又中又英 | A New York minute | 褚簡寧
When I lived in New York City for about eight months soon after I left Hong Kong in 2021, I explored many parts of it by walking or taking the subway. It's unlike any other city I have ever lived in. It doesn't even look or feel like other American cities. Times Square, the Statue of Liberty, and the Broadway shows attract tourists from all over the US and the world. Central Park is so big with so many interesting things to see and do, including riding on horse-drawn carriages, that I never got to see and do everything.
New York City also has several nicknames, including The Big Apple and The City That Never Sleeps. The Big Apple was popularized by a horse-racing writer in the 1920s. He used it to describe New York City’s famous racetracks and the huge prizes. The City That Never Sleeps refers to New York City’s energy, bustling atmosphere, nightlife that lasts until nearly dawn, and its 24-hour subway system. I enjoyed the bustling atmosphere in Times Square and the Broadway theater district nearby. But I am no longer a spring chicken, which means I am no longer young. It is no longer possible for me to dance and drink until dawn at a nightlife district!
I thought about my time in New York City when I heard an expression about the city that most people outside America may not understand. The expression is “a New York minute”. It means a very short time or in an instant. A New York Minute doesn’t literally mean one minute but describes New York City’s fast-paced lifestyle. A TV comedian once joked that a New York Minute is the interval between a Manhattan traffic light turning green and the driver behind you impatiently honking!
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我2021年離開香港後，便在紐約市住了約8個月，當時我靠步行或乘搭地下鐵，探索了那裏的許多地方。它完全不像我曾經住過的其他城市，它甚至看起來或感覺也不像其他美國的城市。時代廣場、自由神像以及百老匯的演出，吸引美國以至世界各地的遊客到訪。中央公園非常大，有許多有趣的事物可看和做，包括乘坐馬車，它大得我從未能看過或做過所有事情。
紐約市也有好幾個外號，包括「大蘋果」（The Big Apple）和「不眠之城」（The City That Never Sleeps）。The Big Apple之名因為1920年代一個撰寫賽馬專欄的作家而普及，他用大蘋果來形容紐約市知名的賽馬場與巨獎。而The City That Never Sleeps則是用來形容紐約市充滿活力與熙攘的氛圍，夜生活延續至近日出，以及其24小時行車的地鐵系統。我享受時代廣場與百老匯劇院區域周邊那熱鬧的氣氛，但我已不再是「春雞」spring chicken，意即我已不再年輕。我已不可能在夜生活區域喝酒跳舞至天光！
我想到了在紐約市的日子，源於我聽到一個關於這個城市的習語，美國以外的人大多聽不明白。那個習語就是“a New York minute”，這個「紐約一分鐘」是指極短的時間，又或立即、馬上。A New York minute不是真的指一分鐘，而是形容紐約市節奏急促的生活模式。一個電視喜劇藝人曾開玩笑道，a New York minute就是曼哈頓的交通燈轉綠燈，與後面的司機不耐煩地響咹催促你快開車的間距！
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Michael Chugani褚簡寧
中譯：七刻
