Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Walk this way!

In San Francisco (every city, I'm sure, really) there are certain walks. These walks express mood, person, and situation (obvious descriptors, I know). I'm not talking about walking with a limp or hunch back. Nor am I talking about walking in stilettos (I love stilettos) or Crocs. I'm talking about type of walk - there are a handful I love:
  • The bus walk/run (a term coined by Matt - credit where credit is due): the walk/run people do when a bus is coming or just about to leave and they haven't made it to the telling white rectangle. They speed up a little, then swing their arms really fast to elude to running for the bus but really just expelling more energy than needed while making everyone on the bus wait.
  • The oblivious (often confused with rude): the walk people do when they forget there are other people in San Francisco. This is the type that walks 4-in-a-row on the Golden Gate Bridge (grrr) or walks, then stops really fast right in front of you.
  • The tourist: this is not so much a walk as a stance. The tourist follows the oblivious path, but then stops, strikes a tripod pose, and takes a picture (often an awful one) of some building or some other tourist making a goofy pose. I've done this one on trips before, I admit.
  • The agro: the walk (that carries into the car) people do when they think the world is against them and they deserve to get in your way. Quite annoying, but whatever - glad I don't feel that way.

There are hundreds more (it's like a list of Thailand's smile) - many are similar but mean very different things.

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