True or False in NYC: Footwear

In movies and on television, characters living in New York City wear extremely impractical shoes. Even though they walk long distances, ride subways, and trudge through puddle-filled streets, the footwear is often pointy, delicate, and inordinately expensive.

So, True or False: New Yorkers wear shoes that completely do not fit their lifestyles.

This one is much more true than you'd expect. Although there are some people like me who wear tennis shoes and other comfortable walking shoes around the city, there are a lot of people who wear footwear that shocks me. Tiny, high heels, open toes, even in bad weather. When I have to walk a long distance but need to be in dress shoes, I wear practical shoes, carry the dress shoes and wait to put them on until I reach my final destination.  Living in the city requires navigating staircases, slippery walkways, puddles, running to catch a train, etc., but this doesn't stop people from wearing shoes that make these activities impractical, if not impossible. New Yorkers are fearless though. Really, the only exception to this pattern is when it rains. If the day calls for rain, you'll find all New Yorkers in rain boots. I had to buy some, as I am from a land with very limited precipitation. But basically, people just wear whatever they think looks good, whether or not it's logical.

So, next time you're watching some show with fashionable people living in Manhattan, wearing silly, impractical shoes, and you're tempted to think, "No one would wear those there," think again!