Umbrella Etiquette

Photo credit: atlantic-pacific.blogspot.com

Let's talk about NYC umbrella etiquette on what was a rainy day today. Rainy days always lead to frustration, especially if it's windy too. I had to say a sad farewell to my favorite umbrella a few weeks ago (May she rest in peace). That umbrella lasted me 5 years of NYC rain. But the GALE FORCE WINDS(!!!) were too strong on that fateful day.

There are a few unwritten rules in the city about rainy days and umbrellas. And they are:


*Don't take up too much sidewalk space. No golf umbrellas in the city, please! I work in an area that doesn't have the ridiculous foot traffic that Midtown has. But even with all the space I have on the sidewalk, I get so annoyed when I get stuck behind someone with a golf umbrella. There's no room to get around them! And it always happens that the people with the golf umbrellas are the ones that love to stroll along...

*which brings me to the 2nd rule...Don't walk slow when you have an umbrella! Hello! It's raining out! Why do you want to be enjoying this wet and cold day?! Unless you start breaking out in song and dance, a la Singing in the Rain, put the pedal to the metal...

*once the umbrella is turned inside-out and ripped to shreds (like the one below), its time to give up.

Photo credit: kaufmann-mercantile.com/images/craig-wylie-broken-umbrella.jpg

Throw it in the trash. Or throw it towards the direction of the trashcan. They'll all end up piling there by the end of the day! Just face the facts that you'll look like a wet poodle by the time you get into work!


Do you ever get annoyed by people who don't play by the umbrella rules?