food critic said that it’s excellent.
ALAN: Yeah, you’ll have to make reservations before you go. Dinner and a show! Your cousin will have a great time.
LIA: I’ll have a great time, too! I can’t wait!
| Tip 1 | If you’re a student, be sure to ask for the student price at cultural events. Most places offer a good discount for students. You may have to show your student ID. There are discounts for seniors too. |
| Tip 2 | If your student days are over, you can still find a good deal at the local concert hall. Call to see if they have “Community Rush” tickets. This allows people to come to the box office on the day of the performance for cheap tickets. It’s a good way to be sure everyone in the community can afford to see a good concert. |
| Tip 3 | Theater? Theatre? You’ll see it spelled both ways. Take your pick! |
To ask a question in the present continuous tense, remember to just switch the subject and present form of the verb to be: present form of to be → subject →-ing form of the main verb. (If needed, remember to put the question word at the beginning.) Look at the examples from the dialogue:
- Are you planning to stay home and catch up, or are you going into the city?
- Are you thinking about eating in a restaurant, too?
- Is she staying for a while?
- Where is she staying?
Are you dying to see museums and historical monuments? If you have some time, head to Washington, D.C. A visit to our nation’s capital is the culture bargain of a lifetime! The Smithsonian Institution is worth a trip from anywhere. Although even some Americans think that the Smithsonian is a single museum, in fact, it’s a complex of 19 museums and 9 research centers. NINETEEN MUSEUMS! All of them right in the same area! And here’s the best part: they’re free! There is no admission fee to visit any of the Smithsonian museums. Yes, U.S. taxes pay for these museums, so you can enjoy seeing those taxes hard at work.
Do you like bugs? There’s a museum for that. Thinking about flying to the moon? There’s a museum for that. Longing for a look at long-lost lizards? There’s a museum for that. The Smithsonian Institution has museums for just about anything you could possibly be interested in. Maybe you’re just hoping for a stroll through beautiful gardens surrounded by sculpture. Yes, the Smithsonian has it all: architecture and art, gardens, space information, ethnic museums, collections of clothing, history . . . You name it, and it’s there. And, of course, you can even buy a not-so-culturally-important T-shirt on the mall. In fact, when you need a rest from all that walking, the mall is a beautiful spot to relax. This is not a shopping mall; it’s a long stretch of lawn and walkways, with benches and some food places. You can see the beautiful U.S. Capitol building with its white dome on one end, and the 555-foot-tall Washington Monument on the other end.
Because there’s so much to do and see, it’s a good idea to plan your cultural visit well in advance. If you’re not planning to do a tour on foot, you can arrange for all kinds of different tours. These special tours will cost money. Of course, there are the typical bus tours. These will pick you up at many different locations and drive you through the entire area. Usually you can hop on and hop off. As the bus takes you to different spots, you can stop to visit the attraction for as long as you’d like, then get on a bus to the next stop when you’re ready. Or you can take bicycle tours of the area. How about a Segway tour? Now, that is cool! There are tons of special tours you can book, according to your interests. Some of these are very popular, so you might want to buy your tickets in advance. You can do it online and avoid the wait at the tour office or ticket counter.
If you plan in advance, you can also time your visit. That way you can easily fit in all you want to see. Check online for museum floor plans and know what sections you plan to visit. (You can spend an entire day in some places and still not see everything!) See what other museums are nearby. Don’t forget historical museums where you can learn all about the city, certain industries, and cultural and ethnic influences on the country.
And you will probably want to visit many of the beautiful memorials along the mall. There are several that honor past presidents, as well as many war memorials. These commemorate the sacrifices of people who served in the country’s wars. Visiting these monuments and memorials is a nice way to think about all the wonderful things we have . . . and the people who made them possible.
Just make sure you leave plenty of time for browsing in the gift shops!
LIA: Hey, Alan, aren’t you planning a trip to London this month?
ALAN: Well, that was the original plan. But now we’re not planning to go to the UK at all. We’ve decided to save some money and just have a staycation this year.
JAE: Yeah. We’re going to Plan B: just stay home and have a vacation doing things nearby. And with the money we save, we’re planning to see three extra shows when we go to London next year! We’re thinking about a drive to Washington, D.C., for a weekend. What do you think?
LIA: Wow, road trip! Count me in! The North Tower at the National Gallery has an exhibit of American art that I really want to see. And I’m dying to see the special Matisse paper cuttings exhibit. I checked the floor plan, and I see that they’ve moved it from the Tower to the Concourse. Every time I’m in the capital, I forget to plan around the exhibit’s hours, and I miss it. Every time!
ALAN: Don’t you check the museum’s hours? Isn’t it open all day?
LIA: Sure, I know the museum’s hours. But the Matisse exhibit has its own hours, separate from the rest of the museum. Because the paper cuttings are fragile, they’re only on display for certain times of the day. Too much light can damage them.
JAE: Well, we’re not staying in D.C. very long, and we’re planning to buy tickets for an opera performance at the Kennedy Center. I’m not sure we’ll get around to going to the National Gallery of Art on this trip.
LIA: I know you culture vultures have your own plan. But we can save some big bucks if we carpool down. Then you can do your own thing, and I’ll go see the Matisse exhibit. I’m not going home until I see that exhibit! We can split the gas, and we can share the driving. It’ll be a great way to save money and have a great cultural weekend. And if you’re lucky, maybe I’ll sing on the way home!
ALAN: Aaghh! It sounds like a great idea, but we’ll only do it if you promise not to sing!
| Tip 4 | Find out who the congressional representative is in your voting district. If you call that office a few weeks before you go, the representative can sometimes arrange a special tour of the White House for you! (Your friends will be very impressed.) |
To make a verb negative in the present continuous tense, just add not. Be sure to watch the word order! It goes like this: subject → present form of verb to be → not →-ing form of the main verb.
Can you find these examples from the dialogue?
- We’re not planning to go to the UK. (We aren’t planning to go to the UK.)
- She’s not staying very long. (She isn’t staying very long.)
- I’m not going home until I see that exhibit!
Usage Reminder: What do you think is an informal way of asking What’s your opinion?
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