August 12, 2004 Walking the Dog in Summer
Part chore, part pleasure, the act of taking your canine pet for a stroll in downtown
New York is like walking around with an open invitation to strangers to strike up
a conversation with you, the owner (and failing that, with the pup itself). Here
a young woman is casually walking a small dog on a hot, humid summer
afternoon on Broadway in NoHo, as seen through a taxi window. Owning a dog in the city has its
advantages--companionship, protection, social magnet--and its
disadvantages--the barking, the attention and the cleaning up after your
pooch's "business" on the sidewalks whenever it answers nature's
call, as required by New York City law. And for those who care, walking
around with doggie in tow is a way of telling everyone around you that
this small part of this crowded, littered, stressed-out, fast-paced, noisy and
ridiculously overpriced island called Manhattan is where you call home,
sweet home.
Ivan Corsa Photo
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