An Ode To Cities In The Rain

Whether I am inside or outside, I love when it rains in cities. I call it 'thinking weather'; but it is a lot more than that.

Outside, the rain strips away the meanderers, frolickers and just-having-fun-ers. Which are of course by no means negative elements of the city. But leaving behind only the 'people with a reason to be out', provides a type of clarity to the locale.

People with un-skippable social events. Businesswomen on the way to important meetings. Tourists which desperately want to stick to their itinerary. As I pass them on the sidewalks, I can't help but feel a sense of camaraderie through elemental exposure even as a joy-walking imposter.

Inside, the raindrops gathering on the windows absolve me of the guilt of not being 'out', a semi-permanent emotion metropolis residents have to deal with. "Why didn't you check out insert-trendy-thing-here?"; "It was raining!". The weather outside makes me feel smaller; less significant. Yet due to the paradox of Hygge, I feel more empowered and more important indoors. The outside world needs to be less inviting; to make the home more inviting.

Every city is really three cities; a day city, a night city and a rain city. I am grateful anytime I get to spontaneously experience a new city in the rain because it is harder to plan a visit with desired weather. And a city at night and in the rain, well...