The Sidewalk Is Not a Parking Lot, So Why Are We All Negotiating Like It Is?
By Mood Magazine NYC
I was walking down the street in Harlem the other day, minding my business, which in New York is really the only business any of us should be minding.
I had somewhere to be.
Not an emergency.
Nothing dramatic.
Just somewhere I needed to get before I became late and had to begin sending that familiar New York text:
“I’m almost there.”
A statement that, depending on the person, can mean anywhere from thirty seconds to the next presidential administration.
Then I saw them.
Four people.
Walking directly toward me.
Side by side.
Laughing.
Talking.
Completely unbothered.
They had somehow managed to occupy the entire sidewalk.
Not most of it.
All of it.
For a brief moment, I considered my options.
Move into the street?
Walk into a parked car?
Politely ask them to make room?
Or simply accept that my journey had ended here, on this particular block in Harlem, behind four people who had apparently decided the sidewalk belonged exclusively to them.
And that’s when I thought:
Why are New Yorkers so bad at sharing the sidewalk?
Because there are certain things you learn when you live in New York.
You learn how to walk fast.
You learn that “five minutes away” can mean absolutely anything.
You learn not to make eye contact with the person yelling on the train unless you are emotionally prepared to become part of the conversation.
And if you live in Harlem, you eventually learn another important skill.
Sidewalk navigation.
Because apparently, nobody told certain groups of people that other people also need to get somewhere.
WALK LIKE SOMEBODY ELSE EXISTS
New Yorkers are famous for walking quickly.
Except when we’re not.
Sometimes we’re standing in the middle of the sidewalk checking our phones.
Sometimes we’re stopping suddenly because Google Maps has informed us that we passed the restaurant.
Sometimes we’re walking three across while discussing something that absolutely could have been discussed in a group chat.
The sidewalk is public space.
Which means, unfortunately, we have to share it.
A difficult concept, apparently.
THE STOPPING RULE
If you need to stop walking, step to the side.
That’s it.
That’s the rule.
Do not suddenly freeze in the middle of the sidewalk like you have received an important message from another dimension.
Move over.
Check your phone.
Consult the map.
Argue with your friend.
Have your existential crisis.
But please do it somewhere other than directly in front of me.
ESCALATORS ARE NOT SOCIAL EXPERIMENTS
And while we’re talking about public movement, can we discuss escalators?
Stand on one side.
Walk on the other.
This arrangement has existed for years.
It works beautifully.
Yet occasionally, someone decides the escalator is the perfect place to stand beside their friend and have a conversation.
Now everyone behind them is trapped.
We are not angry.
Well.
Some of us are angry.
But mostly, we’re confused.
You have literally stopped the entire system.
HARLEM IS CHANGING. SO IS THE WAY WE MOVE THROUGH IT.
Harlem is busy.
It has always been busy.
But more people are walking through our neighborhoods now.
Residents.
Visitors.
Tourists.
Students.
Workers.
People discovering restaurants.
People attending performances.
People looking for somewhere they saw on Instagram.
And that’s a beautiful thing.
We want people to experience Harlem.
We just also want to get past you.
Harlem is not an exhibit.
It’s home.
People are going to work.
Picking up children.
Going to appointments.
Carrying groceries.
Trying to get somewhere before it starts raining.
The neighborhood is alive.
So when you visit, experience it.
Slow down if you want.
Look around.
Go inside somewhere.
Eat.
Shop.
Listen.
But occasionally look behind you.
Somebody is trying to get through.
THE HARLEM SIDEWALK CODE
Here is our modest proposal.
Walk.
Move over when you stop.
Don’t block entrances.
Don’t stand in the middle of the stairs.
Don’t suddenly reverse direction without looking.
And if you are walking four people across, understand that you have created a temporary wall.
Walls have consequences.
New York can be intense.
But it works because millions of people somehow manage to move through the same limited space every day.
That requires a little awareness.
A little patience.
And occasionally moving six inches to your right.
Honestly, that’s all we’re asking.
Because surviving Harlem should require knowing where to find the best food, the best culture, and the fastest train.
Not learning advanced tactical maneuvers to get around three people looking at one phone.
QUESTION OF THE DAY
What is your biggest New York sidewalk pet peeve?
The slow walkers?
The people who stop suddenly?
The groups who take up the entire sidewalk?
Tell us on Threads and Be a Part of the Story.
STAY IN THE MOOD
Living in New York means learning how to move through the city, laugh at the things that drive us crazy, and occasionally admit that we are probably somebody else’s sidewalk problem.
Follow Mood Magazine NYC for the stories, culture, conversations, and observations that make life in Harlem and New York worth experiencing.
Listen to WHRL Mood Radio Harlem, watch Mood TV, and join the conversation on Threads.
Now excuse me.
I’m almost there.
Mood Magazine. Mind. Body. Spirit. Culture. Harlem to the world.
