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inmyriadbits ([personal profile] inmyriadbits) wrote2006-01-22 01:15 am

On Walking

You know, I would really actually like to be trying to sleep at the moment, believe it or not. I could be snuggled up under my nice warm down comforter getting ahead on sleep for the next week. But instead, the girls in the room next to mine are having a dance party to girly, insipid pop songs. The few moments of reprieve come when Kelly Clarkson songs come on, because I secretly like her music. And yes, I am staying in on a Saturday night reading fanfic and watching Due South DVDs (more on this later), but I partied last night, damn it. I don't need to get drunk every night on the weekend, no matter how much some people feel the need to. So, I thought I'd update since it has been brought to my attention that my LJ has been rather quiet *waves to [livejournal.com profile] maribou413*. So, here's some random thoughts I've been having.



I have observed a few things that I would like to share with the world, like a Vogon with her poetry. Beware.

1. Crossing streets in New York is nothing like crossing streets in Austin. This actually has little to do with the population or the number of cars on the city streets, because quite frankly, I think a larger proportion of the population in Austin drive to get around. Anyway, in Austin, you actually do have to wait for the crosswalk light to change before crossing. In New York...not so much. In fact, waiting for the light is hardly ever a factor. You just walk, and generally only look first if you're crossing, say, Broadway. As someone who crossed to Columbia and back every day last semester, I should know. In New York, crossing streets involves much more of an "I'm walking here and have the legal right of way, and since you're as terrified of lawyers as everyone else, you're going to stop, so I don't really give a shit that you were driving here first" attitude. In Texas, it's more like "Well, it's nice outside, kind of sunny, so I don't really mind if the light hasn't turned yet. After all, my car is only a block away, so it's not such a big hurry." Plus, the streets in Texas are much, much wider. And the cars are bigger. So the chances of being hit are much greater. It's an entirely different feeling.

2. Sidewalks. Have you ever noticed the gum on sidewalks? You know, the little smooth blackened smooshes that fossilized in the middle of the concrete after some heathen spit their gum out on a public street? Usually you don't, because they aren't that common; maybe there's one every ten feet or so. Unless, of course, you're walking up in Washington Heights/Harlem. Every Tuesday and Thursday, I take the 1 (that's the subway, y'all) up to 181st and St. Nicholas, then walk four blocks to 177th, where I work at PS 115 for an after-school program. And I've noticed, in between being distracted by the scent of frying food and the sight of butchered goats in windows and the sound of car horns while crossing the street when they have the green light (really, though, they had a whole twenty feet of space by the time I was out of their way), that there is a remarkable amount of gum on the sidewalks. As in, about five to ten spots per square foot. It's rather impressive, and almost like art in places. Or something.

3. It is actually possible to walk the entire way from Barnard (on 116th) down to the end of Manhattan and back in one evening. Paola is living proof.

4. It is actually possible to walk the city streets in heels like those Carrie Bradshaw wears on Sex and the City and not a) trip and break an ankle, b) limp, c) become permanently deformed, or d) move no faster than a recalcitrant turtle.

5. It is also possible to walk barefoot on New York sidewalks without a) stepping on glass, b) stepping on used needles, c) stepping on feces, or d) stepping on vomit. This is important to know, because although #4 is possible, that doesn't mean you always want to do so.

6. The Don't-Look-Or-Smile-At-Anyone-On-The-Street New York sterotype? It's extremely useful. Not because it discourages people from calling out things like "Hey, pretty girly" (last Thursday) to you on the street, it's just a really nice cover for the fact that what you really want to do is go beat the crap out of that person, despite the fact that he is a large, relatively muscular black man. I'm just sayin'.

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