And now I want to visit Moscow!

Crap. Bo Diddley died.

Same thing with walking slowly in a group of 3-5. Don't do it! I don't care if you're getting a drink after work!

This wouldn't bug me so much if any of these groups ever had the awareness of their surroundings to detect when someone walking faster is behind them, and made room to be passed.

This, so very much. I grew up in an area that was almost entirely tourist-dependent. I'm very familiar with the love-hate dynamic that is present in such situations. And I know I live and work in the most tourist-heavy parts of SF, but STILL. The worst part about my entire rehearsal process has been the fact that the theater is near Union Square, and so the entire area is clotted with oblivious groups of people.

I'm so sorry for your loss, askye.

It's the Mole People.

Not the C.H.U.D.?

("Of course you'll have a bad impression of New York if you only focus on the pimps and the C.H.U.D.s.")

No! That's very sad.

(Reading the restaurant list from Kathy's link - want to go to Sunshine Cafe. . . NOW.)

This wouldn't bug me so much if any of these groups ever had the awareness of their surroundings to detect when someone walking faster is behind them, and made room to be passed.

I hate it when a gaggle of office workers go to lunch together. I always feel as if I'm being run off the sidewalk by the Douchebag Express.

Instead, it usually seems like they think there's no one else one the sidewalk except themselves. Or, if they are aware of other people, they not only don't make room, they go out of their way to make it impossible to pass. Like "How dare you try and pass our slow-moving group taking up the entire sidewalk!!!"

This happens all the time in Boston. You even get individual pedestrians who seem to sense you getting ready to pass and they swerve into your "lane"; then swerve back when you try to juke the other way. It's gotten to the point where I assume it's just the MA driver mentality carried over to pedestrians.

And I'm afraid, having grown up in Maine (aka Vacationland which = Touristland), and now living in Salem, my love hate relationship with tourists has moved firmly to the "hate" side of the spectrum, at least for the clueless (as opposed to uninformed) types.

Remember folks, it's tourist season again - shoot to kill, not to wound. There's nothing more dangerous than a wounded tourist.

Like "How dare you try and pass our slow-moving group taking up the entire sidewalk!!!"

I get this because I actually have the nerve to walk up the escalator instead of standing there like a sheep.

I am less bothered by the climbing gas prices themselves than by the fact that they've made the last convenience store in my area that let you pay after pumping stop that practice.

You must be glad to no have the commute you used to have. Or were you reimbursed for gas? Which makes me wonder how long companies keep subsidizing (or at least fully subsidizing) for gas.

I get this because I actually have the nerve to walk up the escalator instead of standing there like a sheep.

Oh how I wish it were universally known that one should stand on the right and allow walkers to pass on the left.