Please watch the video below. Remember: Don’t write anything. Just watch and listen. By the end of the lesson you will understand everything!

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Mark: So, that’s Jeff’s building. Again, he was the guy with the goatee in the Japanese restaurant. And he was then away for these ten days. He had to go—he’s in the toy business and there was a toy—the big toy convention in Las Vegas. And so he had to fly out for that. It wasn’t purposely… It was just coincidental that he would be gone, literally, those ten days that we were in town. So, it was perfect. He just gave me the key and that was that. The building—it looks like the building is just to the right—that, you know, that other tall building? That’s actually the statue—excuse me—The Empire State building. And that is all the way across town. It’s just, the building—that building is so huge, The Empire State building, it looks like it’s just right next door. You know?

Greg: Right.

Mark: But that is all the way across town, which tells you how big and monstrous (= enormous, large, gigantic) that building actually is.

Greg: Right. How many stories is Jeff’s building?

Mark: I think—that’s a good question—thirty-five or forty is my guess. And he was on….. Actually, maybe it was higher than that, because he was like on the 35th floor and I felt like we were…it’s….Maybe it’s fifty stories, because we were around thirty-five and I felt that we were barely half way up.

Greg: Wow.

Mark: Yeah.

Greg: Okay and…

Mark: Let’s go to the next picture.

Greg: The lobby.

Mark: Yes, this one is—yeah, this is the lobby of his building. That glass sculpture-thingy (thing that is somewhat unusual), looks like a many-legged octopus, is done by a really famous glass artist who, I think, if you’ve been to the Bellagio in Las Vegas, which is actually one of the other cities we’ll be looking at, I think it’s the same artist who did that famous Bellagio ceiling. If you know what I am talking about.

Greg: Hmm. Wow, interesting. And what kind of—I noticed there’s a, I don’t know—what do you call the guy at the desk?

Mark: He’s not the doorman. They do have a doorman. He’s just off the picture (outside of the picture) here, so you don’t see him. He would be to the right, is the entrance. This guy is the—

Greg: Would you call him a concierge? Is that the word?

Mark: Ooh, I like that word. Yeah, because he’s the guy who actually gave me the key when I came in. He is the guy who, you know, takes packages, gets you a taxi and all that sort of thing. And there’s– he’s different than the doorman. So concierge, that sounds good. Good word, Greg!

Greg: Go with that. “Concierge.” You didn’t know I spoke French, did you? (Sarcasm video, Greg doesn’t really speak French.)

Mark: And then, if you go to the next picture, you’ll see exactly where this building was located.

Greg: Ok, so we’re looking at the map, and…

Mark: This is—I would call this Lower Manhattan.

Greg: Actually, I never knew what that meant. I’m not from New York. I haven’t really spent any time there. I never knew what…what did “Lower Manhattan” mean. Is that because Manhattan’s split into two…two…There’s a larger part of all of Manhattan and a smaller part, and so they call it Lower—

Mark: Look just at the bottom, where it’s actually written “New York,” and to the right it says, for example “China Town.” That truly is Lower New York…Lower Manhattan.

Greg: Right.
Mark: Because it’s the southern tip. It’s more—it’s not quite north, you know, perfectly north-south aligned. But, it virtually is, as you can see, north-south aligned. So, Lower New York is where, for example, The Statue of Liberty is. It’s where the Brooklyn Bridge is. And then as you go up the very top (at the highest point at the top) of this map/picture you see Central Park. That would be…I would call that more or less the dead center (directly in the center) of Manhattan. Maybe slightly to the north, it’s getting. Really, if you want to call it the center, midtown would be maybe from 34th Street to 42nd Street, or maybe from….Midtown is probably like 34th to the southern tip of Central Park, let’s say.

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to fly out = to fly, to leave by plane

Remember, in these four groups of sentences below, a native speaker will usually use the 2nd version. So, "fly out" is the advanced phrase we want to learn.

We’re leaving (by plane) on Monday and will be back on Friday night.
We’re flying out on Monday and will be back on Friday night.

Dad is leaving (by plane) out tonight.
Dad flies out tonight.

I’m leaving (by plane) on Thursday night.
I’m flying out on Thursday night.

Jeff had to fly to Las Vegas for the Toy Fair.
Jeff had to fly out to Las Vegas for the Toy Fair.

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to be in town = to be in a town or city (which is understood from context)

Remember, the 2nd version (using "to be in town") is how a native speaker will probably say these sentences.

I’ll be in your cityon Wednesday, if you’d like to meet for lunch.
I’ll be in townon Wednesday, if you’d like to meet for lunch.

I’ll be in your city  on Monday morning.
I’ll be in town  on Monday morning.

Chris will be in your city on Thursday night.
Chris will be in town on Thursday night.

It was a coincidence that he would be gone for those ten days that we were in the city.
It was a coincidence that he would be gone for those ten days that we were in town.

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that was that = nothing more was necessary

I asked him for his autograph and he said yes. And nothing more was necessary.
I asked him for his autograph and he said yes. And that was that.

He said no, and nothing more was necessary.
He said no, and that was that.

She left and nothing more was necessary.
She left and that was that.

Jeff just left me the key and nothing more was necessary.
Jeff just left me the key and that was that.

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go with that = to use

‘Rover?’ Okay, I like that name. Let’s use that.
‘Rover?’ Okay, I like that name. Let’s go with that.

Great plan! Let’s use that.
Great plan! Let’s go with that.

I like that name! Let’s use that.
I like that name! Let’s go with that.

‘Concierge?’ Great word. Let’s use that.
‘Concierge?’ Great word. Let’s go with that.

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more or less = approximately

I practice piano two hours a day, approximately.
I practice piano two hours a day, more or less.

We were there for twenty minutes, approximately.
We were there for twenty minutes, more or less.

I lived in Moscow for two years, approximately.
I lived in Moscow for two years, more or less.

I would call that approximately the dead center of Manhattan.
I would call that more or less the dead center of Manhattan.

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Easy: We’re leaving (by plane) on Monday and will be back on Friday night.

Advanced: We’re ___ ___ on Monday and will be back on Friday night.

Easy: I’ll be in your city on Wednesday, if you’d like to meet for lunch.
Advanced: I’ll be ___  ___ on Wednesday, if you’d like to meet for lunch.

Easy: I asked him for his autograph and he said yes. And nothing more was necessary.
Advanced: I asked him for his autograph and he said yes. And ___  ___  ___ .

Easy: ‘Rover?’ Okay, I like that name. Let’s use that.
Advanced: ‘Rover?’ Okay, I like that name. Let’s ___  ___ that.

Easy: I practice piano two hours a day, approximately.
Advanced: I practice piano two hours a day, ___  ___  ___ .