This is a chronic problem in Boston. The sidewalks and the streets were made in a time when no vehicles existed and nobody actually lived here. Most two way streets are only wide enough for one car, and it goes without saying that it's not a very bike-friendly place. However, this conundrum is not limited to the invention of the automobile, but also effects foot traffic.
Anyone who has ever walked in Boston knows that it can be rough going for anyone who is wearing high heels or is old. The brick sidewalks eat your shoes, twist your ankles, and make old people fall down. There are tree roots to contend with and most of the time the sidewalk is only wide enough for one, MAYBE TWO, people to walk on at the same time. How fucking annoying is it when you are in a hurry to get to work and some asshole is dawdling in the middle of the sidewalk in front of you and you can't get around him because on one side is a building, and the other, moving traffic. Or even worse, when it has snowed and the city of Cambridge has decided to throw its hands up at street maintenance and you are forced to maneuver an icy set of foot prints surrounded on either side by six feet of snow, wide enough for a skinny person with no clothes on when suddenly you meet someone going in the opposite direction and one or both of you is forced to step in a 3 foot deep puddle of slush to avoid the other.
Boston is known for its erratic weather. It rains, it snows, it pisses. It is necessary to own rain boots, a raincoat and an umbrella. Some Bostonians never leave their house without an umbrella buried somewhere deep in their vagina purse. What is troubling, however, is that even if you are well equipped to combat Boston, Boston will still try everything it can to thwart you. Case in point: Not a single umbrella I own has ever made it down a Boston sidewalk without getting stuck between a tree and a building, a sign and a building, or without being carelessly raped by another umbrella.
It's a fucking obstacle course for umbrellas. Not to mention how embarrassing it is when your umbrella gets stuck on the corner of Mass Ave and Prospect Street (that sign is ANNOYINGLY close to the building in all weather) and all of these other umbrellas are impatiently trying to maneuver around, under, and over you. And of course, because it also happens to be UNBEARABLY WINDY in this particular spot, it is more than likely that your umbrella will turn inside out as you are wrestling it away and possibly carry you with it. You see, in addition to getting your umbrella stuck on trees, signs, lampposts, and more, you also have to fight UP HILL against a tree-bending wind tunnel that is spraying ice and dirt in your eyes and knocking old ladies on their asses.
In honor of how much the weather here sucks, I wish to share with you a photo I took the other day. I was walking down a random side street and came across this message from our sponsors.