What the hell is Downtown?
 

Americans always use this word but what the hell does it mean? What is Downtown? Why do you never go uptown? Are you continually travelling in circles around your cities so that you never return uptown? What is different with downtown and the rest?

I dunno, but i bet Nicola Roberts could answer it straight off if she was here.

Uptown is actually used too.
Uptown is more like rich, sophisticated area (at least that's what I always thought it was)
And downtown is usually where all the shops are.

I would imagine so. That thread needs a timely bumping.

^ You're pretty much right. Uptown is all the gated communities and over-priced shopping. Downtown is full of restaurants and things to do. Art galleries and such. Downtown is usually where the city is founded, also. Or at least around here...

Ah thank you very much!






(You would think that would be the end of the thread but you know it won't be.)

down·town

 

Audio Help (doun'toun') Pronunciation Key
n. The lower part or the business center of a city or town.

adv. (doun'toun')
To, toward, or in the lower part or the business center of a city or town.

adj. (doun'toun')
Of, relating to, or located downtown.

Wow, seven posts in this thread already and nobody has mentioned B***y J**l. So far, so good.

I'll mention this...

When you're alone
And life is making you lonely,
You can always go downtown
When you've got worries,
All the noise and the hurry
Seems to help, I know, downtown

Just listen to the music of the traffic in the city
Linger on the sidewalk where the neon signs are pretty
How can you lose?

The lights are much brighter there
You can forget all your troubles, forget all your cares and go
Downtown, things'll be great when you're
Downtown, no finer place for sure,
Downtown, everything's waiting for you
(Downtown)

Don't hang around
And let your problems surround you
There are movie shows downtown
Maybe you know
Some little places to go to
Where they never close downtown

Just listen to the rhythm of a gentle bossanova
You'll be dancing with 'em, too, before the night is over
Happy again

The lights are much brighter there
You can forget all your troubles, forget all your cares and go
Downtown where all the lights are bright,
Downtown, waiting for you tonight,
Downtown, you're gonna be alright now
(Downtown downtown)

Downtown
(Downtown)

And you may find somebody kind to help and understand you
Someone who is just like you and needs a gentle hand to
Guide them along

So, maybe I'll see you there
We can forget all our troubles, forget all our cares and go
Downtown, things'll be great when you're
Downtown, don't wait a minute more,
Downtown, everything's waiting for you

Downtown (downtown) downtown (downtown)
Downtown (downtown) downtown (downtown)



... because it seems to bother people when I sing it on my way downtown.

Right. I suppose the equivalent for UK etc would be the city centre. I suppose the terms reflect the way the cities have been built, ie UK cities just growing from a centre point whereas the grid system for North American cities.

the dictionary definitions are what i think of as downtown. downtown is where the tall buildings (nearly all business) are, although this only applies to a city like oklahoma city/dallas/etc etc and not say... NYC.

we don't have an uptown. haha. we do have a midtown though!

haha.... maybe try this one (Neil Young) sometime instead to see how it goes down on other people:


Come on, baby, let's go downtown,
Let's go, let's go,
let's go downtown.
Come on, baby, let's go downtown,
Let's go, let's go,
let's go downtown.

Walk on, talk on,
baby tell no lies.
Don't you be caught
with a tear in your eye.

Sure enough,
they'll be sellin' stuff
When the moon begins to rise.
Pretty bad when
you're dealin' with the man,
And the light shines in your eyes.

Come on, baby, let's go downtown,
Let's go, let's go,
let's go downtown.
Come on, baby, let's go downtown,
Let's go, let's go,
let's go downtown.

Snake eyes, French fries
and I got lots of gas.
Full moon and a jumpin' tune,
now you don't have to ask.

Sure enough,
they'll be sellin' stuff
When the moon begins to rise.
Pretty bad when
you're dealin' with the man,
And the light shines in your eyes.

Come on, baby, let's go downtown,
Let's go, let's go,
let's go downtown.
Come on, baby, let's go downtown,
Let's go, let's go,
let's go downtown.

Walk on, talk on,
baby tell no lies.
Don't you be caught
with a tear in your eye.

Sure enough,
they'll be sellin' stuff
When the moon begins to rise.
Pretty bad when
you're dealin' with the man,
And the light shines in your eyes.

Pretty bad when
you're dealin' with the man,
And the light shines in your eyes.

I'm not sure I know that Neil Young song. Well, I've probably heard it and I just can't think of it. Cause I've been hearing Neil Young since I was a small child.

Alright, in that case try catching them by surprise with the German version of your song:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLyUGkyjjo4

Bist Du allein, von allen Freunden verlassen,
dann geh in die Stadt
Downtown
Da wo das Leben überall in den Straßen
so viel Lichter hat (seltsames Deutsch)

Teil 1/part 1
Refrain:
Vergiss im bunten Neonschein die Stunden Deiner Sorgen
und hör die Großstadtmelodie bis in den frühen Morgen
Sei wieder froh
Da ist alles für Dich da
Da wirst Du Dinge erleben, die sind wunderbar
Come on Downtown
So viel Gesichter und
Downtown
so viele Lichter und
Downtown
sie alle laden Dich ein

Teil 2/part 2
Bist Du allein, weil keine Blicke Dich grüßen
dann geh in die Stadt
Downtown
Bist Du allein, weil keine Lippen Dich küssen
dann geh in die Stadt
Downtown

Refrain

Teil 3/part 3
Schau Dich nur um, sieh ringsherum
den Tanz der Leuchtreklamen, die Kinos und die Bars
mit den geheimnisvollen Namen
Und irgendwo wirst Du vielleicht
mich dort sehen wenn wir uns beide begegnen,
das wäre schön
Come on Downtown
wenn wir uns beide seh`n
Downtown
durch all die Straßen geh`n
Downtown
das wäre wunderschön

Hahaha, thanks, but I can't listen to that.

You're welcome, it's the worst I can do.












.... for now at least.

I know it, I think it might be on 'Tonight's the Night'.

Yes, it is.

this comes from the typical layout of american cities.

european and latin american cities are organized around a main square featuring a church, and a political power center, etc.\

not so american cities-- american cities are linearly organized along a "main street".

so from that you can extrapolate the notion of a city center where the business are located, and then, up that same main street, the residential areas.

you can see that very clearly in small american towns, or better yet, in the classic town from western movies-- one long street with the businesses on the side of it. there are no gunfights in the middle of the piazza, right? (not even in spaghetti westerns).

even today you can see many towns here in the west that are arrayed along the highway-- towns shaped like ribbons along the road.

then also look at new york, with its avenues running north/south traversed by numbered streets. downtown and uptown are easy to tell, right? downtown/midtown/uptown going from south to north as the numbers go up too.

that linguistic practice of "downtown" as the city center works even in cities that are not organized strictly along a main street-- like d.c., where people go "downtown" and there's an "uptown theatre" but the city is diamond-shaped and there is no central avenue... there is a sort of ceremonial center-- oh, long story. im tired.

& so on & so forth etc etc bla bla

That's the best answer yet.