America is a right side nation. Ever since kindergarten we've been instructed to line up on the right side and march along in single file. I witnessed many left-handed classmates be instructed to write right-handedly and we all write the english language left-to-right. Then we are instructed in driving class to drive on the right otherwise you get licensed revoked for those nasty head-ons.

It is tragic to think that many NYers are clueless about this since many don't drive. Imagine the haphazard and clueless nature of all of these NYers on the streets ...

... speeding into the middle of traffic w/o first stopping & looking both ways the way they do when exiting storefronts onto sidewalks ... or annoyingly texting and walking at less than half the rate of other walkers (like many a nonagenarian behind the wheel on a freeway - no offense to the elderly) ... or suddenly stopping in the middle of the onramp to turn around or stopping and not moving at the top or bottom of the ramps like many pedestrians on MTA stairwells ... and all this and more during rush hour traffic (!!!).

Not only annoying when you suddennly have to jolt to a stop or twist like an NFL quarterback or wide receiver and pulling a muscle or straining a knee just to avoid collision with all these self-centered numbskulls.

Sidewalks should have passing lanes with costly fines and court summons.

;->

For safety's sake, you should always walk against traffic. ZING!

Didn't anybody go to kindergarten? No, it's not a rule, law or statute; you can't call 311 to verify it. It's called fucking manners. What is wrong with you people? You need officially laws to prevent you from being a douche-nozzle?

You walk on the right. You go up the stairs on the right side. When approaching doors (subway, building, wherever) the order is "out before in."
If you shake hands, you use your right hand. Say "please" and "thank you." Tip your servers.

And don't give me that nonsense about how "nobody has manners in New York." I'm sick of all the people who "just got here," learned all about NYC from movies and TV shows written and produced in Hollywood that said all New Yorkers are assholes, and decided that if they were going to "make it" here, they had to out-asshole the locals. You're the asshole New Yorkers. Learn some goddamned etiquette and stop getting on your soapboxes about your right to be a complete dickbag.

On the Bedford subway stop in Willy this weekend, I thought it was interesting how going up the stairs everyone stayed on the right, even while nobody was coming down the left. So I took initiative and skipped all those suckers.

Sitting on brownstone steps is way better than leaning on them sideways blocking sidewalks.

In Park Slope, where a lot of the sidewalks are very narrow, a different kind of etiquette should prevail. Blame it on the builders of these brownstones who extended them with staircases that take up most of what would be a navitable sidewalk in most other areas of the city. But trying to enforce any such rules of politeness on people would be akin to asking the buildings to step aside.

For God sakes it's a highly populated and dense city. Some things are better off if ignored, such as adhering to some kind of sidewalk walking rules. Yeah it's a pain-in-the-ass to walk around someone, but a let less troublesome to one's blood pressure if you just ignore the matter and walk around them. Stop worrying about what you perceive as someone's outrageous entitlement and start worrying about your own health.

We need a diagram of this encounter

there is no rule, it's common courtesy. society functions more efficiently when people walk on the right and pass on the left, be it cars or humans on a sidewalk.

it's just like the people that gather by the door on the subway. if everyone did that, no one would ever get on. the people that stand by the door reap the benefits of the people that actually go into the middle.

but hey, the selfish/clueless people will stand by the door and walk wherever they want at whatever pace they want, they don't care because they are content while other people can't get on the train and have to walk around them on the sidewalk.

Interesting the PSP post or Gothamist stellar reporting fails to give us any background on the author. Just an average PS parent, right?

I suppose. But she is a professional, published, experience writer. About two years ago she wrote a lengthy essay on the perils of modern parenting, how it had all become so complicated. The prologue was a 'chance encounter' with a silver haired Grandma having trouble folding her stroller. The hero-author offered her expertise, and in the ensuing chit-chat Granny introduced the subject of the article with a weary "You need a PhD just to babysit; I don't know how modern parents do it".

Really. It is just amazing, isn't it? How do those Brooklyn mommies manage to do what 130 millions parents around the world do every year, i.e., bring a newborn child into the world and survive the first 12 months. Its mystifying; no, its mystical. No, actually I think its missed her lying.

Sucker born every minute. She threw out stinky bait, and the fish started jumping in the boat. 'grats, fellow New Yorkers - ain't nobody gonna get one by you guys.

mostly we all learned to walk on the right to mimic traffic. Whatever. Guessing that this older person gets thrown off balance when she has to change sides...it throws her for a loop. It's rough out there. Someday you may be old too, and you'll realize how it can be difficult to navigate the sidewalks and streets. Nevermind that she sounds like quite a crab. She's probably jealous of you for being young and covets your iPhone.

OK, All these people comparing people to cars are, IMO, just insane.

If I'm on the phone while standing on the sidewalk and leaning against a brownstone, I'm not moving, especially if I live there. In all polite respect, that lady is insane for making a fuss when she could just walk around.

Sidewalk "etiquette" for standing and leaning against a building??
"We all learned this in kindergarten. Walk on the right. Common sense. "?
"Park Slope Entitled Mom."?
"stuck up asshole"?

Are you all nuts?? What country do you think this is??
WOW.

Brownstones stairs stick out into the sidewalk. Phone lady was cutting 1/3 of the sidewalk off if there were garbage bags or a tree pit.

why is comparing people to cars "insane"? traffic is traffic, whether it's people, vehicles, or ants. slower traffic goes to the right, pass on the left. why is that difficult? if everyone walked haphazardly all over the place, it's inefficient. it's courtesy to let people who want to go faster than you pass you on the left. you probably drive 25mph in the fast lane on the highway?

as for the woman this article is about, we need more details to make a proper assessment.

No, you don't need more detail. Anyone standing on the sidewalk, leaning against the building should have a reasonable expectation of being left alone. That and the people here need to take a deep breath and relax.

"if everyone walked haphazardly all over the place, it's inefficient."?
How does one efficiently stand still and lean on a building while on the phone???

Again:
People are not cars.
Standing there on the phone does not make anyone a "Park Slope Entitled Mom" or a "stuck up asshole".

Hey, Go Wild People! Walk on the Left, stand on a sidewalk and chill out.

i don't need more detail? were you there? i don't disagree that if she was really standing against a building, that's fine.

to be honest, i'm not even talking about this woman, couldn't care less. i'm talking about traffic in general and the fact that yes, pedestrian sidewalk traffic is similar to vehicles.

I felt the need to clarify my post after reading yours.

1. All kinds of people in NYC from all walks of life infuriate me on a regular basis. On the street, on the subway, everywhere. In my neighborhood, in neighborhoods I've lived in, all over.

a. I take the train every day and NEED to stand by the door (less crowded, can lean, no need to touch the pole). I'm sure I infuriate lots of people daily.

2. I've lived in park slope. (White, rich) people walk 2 x 2 down the sidewalk (taking it all up) towards you and pretend to be too deeply engrossed in their conversations to move out of the way to let you pass. They do so with their stupid noses in the air.

a. I'm short. Really short. Everyone I encounter has their nose in the air, as far as I'm concerned.

b. When I walk down the street, everyone must move out of my way, for I am king lord of all that is delicious and righteous. I'm a native and I went to college, for chrissakes. I don't have time to be slowed down by people of inferior mental caliber and breeding. Why should I move?

c. People in my neighborhood are mostly from other countries and seem to travel in very large groups. They don't move out of the way either, and they don't pretend to not see you. They look you in the eye and scowl.

3. Old people piss me off. A lot. I'm not friends with one old person. They make and have too many rules. I live by my own rules. This woman is obviously crazy to think there are rules about walking down the street. She's probably pissed that she doesn't know how to use an iphone.

a. Teenagers, with their phones/ipods, especially while walking down the street, especially piss me off and need to learn about the RULES. For chrissakes.

So, my point, and the old lady's point, and the inconsiderate cell phone user's point is, and was, I'm a New Yorker, stay out of my way, don't tell me what to do, and please, for the love of chris, STFU.

PS Oh, and bikers. I hate the bikers. Especially when I'm riding my bike, and they're not abiding by all those commandments contained in the 15th amendment of the constitution of the United States. The amendment that clearly outlines the code of biking.

Heh, loved the "for I am king lord of all that is delicious and righteous."...

Yeah, but that's precisely the issue. As I said earlier, we don't know what the scene looked like, exactly. Yeah, probably the lady made a fuss, but we don't know that. The fact that the girl was listening with ear buds, may or may not be relevant either.

In most people's experience, I would speculate, one sometimes encounters inconsiderate people on the sidewalk. Therefore, the need to articulate the "rule" as it were.

It is a classic NYC match: PhoneHeadJerkSidewalkHog versus CrankyOldLadyWithAmblingConeHeadDogWideLoad.