Every time it rains in New York, countless atrocities are left strewn on the street in the form of broken umbrellas. Our other rain gear stays with us, but sometimes even the best umbrellas are abandoned, just another one of those rain-related annoyances we’d rather forget. So next time you’re about to callously cast one of your nylon friends aside, spare a thought for its feelings: It could have its own hopes and dreams and problems, just like the New York umbrellas you’re about to meet in the slideshow below.
Photograph: Courtesy Creative Commons/Flickr/Tyler Clemens This is Brian, a 20-year-old student who's just had his heart broken for the first time. He'll get over it, but right now he's drinking a lot of vodka and listening to The National on repeat. Just leave him alone.
Photograph: Courtesy Creative Commons/Flickr/ This is Fiona, 38, who works in PR. She just completely derailed her diet and is now feeling very bad about herself.
Photograph: Courtesy Creative Commons/Flickr/Night-Thing This is Martin, 34. He turned to drugs at a young age and now sleeps on the street. He is a recidivist.
Photograph: Courtesy Creative Commons/Flickr/Mementosis This is Tyler, Blake and Chad, fraternity bros who are getting the most out of their party by irritating pedestrians with a game of "see how many umbrellas we can fit in the trash can!" Tyler, Blake and Chad are dicks.
Photograph: Courtesy Creative Commons/Flickr/Dan Nguyen This is Marcy. She's been hooking since she was 18 years old. She is a mother of two.
Photograph: Courtesy Creative Commons/Flickr/Drinksmachine This is Gavin. He's an idiot.
Photograph: Courtesy Creative Commons/Flickr/Dustin Quasar This is Joyce, 80. She likes Michael Bublé CDs and buying gifts for her grandchildren. Her left knee hurts when it's cold.
Photograph: Raydene Salinas Peter, 52, just lost his job at the brokerage firm he worked at for more than 20 years. He hasn't told his wife yet.
Photograph: Courtesy Creative Commons/Flickr/Timothy Krause Jamie, 23, hitchhiked to New York six months ago and things haven't been going so well, but he's optimistic that he can make it work.
Photograph: Courtesy Creative Commons/Flickr/Jon Jordan This is Emily, 7. Some of the other umbrellas in her class were mean to her today, which makes her sad. She has an imaginary friend called Starla who is a horse.
Photograph: Raydene Salinas This is Gavin again. Now he's pretending to be a bicycle. Idiot.
Photograph: Courtesy Creative Commons/Flickr/Jon Jordan This is Pam, 48, who works at the local optician's shop. She just caught up with her BFF for a boozy lunch and had the best time ever. She has one of the dirtiest laughs you've ever heard.
Photograph: Courtesy Creative Commons/Flickr/Jon Jordan This is Xur Un Teeb, 780 solar cycles, Prime Envoy of the Alteran Alliance. His mission to explore Earth disguised as one of its natives has gone drastically awry.
Photograph: Courtesy Creative Commons/Flickr/Nicole Mays Darren, 36, an account analyst, has just been mugged. He knows he should be upset, but mostly he's thinking about whether or not he can lie on his insurance claim form to get an upgrade to his iPhone.
Photograph: Courtesy Creative Commons/Flickr/Eric Konon This is Tom, a 42-year-old advertising executive who's been busted three times already for DUI. His wife wants a divorce and not even his dog actually likes him.
Photograph: Courtesy Creative Commons/Flickr/Charley Lhasa For fuck's sake, Gavin.
Meet the broken umbrellas of New York
These heart-wrenching photos of abandoned umbrellas will have you loving your rainy-day companion even more
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