sights and sounds of a soaked city

May 6, 2019 7:49 AM

The New York Times' Past Tense Blog put together a series of photos of vintage New York in the rain, paired with soundscapes by Craig Henighan. When a hard rain descends on New York, the whole city feels it. Traffic stands still, puddles get deceptively deep and even the most intrepid of us cowers in the wakes of passing cabs. Any object an unsuspecting pedestrian is carrying quickly becomes a makeshift umbrella, and actual umbrellas quickly become hazards themselves, catching the wind or flipping inside out. "When it rains, it’s a whole different scene. Things happen. People forget about you. If they see you, they don’t go putting on airs. They’re the way they are.”
posted by ChuraChura (5 comments total)

....actual umbrellas quickly become hazards themselves, catching the wind or flipping inside out.

I have repeatedly come very very close to posting an AskMe looking for recommendations for "wind-resistant umbrellas" for exactly this reason.l
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 10:45 AM on May 6, 2019

If you're tall you'll be in danger of being blinded by an umbrella.
posted by asusu at 2:59 PM on May 6, 2019

EmpressCallipygos, what you want is a Gustbuster. I really enjoyed mine for the three weeks I had it, before I left it in a train station. (On the principle that We Can't Have Nice Things, I have not spent more than $20 on an umbrella since.)

Thank you for this post. It was truly lovely, although I wouldn't have appreciated it in the last few days because they have been damp and dreary. People don't linger for the rain in cities, and Lord knows they should not; it is filthy. Like the photographer says, they have no time to put on airs.
posted by Countess Elena at 5:36 PM on May 6, 2019 [2 favorites]

I was living in NYC when most of these photos were taken, and this really resonated with me. Bookmarking this for whenever I’m homesick.
posted by MexicanYenta at 4:21 AM on May 7, 2019 [1 favorite]

Even when it's warm, tropical rain, everybody seems to forget to think, whether they are barreling over others to get under an awning, or throwing themselves across busy streets to get out of it. Cars also become barely-guided missiles, like they are afraid of getting the paint wet. It makes no sense at all.

There are two rules:
1. Call the office and let them know you're waiting it out.
2. It doesn't matter if you get wet on the way home.
posted by halfbuckaroo at 6:07 PM on May 7, 2019