Under my umbrella
Opening an umbrella inside a building is bad luck, but what about opening an umbrella inside the subway? This woman obviously doesn’t believe in superstitions, but nevertheless, superstitious or not, opening an umbrella inside a subway car seems redundant, doesn’t it? And it doesn’t seem comfortable whatsoever sitting inside a cramped car with a giant umbrella.
Perhaps she is trying to assure no one will invade her personal space, in a city full of people who lack a sense of personal space, and this is surely a creative way to achieve this. We need a born and raised New Yorker to try and explain this photo for us. In the meantime, we’re sticking with the personal space theory.