When it's pouring, the world tilts as people shuffle indoors. Empty movie theaters become crowded, and bustling parks become sparsely populated and soggy. That's why inclement weather is the best time to do something that would be a pain in beautiful weather because the city just has too many people. So when it rains, beg, borrow, or steal an umbrella and take a walk on the West Side. On a sunny weekend day, your experience on, say, the Highline, is essentially a walk down a crowded, elevated sidewalk. A better way to enjoy that and the rest of the West Side, from your jumping off point at Gansevoort Street, is to go when it's pouring. Grab an umbrella from a lobby of one of the many swank hotels that sprang up around the park and take a leisurely stroll without having to worry about the crowds. The rain makes the world below look like a misty, faraway scene, and it's a treat to walk above it, knowing that millions of miserable people below you are poking each other with the spokes of their overpriced umbrellas. Remember to return your free one to the hotel when you're done. Gansevoort to 30th streets, between Tenth and Eleventh avenues, 212-500-6035, thehighline.org