Various theatres mentioned in Chicago are almost on affluent streets. H.R.Jacob, “one of the theaters devoted to melodrama which went by that name at the time”, is located on the Halstead Street (Dreiser, 2013: 29). This street was named after Caleb O. Halsted, a Philadelphia banker who invested a large amount of money in the field of real estate in Chicago. Chicago Opera House, “which was considerably in the public eye”, was at the North Clark Street and the Southwest corner of West Washington Avenue (Dreiser, 2013: 238). That was also the major commercial district in Chicago. Besides, many other theatres are also mentioned, such as Grand Opera House, Mc Vikar’s, though not in details. These streets where the theatres are located are places where wealthy people and upper class people scramble for.

With the development of the story, Carrie and Hurstwood moved to New York, another big city in America. In the late nineteenth century, New York has been the largest municipal center in the field of economy, trade as well as shipping. It was the first metropolis whose population exceeded to one million. New York is more foppish and buckish than Chicago. Broadway cannot be ignored when theatres are mentioned. About forty professional theatres are located in the Theatre District and Lincoln Center along Broadway which is also called “Great White Way” for its bright lights. During the period of colonization, Broadway was occupied by the Dutch, called Heere Straat, and the whole street was messy and mussy. However, in the nineteenth century, Broadway experienced tremendous changes from a clutter site to a representation of fashion and prosperity. From Dreiser’s depiction of Broadway, people can see a vivid and picturesque scene about Broadway.