Perhaps I should have a rule: if something in New York City is enough to stop me dead in my tracks, no matter how trivial it may appear, it is worthy of a photo and story. After all, it would be rather stingy to seek out photo ops and then, when something truly piques the interest of denizens of the city, share it only with other fellow New Yorkers, would it not?
Yesterday, during the evening rush hour, on a highly trafficked intersection of Spring Street and Broadway, I encountered this woman's dress boot and sock. Thousands just walked by it, leaving it completely undisturbed. But it was very, very perplexing. It seems unlikely that someone would lose one shoe and one sock. It seemed equally unlikely that someone would discard one shoe and sock.
This was not a monumental occurrence but rather something so deliberate that it begged for attention. Was this another example of Lost and Found - the Hanukkah star cat I discovered in 2008 which appeared to be more deliberately placed than lost? If lost and left for the owner, it was in the least likely of places, New York City, where the prospect of finding or recovering lost articles, seems about as remote as humanly possible (see Area Code 714, Part 1 and Part 2). On March 15, 2011, in Titillation of the Day, I wrote:
On December 26, 2008, in a story called Lost and Found, I told of my experience in Paris, where lost articles were often repositioned prominently in near where it was found, in hopes the original owner will return via that route and find it. Since that time, I have noticed this practice on the streets of New York City. It may come as somewhat surprising, but the more aware you are of this practice, the more likely you will notice it.
I approached a woman nearby purchasing a cupcake at the Melissa window bakeshop and asked her opinion. She appeared to be equally confused. Another passerby commented that someone was trying to make a statement. When I remarked that it may be the subject of a story, he suggested "The Anonymous Shoe."
Related Posts: Front Window, One Size Too Small, Urban Road Warrior
8 comments:
This surely can be a
Cover of a Novel.
I think many of the passerby have seen this shoes and socks but they don't care. But only can get the attention. So it means you have care for others and your surroundings.
The odd thing to me is that the boot is in very good shape, and is very fashionable. If it was simply a dirty old shoe I could understand discarding it anywhere. But the loss of this beautiful and sexy item is worthy of a Sherlock Holmes mystery...
Certainly not an inexpensive boot...
Sock was tucked into boot that fell out of a backpack?
We'll never know.
My imagination's not as romantic as Leslie's.
Someone woke up with a hangover the next day and was really mad that they lost a very expensive shoe. It would only make it worse that you still had one of them!
Would a well dressed lady wear that style of sock with that boot?
Surely that is more of a masculine sort of sock?
What the heel? Obviously abandoned by someone with 'sole'. Very intriguing. x
I am with the backpack theory. The sock seems to detract from the idea of the shoe being left purposely, to make some sort of statement. It looks a little practical compared to the boot.
Whoever is the owner, I hope they hobble back soon, in one boot, to retrieve it.
Your imagination is excellent. It makes this site even more worthwhile.
Thank you.
Very intriguing.
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