DC Tourists

The other morning, when it was snowing, I was headed over to Barracks Row to spray paint the ground, and I was stopped next to some tourists on 15th Street.  They were obviously from out of town, because you can always, always tell, and a little girl remarked, "Daddy, there's SO MUCH SNOW.  Look at all that snow on top of the car!"

Never mind the fact that whoever the guy in the car was should have shoveled his roof (they never do), I was moved by this very cold but eager family with their rainbow umbrellas and DC sweatshirts shielding them from the misery of the late wintry mix.  The level of snow wasn't even that impressive--it was just wet and awful, but this little girl was nevertheless determined to be impressed by her surroundings.

When the light changed, I rode slowly next to them and asked if they were here to see the cherry blossoms (it was March 25th, and I think that was the original predicted peak bloom time).  The dad sadly remarked that there really weren't any around, and the grandma of the group said, "Maybe not, but we got some really cool t-shirts!" 

And that's what I love about tourists.  They're a breath of fresh air from my usually cynical internal monologue, they have different perspectives on life because they all come from different places, and (when they're not standing in a clump in the cycle track) they can be quite fun.  So sometimes I stop and talk to them, or I ask obviously lost people if they need help finding something.  Tourists, unlike most locals who inhabit the downtown area during the weekday, don't look at you like you have broccoli growing out of your ears should you dare try and engage them in conversation.  They seem, by and large, to be OK chatting with locals as long as the locals aren't condescending pricks--I know I welcome help and someone who knows what they're doing when I travel to different cities.

This is what I keep telling myself as I gear up for another season of giving bike tours--I seem to keep going back, and I think, aside from the money, that's a big part of the reason why.