Washington D.C.-The Saint City for Americans圣城华盛顿
美国首都华盛顿，全称为“华盛顿哥伦比亚特区” (Washington D.C.)，是为纪念美国开国元勋乔治·华盛顿和发现美洲新大陆的哥伦布而命名的。华盛顿在行政上由联邦政府直辖，不属于任何一个州。
华盛顿位于马里兰州和弗吉尼亚州之间的波托马克河与阿纳卡斯蒂亚河汇合处的东北岸。市区面积174平方公里，特区总面积6094平方公里。
华盛顿原是一片灌木丛生的处女地，只有一些村舍散落其间。1789年，美国联邦政府正式成立，乔治·华盛顿当选为首任总统。当国会在纽约召开第一次会议时，建都选址问题引起激烈争吵，南北两方的议员都想把首都设在本方境内。国会最后达成妥协，由总统华盛顿选定南北方的天然分界线——波托马克河畔作为首都地址，并聘请参加过独立战争的法国工程师皮埃尔·朗方主持首都的总体规划和设计。新都尚未建成，华盛顿便于1799年去世。为了纪念他，这座新都在翌年建成启用时被命名为华盛顿。
华盛顿是美国的政治中心，白宫、国会、最高法院以及绝大多数政府机构均设在这里。国会大厦建在被人称为“国会山”的全城最高点上，它是华盛顿的象征。这座乳白色的建筑有一个圆顶主楼和相互连接的东、西两翼大楼，美国国会参众两院都在国会大楼里办公。白宫是一座白色大理石圆形建筑，是华盛顿之后美国历届总统办公和居住的地方。椭圆形的美国总统办公室设在白宫西厢房内，南窗外边是着名的“玫瑰园”。白宫正楼南面的南草坪是“总统花园”，美国总统常在这里举行欢迎贵宾的仪式。华盛顿面积最大的建筑是波托马克河彼岸的五角大楼。它是美国国防部所在地，是一座由五座长方形建筑衔接起来的五边形建筑物。
二战纪念碑坐落在美国首都华盛顿林肯纪念堂和华盛顿纪念碑之间，是为纪念在二战期间服役的美国军人而建的。
华盛顿有许多纪念性建筑。离国会大厦不远的华盛顿纪念碑，高169米，全部用白色大理石砌成，乘电梯登上顶端可把全市风光尽收眼底。杰弗逊纪念堂和林肯纪念堂等也都是美国有名的纪念性建筑物。
华盛顿还是美国的文化中心之一。全市有乔治敦、乔治·华盛顿等9所高等院校。创建于1800年的国会图书馆是驰名世界的文化设施，华盛顿歌剧院、国家交响乐团、肯尼迪艺术中心等都是美国着名的文化机构。华盛顿还有美国国家艺术博物馆、自然历史博物馆、宇航博物馆等许多着名博物馆。
华盛顿市徽的外形看上去像是一只正在展翅的鹰，图案近景是华盛顿纪念碑，远景为国会山和波托马克河。华盛的市树为美洲橡树，市花为鹃菊，市鸟为红尾雀，市歌为《年轻的故乡华盛顿》。
It is hard to believe， but the land on which Washington D.C.，s elegant National Mall and its stately buildings stand was once a marshy swamp. George Washington created this special district as a federal power hub to avoid the problem of establishing the capital city in any one state. Its strategic location， with accessibility to the sea via the Potomac River and between the South and the North， made it an attractive site. Originally designed by the French architect Pierre L，Enfant in 1791， Washington is a city of green parks， wide treelined streets and very few skyscrapers， all of which give it a European air. It is very much a purposebuilt capital， a city of grand buildings (such as the White House and the US Capitol) and impressive monuments (the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial， to name but two).
Congress and the second President， John Adams， moved to Washington D.C. in 1800， but it was a further six decades before it began to look like a capital city. In the interim period， foreign ambassadors considered it a hardship posting. Now， this political centre stage， capital of the most powerful nation in the world， is the place to be. Washington D.C. is always in the international spotlight. Occasionally this attention is not welcome， for example， the world，s largest concentration of spies lurks around the city. Washington D.C. has also had its share of political scandal， such as the Watergate affair， Mayor Marion Barry，s imprisonment for drug offences， the Monica Lewinsky affair and the painful struggle of the 2000 presidential elections. The nation，s capital was once again in the spotlight on 11 September， but this time for tragic reasons， as a hijacked plane crashed into the Pentagon. Since that time， barricades， blockedoff streets， police and security checks have given parts of the city a different facade.
Washington D.C. (Washington to visitors and D.C. or the District to locals) is divided into four quadrants - northwest (NW)， northeast (NE)， southeast (SE) and southwest (SW). It is a city of neighborhoods， each with its own diverse culture. Capitol Hill， beyond the Capitol， is a blend of government buildings， townhouses and speciality shops and restaurants. Foggy Bottom， also home to several government buildings， is now a charming， quiet neighbourhood. Perhaps the most famous is Georgetown， a historic district with elegant 18th and 19thcentury townhouses， home to many influential residents， as well as chic restaurants and shops. One of the most colourful neighborhoods is Adams Morgan， with an eclectic mix of international restaurants， sidewalk cafés， ethnic stores and latenight entertainment.
After the federal government， tourism is the capital，s primary industry. Over 19 million tourists explore the city each year， preferring to see the sites during fall， spring and summer rather than in winter when hotel rates drop， and it can be bitterly cold and wet. They are drawn by the wealth of impressive monuments and museums， many of which have free entry. Other important industries located here include trade associations， law， higher education and publishing. The city is also the headquarters for the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.
Though wealthy on the surface， the city has the dubious distinction as having a high crime rate， plus high unemployment， illiteracy and drug abuse. All of this has driven middleclass families out of the city centre into the suburbs and neighbouring states. Mayor Williams has made great strides in cleaning up and revitalising the city. Despite the city，s problems， the power and the politics are a heady mix. So much American history is crammed into the city with its wealth of monuments， public buildings， museums and memorials to past heroes that visitors cannot fail to be impressed.
New York City站着的城市——纽约
纽约是美国最大的城市，是美国的经济金融中心。它位于美国东北部赫德逊河(Hudson River)注入大西洋的河口处，为一狭长形的岛，面积约946.9平方公里。全市由曼哈顿(Manhattan)、布鲁克林(Brooklyn)、布朗士(Bronx)、皇后(Queens)、瑞奇蒙(Richmond)等五个行政区组成。
曼哈顿(Manhattan)是纽约市的象征，地处曼哈顿岛，面积57.91平方公里，从北到南可大概分成哈林区(Harlem)、上城(Uptown)、中城(Midtown)、下城(Downtown)。布鲁克林(Brooklyn)是纽约市人口最多的地区，也是世界上最大的黑人社区之一，横跨长岛的西南端，面积209.7平方公里。布朗士(Bronx)位于曼哈顿东北方，隔着哈林河对岸的广大地区，坐落在长岛湾、东河、哈勒姆河以及哈德逊河之间，面积107.3平方公里。皇后区(Queens)位于曼哈顿岛东北方，紧临布鲁克林区的北方，面积307.3平方公里，在曼哈顿工作的白领阶级大部分都居住于此，其内的法拉盛(Flushing)更是近年来新兴的中国社区。瑞奇蒙(Richmond)又称斯坦顿岛(Staten Island)，位于曼哈顿西南，它与其他各区被纽约湾给隔开，与新泽西州之间也被狭长的水道隔离。大部分海岸濒大西洋，岛南北长21公里，东西宽11公里，面积约为150平方公里，这里是纽约市中人口最为稀少的恬静住宅区，多数居民为荷兰后裔。
纽约也是摩天大楼最多的城市。代表性的建筑有帝国大厦、克莱斯勒大厦、洛克菲勒中心以及后来的世界贸易中心(２００１年９月１１日，世贸大楼遭恐怖分子袭击而倒塌)等。帝国大厦和世界贸易中心大楼均有１００多层，它直耸云霄，巍峨壮观。纽约也因此有了“站着的城市”之称。
纽约还是美国文化、艺术、音乐和出版中心，有众多的博物馆、美术馆、图书馆、科学研究机构和艺术中心，美国三大广播电视网和一些有影响的报刊、通讯社的总部都设在这里。
纽约也是美国的工业中心之一，服装、印刷、化妆品等行业均居全国首位，机器制造、军火生产、石油加工和食品加工也占有重要地位。市内多数河流都通大西洋，港口规模巨大，设备优良，终年不冻。纽约也是铁路交通重要枢纽。纽约的地下铁道全长１０００多公里，是目前世界上最长、最快捷的地铁交通系统。纽约有３个国际机场，其中着名的肯尼迪国际机场承担着全国５０％的进出口货物空运业务和３５％的国际客运业务。