I’m just about to leave my job for greener pastures. This place hasn’t been bad- I tried to make the very best of every moment I had. I worked on two novels while I was employed here, and I walked on breaks and lunch as much as I could. This is what I learned about walking in the city in all sorts of situations:

Beware of cars. Some of them are killers. You may think there’s a person inside driving, but what if the car is alive and that person is a prisoner? Cars eat people. Never assume they’re not going to hit you.

If you hear people shouting at each other cross the street. I have seen more domestic disputes spilling out of houses than I care to count. Someone is usually very angry and you don’t want to walk through the middle of that. If it’s outside it’s because someone is leaving and that’s for the best.

If you hear a woman calling a cat, don’t look. Three times I have been blinded by obese women in underwear searching for...