Hey, Buddy, Wanna Buy a Piece of the Empire State Building?

08 December 2011

The Empire State Building in New York

Clarification attached

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DOUG JOHNSON: Welcome to AMERICAN MOSAIC in VOA Special English.

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I’m Doug Johnson. On our show today we play music from rock band Nickelback …

We also answer a question from China about the state of Alaska …

But first, another question -- could a historic piece of New York City be up for sale soon?

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Empire State Building

DOUG JOHNSON: Americans like to joke about the Brooklyn Bridge in New York City. They use the expression “selling the Brooklyn Bridge” to describe a person who wants to trick someone else. Individuals have, in fact, offered to sell the publicly owned structure to trusting buyers. But it is not for sale.

But, over the years, we have never heard about someone selling New York’s Empire State Building -- until now. Christopher Cruise explains.

CHRISTOPHER CRUISE: The Empire State Building was the tallest structure in the world for more than forty years. Work on the building was finished in nineteen thirty-one. While it is no longer the tallest, it is probably the most famous. People from around the world visit its eighty-sixth floor observatory to see New York from high above.