Sidewalk Days

For the first time ever, I was around when Sidewalk Days came to Northampton. Not only that, but my kids were out of town, so I was drunk on freedom from responsibility. So on Saturday, after I went for a run and took a nap (ahhh), I went downtown.

The first thing I noticed was the large number of people downtown.



I don't object to large crowds, per se, but I did find the meandering, sauntering, and general be-in-my-way walking to be incredibly annoying. It took me awhile to realize what the problem was: most everyone around me was from out of town. And that explains why the most common phrase I heard during my time on the streets was from drivers explaining (yelling, pointing out, reminding) to pedestrians crossing the street that "the sign says DON'T WALK."

The other interesting comment was from the man walking down the street with his daughter. "Now," he said. "That Tracy Chapman. Is SHE a lesbian?"




I soon retreated to the cool, quiet, and dim interior of the Dirty Truth for a beer and left the Sidewalk Days outside.

That beer was the only thing I bought that day.