Tourists.

Tourists. Webster defines them as "those who travel for pleasure." It seems that each year brings more and more people to the District following the Cherry blossom festival. Perhaps it is the new hope and change in the air, or the fact that out of all travel destinations, DC is not down because of the economy. Regardless of the reason for their arrival, they come in masses. I think school groups are the worst. I think every 8th grade class this side of the Mississippi take a trip to DC. They get ushered by the chaperones and the random parent who can't leave her 13 year old to themselves...poor kid.

You all know the type; these visitors to our fair city cram the metro trains, pack the Smithsonians, stop in the middle of Constitution Avenue to take photos, and most notably gawk at the random people who play kickball or what have you on the mall. Sure, tourists are important. Without them what would the big yellow trucks parked outside of the Smithsonian have to do with their time. Also, what Capitol Hill staffers wouldn't want to get to share in the delight of ushering countless hundreds of them through the Capitol on a daily basis. The problem isn't the tourists per-say, after-all we all have been one at one point in another city. The problem is when the tourists pretend like they know what they are ding. I think it is safe to say that every one of us has had our own fair share of experience with tourists to the district.

One of my favorite experiences came this morning, so much so that I decided to make that be my rant for the day. So there I was, Friday morning, feeling good, reading my Pearls versus Swine, and it hit me. Tourists. Right outside of the entrance to the metro (where you use your smartrip or paper slip), there was literally a crew of 50 kids all in bright yellow shirts taking pictures. Their chaperone was just standing there looking confused. I appreciate the desire to take the metro...we do want to go green don't we, but seriously...what are you thinking Chaperones. You are better than that. A) you don't take the metro during rush hour, and B) there is clearly a better place to stand than right outside of the metro entrance. My favorite experiences with tourists though is certainly on the metro, preferably after a night at kickball. Those tend to yield the best conversations/awkward looks.

Trailer Trashed

One word: Trivia. For those of you who have never played, the general premise is that teams compete in order to win a montage of prizes and or free bar gear.  They answer a wide range of questions, and the use of cellphones is strictly prohibited (unless it is to text a bittie. See rule 6) Tonight in Old Town was no exception.  I was amazed at the ability of other teams to crush the team of David and I in random trivia. More than the other teams, I was most amazed at the ability of this one guy who clearly defined his life by the fact that he could answer random trivia questions on a Tuesday night (he was flying solo at the bar). From a coaching standpoint I feel as though the best way to succeed in Trivia is to have numbers on your side.  I think the more people you have, the better your chances will be. That aside, and the fact that we came in last place, we still got some free shirts from the bar.  I don't know if they felt bad for us, if we were that good looking, or the fact that the trivia only rolled 30 deep.  Either way, it was a pretty sweet deal for the entire night.  

Note to self:  A dog was the first thing the Russians sent to space.  Her name was Laika.