#21

Wow the more you know https://www.juliatomiak.com/2015/05/why-is-a-soccer-field-called-a-pitch/

Same etymology as “pitching a tent” cause you put stumps or goalposts or whatever down. What a resourceful thread

5 Likes
#22

And did you know not all football pitches are equal in size.

#23

I know this.
To “pitch” is to set up the posts (or the stumps for a game of cricket) ready to play the game. It’s an old English word which eventually came to mean the area the game is played on rather than the actual process of setting up the field of play

2 Likes
#24

hi Neil,

Are all American streets called like 45th street even in small towns or is that just a new york thing?

is 1st street always like right in the middle?

#25

Do you get a lot of roundabouts in the traffic system in America? You don’t really see them on TV much.

1 Like
#26

Chicago style pizza or New York style pizza?
Which is right, which is shite?

#27

Easy to overlook them if they’re not something you already know and like but all the cheap places like Aldi and Quality Save have it in year round (even though its seen as or is a xmas biscuit thing).

3 Likes
#28

Hello Bam,

Most streets with higher numbers (like the 45th you mention) are mainly reserved for larger cities. In smaller towns you maybe see a 1st or a 2nd street, but rarely above a third. NYC for example is a grid system that uses 1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc in order so it is easier to navigate for the traveler that would be so brave to drive through such a monumental city (I do often).

1 Like
#30

Great question!

Roundabouts are very common, I even have one in my town of less than 15,000 people. Not really sure why in my town specifically but in other towns that may have busier intersections its a nice way to move the traffic pattern along instead of sitting at a red light and have traffic back up. Remember here in the USA almost everyone drives a car.

2 Likes
#31

interesting, thanks!

1 Like
#32

Great question!

You can hang out in bars before 21 if you want, but if your brave enough to ask for a beer with a fake ID and look young a) you’ll be carded by the bartender B) you’ll get accosted by the locals by saying phrases " don’t serve that kid he was in diapers last week", or “if that kid’s 21 my great Aunt is Queen Elizabeth”. :stuck_out_tongue_closed_eyes:

5 Likes
#33

Very sensible, like all great cities.

Look at London!

london-city-center-map
london-city-center-map1200×832 581 KB

An absolute embarrassment.

15 Likes
#34

An American wants to know:

Why stilton cheese with your broccoli for a soup? A smelly, pungent (I’m assuming mind you) blue cheese instead of cheddar? Blasphemous.

Please discuss.

#35

Hey NY, not far from my house we’ve got a mini American style bunch of streets all on a grid layout (almost unheard of here) and given numerical street names (100% unheard of here). It was built by an American guy who had a shit loads of money. Think some of the street names might have changed since but a few have remained.

2 Likes
#36

Yikes!

#37

easier to navigate right?

#38

The way of the pack donkey that’s called. Fast growing cities rather than planned in advance ones. Streets follow the paths that donkey or horses or whatever took and would grow around that.

4 Likes
#39

For sure, but my favourite thing is getting lost so places like Seville that make absolutely no sense whatsoever are more up my street for enjoyment. Not if I drove though, must be a nightmare.

2 Likes
#40

loads of things. am fascinated by america, really. i’d really like to live there for a bit.

do they really make you sing the national anthem before class?

also, I know 2 people who have been or are currently in the military. I always get the feeling that in the US, from people I’ve met, everyone knows or is related to someone who is in the military. would this be a correct assessment?

2 Likes
#41

Great questions prof!

I can’t attest to whether they make you sing the national anthem before class anymore. When I was a youngster we sure did. I will ask my nephew and get back to you on this one.

The USA military is very large, so its not unlikely that someone you know personally here has served or is currently serving in the military. Me for instance, two of my cousins are in the Air Force.

1 Like