I spent the day with some friends who were visiting NYC, and spent the whole day barefoot, except when we went to eat. It's a pretty laid back place, but my wife asked nicely for me to put on the emergency shoes before we get in, she didn't want to risk any kind of confrontation while we had guests. Fair enough, not everyone else should have to deal with the challenges of my lifestyle.
I got plenty of the usual looks, I overheard plenty of comments, and there were plenty of questions as the rest of the day went on, walking downtown, a bakery (Buttercup Bake Shop is amazing, 52nd & 2nd in NYC, get the chocolate trifle pudding), and eventually to the Union Square Holiday Market.
When my little guy, who's been riding in a baby carrier on my back, needed a diaper change, I ducked into the big Barnes & Noble. I made it up to the second floor kids' dept, and not til then, before taking my son into the bathroom/changing station, a security guard told me I needed to put on shoes. She wasn't particularly rude or polite, just said it brusquely, but it caught me off guard after an open toed, unshod December day.
For the record, a quick googling shows that Barnes & Noble has some unspoken but occasionally enforced anti-barefoot rule.
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