I don’t think I’ve ever had a more entertaining breakfast. I was sitting in the Gracie Mews at a window booth this morning enjoying some poached eggs and whole wheat toast and feeling happy to be out of the wind and the rain. As I sat and ate I watched as pedestrian after pedestrian made it to the corner clutching their umbrella in a death grip against the wind. Alas, time and again the structural integrity of the umbrella proved no match for the force of the wind and it would shudder, lift in a brief attempt at a Mary Poppin only to succumb to the physics of it all and collapse like a house of cards. What was most interesting was watching the reactions of people. Some cursed, others vainly fought to repair the now shattered umbrella, a few pretended it hadn’t happened, and a couple laughed. I’d like to think that were I in their position I would have laughed too, but I had to content myself with laughing from my nice warm booth inside the Gracie Mews.

Empathy, thy name is Chris.