adventures in Brooklyn, vol. 5

I really need to invest in rain boots.

It struck me yesterday as I was walking home in the rain, that rain boots really are going to be a necessity at some point.  Because by the time I got home, there was no other word for what was happening with my shoes and socks than “sloshing.”

We’re talking serious slosh.

There’s something beautifully compelling and yet simultaneously awful about rainy fall days in New York.  On the one hand, the rain washes away so much of the filth that can build up in a city, and there’s something glorious about how very brightly all those wet fall leaves appear.  The trees with their changing colors seem prettier somehow, and the sound of the rain on the pavement hushes the usual noises of the city for awhile.  But on the flip side, everything is wet, and small hollows in the sidewalk that were barely noticeable before are suddenly pond-like obstacles to navigate.

It is still raining this morning, and there is a very good possibility that I will be soaked by the time I get to work.  Funny, I used to consider a short dash to the car in inclement weather from my front door in Michigan to be inconvenient.  This morning, I kind of miss it.

The non-rainy days of autumn in New York have been fun, tho.  I’ve continued to explore the city; a few weekends ago I visited the Metropolitan Museum of art for the first time.  I lasted 4.5 hours, and I don’t think I saw even 1/2 of the exhibits.  I’m looking forward to (several) return trips in the future.  This weekend I went to the zoo in Central Park, and walked past Big Bird on the way.  I also accidentally went to the Winter Village at Bryant Park – it was a bit odd, wandering through booths selling Christmas decor in seventy degree weather at the end of October, but fun nonetheless.  It will be fun to go back later this season when it’s a little more Christmas-like in the city.

In the meantime, I have a lot of organizing to do indoors over the next few days.  I’ve managed to find homes for the items in three of the four suitcases my family kindly schlepped down with all of my fall/winter clothes last week, but the jury is still out on what will happen with whatever is in suitcase #4.  With one small closet and a cupboard under a bookshelf to work with, storage in this tiny apartment is in short supply.  This is going to take some creativity – and maybe a trip to IKEA.

After it stops raining.

Image Credit: Matt Lewis on Unsplash