Rules for walking in the Loop

At one point last weekend, Karen and I got on the subject of people walking and being unaware of their surroundings. Since I've been meaning to blog about people not being good about sharing sidewalks, here are some of my rules for walking in the Loop during rush hour or other busy periods. Also included are tips even those of us who are considerate will find helpful:

Rules:
1. Watch where you are going! While I can forgive those who look down briefly to dial their phone, I have a hard time overlooking those who are walking down the sidewalk absorbed in the latest trashy romance novel.

2. Keep your hands to yourself. This is especially important for those who are tall and/or large because if you swing your arms, you widen yourself by at least 2 feet.

3. Remember what you learned in Kindergarten and walk in a straight line. Nothing is more annoying than being stuck behind a row of people 3 or more across during rush hour - this takes up the majority of the sidewalk in some places.

4. Stay in the lines. Almost as annoying is when someone continually swerves on the sidewalk. I can't tell you how many times I'm about to pass someone up and then almost end up crashing into her/him because s/he decided to walk a couple of feet to the left for no apparent reason.

5. Small people should = small personal articles. If you are 5'4" you do not need an oversized golf umbrella, period. Once you hit 6'4" we'll talk.

Tips:
1. Beware when walking under the El. In the winter it's very pointy icicles, in the summer it's pigeon crap. You just can't win.

2. Sometimes it's better to just get wet. In cases of strong winds vs. your umbrella, your umbrella is not going to win.

3. Know which buildings take care of their sidewalks during the winter. You tend to learn this really quickly, and alter your route to work accordingly to avoid injuries and potential death due to slipping on ice and snow.

I think that's all for now. I'll post more as I think of them...