One. Building construction obliterates sidewalks for months at a time.
Two. The crosswalks near these construction sites have long been erased or painted over by unintelligible, utility company hieroglyphics, which can be interpreted by only a select few. (If a graffiti artist defaced public areas this way he or she would be arrested.)
Three. Yelling at a motorist does no good because they cannot hear you in the din of Midtown traffic. Dirty looks and non obscene gestures are more effective and does not place one in immediate peril. Such vehicle-pedestrian confrontations inspired this poster, which is available at downandoutbound.com.
Four. Driving and texting, though unlawful, is so commonplace that at waiting for a crosswalk light one often makes a game of counting consecutive violators. Entertaining but not comforting.
Five. Automobile detritus (bumpers, side view mirrors, headlights) and other urban trash like this decapitated sign often make passage on the sidewalk difficult.
Six. The 10th Street bridge: Narrow, filthy, noisy.
Seven. Cyclists often ride on the sidewalks. Understandable in some sense, but still scary.
Eight. Street lights -- even decorative ones -- are often out of service for weeks at a time.
Nine. On sunny days, notice the brown haze hovering on the horizon. We are breathing that.
Ten. Have I missed something? Please add your #10 to the comments.
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