New York in the Rain......

As much as I love the rain when I'm safe and snug inside, I hate driving in the rain. In the past when I'd think of living in a large city with mass transit, one of the pluses was not having to drive a car -- especially in the rain. Well, I was very blessed during my time in NYC because I was only caught in the rain one (and 1/2) times. The two major storms that blew through during my time there found me in the apartment. However, knowing that rain would likely happen, I did pick up an umbrella at a Duane Reade during my first week there.

So, on the one morning I awoke to some pretty heavy rain outside, I was prepared. I grabbed my umbella and my book bag and off I went -- smiling to myself because I had less than a five minute walk and no need to maneuver a car through the traffic on wet, slick roads. But, the first problem I encountered was....how was I going to hold the coffee I always stopped to buy on the way to class and the umbrella? I'd just have to stand in the l-o-n-g line and buy the overpriced Starbucks at school. Problem solved. Off I went.

Some things you may not know. 1.) Those cheap little collapsible unbrellas don't hold up very well in even the slightest wind. 2.) Gutters in NY collect water very quickly. 3.) Flipflops are not the best shoes to wear in the rain. 4.) The hours it takes to dry out your damp clothes in a classroom that is about 48 degrees can be quite uncomfortable. 5.) Drying out books, notebooks, and other papers that got drenched -- good luck.

So, yes, off I went that wet, rainy morning, smiling because I didn't have to bother with my car. Off I went, slipping and sliding on my flipflops, with my jeans already wet up to my knees -- not to mention the contents of my book bag, and fighting to keep the umbrella from turning inside out. As I splashed in the rain filled gutter to cross Amsterdam, I found myself thinking, "Well, this sucks."