The Exodus in Style

As we sat outside at Sonoma in the early evening last night, we were particularly attracted to the shoes that were busily taking people down Pennsylvania Avenue. They were going to dinner, to the Metro, to meet friends, or just stopping for a drink. These were not sensible feet but feet dressed to kill.

What happened to the tennis shoes that used to be tucked into a work bag for the after-work walk? These shoes had high heels and severely pointed toes and some had ankle straps to make sure they weren’t falling off. I could almost feel the pain of some of their owners as they made their way somewhere, often at a brisk pace.

When you get to be my age, you have a very different view of stylish shoes. They engender thoughts of podiatrists and osteopaths to fix corns, callouses, bunions, and fallen arches. Instead we wear sensible sandals or closed toe shoes that bring comfort to tired feet.

But last night’s parade of shoes provided entertainment and variety as they all kicked up their heels just beyond our table.