Boston footwear

I was recently in Boston and noticed that 99 out of 100 women that I saw were wearing flipflops, mostly the <$10 rubber variety.  I have never seen so many flip flops.  Granted it was hot, but many of these ladies were wearing tailored work outfits. I was in many different neighborhoods and it seemed to be a uniting trend.

So, if you're from Boston, are you carrying around non-flip flop shoes in your purse?

Do you wear flip flops in the office?

Do Bostonian ladies appreciate toe freedom more than other women? 

Has anyone else noticed this?

Well I'm from west of Boston, but I'm there a lot, so close enough.

I do, in fact, usually bring flip-flops to work so I don't have to wear my office shoes to drive/walk around outside.

I doubt these women are wearing flip flops at work.  

What I have noticed is that, when in Boston, it is much less important to keep up professional appearances outside the office than in New York or DC, for example.  It's just not the same type of city.  AND people in Boston walk a whole heck of a lot more than people in some other major cities.  I can't say we walk the most, but when it above 30 its a beautiful day so people are out walking.  

Also, Boston is very much a college town, and I think the laid-back attitude of the college students rubs off on the rest of the city.  

ALSO, the Red Sox are known for their scruffiness.  Bostonians feel the need to keep up scruffiness as a city theme 

It's been exceptionally hot and humid in MA the past 2-3 weeks.  We're used to maybe 1 week a year at this level of heat.   You're lucky people were clothed... ;)

that too..I have a pile of work shirts in the back of my car actually.  I've been stripping them off the second I'm out of the office so I can wear a tank top for the rest of the day.

I'm from the Boston area but do not work IN Boston, however, my office has a "business casual" policy on attire which, except for specified days, is very casual and I almost always wear flip flops - it's just too hot.

Granted, I think if I worked IN Boston where I was walking more I wouldn't be wearing flip flops but sneakers as flip flops don't really give you any support and if you walk too much in them, especially on hot/humid days, those straps can chaffe!

I don't live in Boston, but I visit a few times a year. I also have the flip flop mentality.

Imagine my surprise when I packed a suitcase full of flip flops for footwear when I vacationed in Italy last summer. They are NOT flip flop people. They are incredibly fashionable- as in, just about every woman looks as if she just stepped off a runway. Apparently (I read this after I got back from vaca), only women in coastal cities wear shorts or mini skirts. I packed (of course) a suitcase full of shorts and mini skirts.

I wore my ignorance with pride and comfort.

were you spying on me?!?

i live right outside of Boston, and live in the city. my daily commute involves a train ride and a 1/2 mile walk through the Common and public garden. of course i'm not gonna do that in heels! i wear flip flops to and from the office in the spring/summer and sneakers in the fall/winter (though i wear cute sneakers, not bright white clunky running shoes with big white socks haha).

i have about 10 pairs of work shoes under my desk, i don't know many offices that allow flip flops.

it's a comfort thing. i don't care if i look silly in flip flops and a suit during my commute. i'll also throw on the flip flops if i go out after work for drinks or something.

I grew up (and currently live) about 45 minutes from Boston and I remember my grandmother telling me that the professional women in Boston wear sneakers on their commute because of all the cobblestones and uneven pavement.

In the cooler weather, I wear sneakers to commute to and from work.  In the summer, I wear flip-flops during the commute.  (I tend to not wear socks with my shoes in the summer, so wearing sneakers would involve wearing a pair of socks, taking them off, putting them back on at the end of the day.)  My commute is 1 hr and 15 min each way and involves taking the commuter rail and two subway lines.  (There are a lot of stairs involved, and a lot of walking -- sometimes even running.)   I keep two pairs of shoes at work, and if I want to wear a different pair that day, I carry them with me.

There are numerous benefits to wearing sneakers/flip-flops on the commute.  Your nice shoes last longer.  Your feet don't hurt.  You can run if you're late.  Your heels don't get caught in the cobblestones.

Honestly, I'm surprised that women in other cities don't wear flip-flops.