I had to cross Boerum place the other night in the wind and rain, right near where it widens as it approaches the Brooklyn Bridge. I was proud of myself because I didn't lose my umbrella. It didn't even blow inside out!
Boerum allows some freak intersection of winds that causes havoc with umbrellas. I've heard it described as a wind tunnel but it is not that. Wind tunnels channel the wind. This is like some kind of wind blender.
Most mornings when it has been raining and even a little bit windy, the broken skeletal remains of umbrellas can be seen sailing up or down the street. It looks like a rowing team trying awkwardly to play polo with their straight boats. The winds can gust so strongly and so suddenly that most people just give up trying to hold onto their umbrellas. Though I think that it's often not the force of the wind so much as the realization of a lost cause that causes this despair. It would take too much time and energy to try to restore the umbrella to its proper shape anyway, and the bodily contortions needed would be so publicly awkward that I suspect most people just "let go."
Mostly you see those 4 dollar short umbrellas with the retractable handles that won't work for long anyway; they're the first to go and they just look trashy tumbling up and down the street. But on really windy days, you can see those larger black umbrellas with the wooden handles, umbrellas with corporate logos on them, those clear umbrellas that are almost like hoods, those umbrellas with the bottle on top, even children's umbrellas that have either frog ears or cat ears on the top. Some of those boys glide.
It's probably not so bad for the young children who have lost their umbrellas (adults who frequent Boerum Place should know better anyway) since kids usually wear rain slickers in addition to the umbrellas they carry. I've always wondered why parents do that and I guess now I know. You never know what can happen and it's better to be safe than sorry. Though I also wonder if maybe that's the wrong message to send to kids. Am I going to be one of those parents? I'll probably just dress Lucy in a slicker as I implore her to "Simplify! Simplify!"
After I conquered Boerum I was feeling triumphant. I stopped in a deli to get some food and they had this empty white coleslaw bucket at the entrance where people could leave their umbrellas and there were cardboard boxes spread on the floor. I went to the back of the store to get what I needed, paid for it. But when I got to the door I saw that someone had walked off with my umbrella.
Brooklyn can do that to you.
Boerum allows some freak intersection of winds that causes havoc with umbrellas. I've heard it described as a wind tunnel but it is not that. Wind tunnels channel the wind. This is like some kind of wind blender.
Most mornings when it has been raining and even a little bit windy, the broken skeletal remains of umbrellas can be seen sailing up or down the street. It looks like a rowing team trying awkwardly to play polo with their straight boats. The winds can gust so strongly and so suddenly that most people just give up trying to hold onto their umbrellas. Though I think that it's often not the force of the wind so much as the realization of a lost cause that causes this despair. It would take too much time and energy to try to restore the umbrella to its proper shape anyway, and the bodily contortions needed would be so publicly awkward that I suspect most people just "let go."
Mostly you see those 4 dollar short umbrellas with the retractable handles that won't work for long anyway; they're the first to go and they just look trashy tumbling up and down the street. But on really windy days, you can see those larger black umbrellas with the wooden handles, umbrellas with corporate logos on them, those clear umbrellas that are almost like hoods, those umbrellas with the bottle on top, even children's umbrellas that have either frog ears or cat ears on the top. Some of those boys glide.
It's probably not so bad for the young children who have lost their umbrellas (adults who frequent Boerum Place should know better anyway) since kids usually wear rain slickers in addition to the umbrellas they carry. I've always wondered why parents do that and I guess now I know. You never know what can happen and it's better to be safe than sorry. Though I also wonder if maybe that's the wrong message to send to kids. Am I going to be one of those parents? I'll probably just dress Lucy in a slicker as I implore her to "Simplify! Simplify!"
After I conquered Boerum I was feeling triumphant. I stopped in a deli to get some food and they had this empty white coleslaw bucket at the entrance where people could leave their umbrellas and there were cardboard boxes spread on the floor. I went to the back of the store to get what I needed, paid for it. But when I got to the door I saw that someone had walked off with my umbrella.
Brooklyn can do that to you.
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