Results tagged “overheardindc”

It can be fun to think about things you'd like in an ideal mate. But sometimes, things sound better than they actually are.

Generally when we hear about turf wars, it's something to do with law enforcement, intelligence or the military, or maybe something related to finance. Usually turf wars are fought in courtrooms, hearing rooms, Congressional chambers, and rule-making sessions. Usually.

There's a lot of weird things in the world: Snuggies, hairless cats, Glenn Beck's Christmas book for kids, for example. And some things just defy explanation.

Lots of presumed weirdos were overheard this week saying bizarre things. Perhaps Halloween has gotten everybody acting strange. Sometimes you just wonder if people ever think before speaking.

Dating can be tough. You have to look nice, be funny, talk about things that interest you, but not talk too much. Or you can take a wholly different approach, and just be like this guy.

Dads giving advice to their kids can be sweet. It's even better when it's funny.

For whatever reason, this week's overheards were primarily sexual in nature. Maybe we've gone too long without a Congressional sex scandal, so locals folks have felt the need to make up their own? These cops seem to know what's up.

It's an age old debate: who's worse, Maryland or Virginia drivers? Of course, they both would say D.C. drivers, but then again, D.C. drivers seem to know how circles operate and that pedestrians get right of way. Well, some of the time. And at least these guys know your hands go on the wheel.

You don't need me to tell you that D.C. has a lot of history – monuments, old buildings, sites of treaties and meetings, plus all the museums and artifacts. That brings in a lot of tourists from all over. And sometimes from the future.

Ah, "gentlemens' clubs." Some try pretty hard to be classy and fail wholly, while others don't try at all and are still pretty gross. It seems like they're either depressing or the home of The Hangover-type stories, and sometimes both. But occasionally, they're the site of true romance. Classy romance.

Taking a kid to get a haircut can be easy ("What do you want?" "I dunno, same thing") or it be can an awful ordeal. Here's to moms and dads who are patient when junior wants a mohawk or a rat-tail or something like that.

The Metro is not always a chatty place, though moreso than the New York subway, probably. People prefer to sit in their orange (or red, or blue) seats, reading the newspaper or listening to music or zoning out. Some folks will discuss how many stops they have to go, while others will make small talk about work. But hey, being polite to strangers is cool, right?

It's late August, which means college kids are back in town. Expect more crowded bars around Foggy Bottom and Georgetown, long lines at Target and Bed Bath & Beyond, and at least for a few months, more confused young people on the Metro. Some have their priorities, however.

Maybe it's getting hot out and people are caring less or wearing less clothes or something, because a lot of submissions this week are vaguely (or overtly) crude. And sometimes also very confusing.

We spend a lot of time in this column teasing tourists for doing dumb stuff -- asking stupid questions, not believing true things about the city, being obnoxious. They provide a lot of money to the city and to manufacturers of FBI t-shirts, but sometimes they're just funny.

One of the things about smoking is that it's a communal thing. People often go out and smoke together, borrow lights and meet people doing it, and maybe there's something to the whole illegal-inside-most-places camaraderie. Sometimes, however, that's not quite true.

Not everyone knows D.C. well; it's not shocking. People come and go, they move here for work and go about their day and don't really think about the city. Sometimes, however, you just wonder what the hell is going on in their brains.

After skipping last week (apologies, readers) due to a trip and long flights, this week's Overheard is jam packed with extra overhearingness, at no extra cost! What a deal!

There's a lot of dumb people out there -- you don't need me to tell you that. D.C. has a lot of smarties, but we can't all be people with big brains. Sometimes, however, you wonder if people think about what they're saying.

Bartenders have an interesting job -- it's one of the few jobs where it's basically accepted to be grumpy sometimes (or all the time, at some bars). People have to wait for them, because they want their booze. They're frequently opinionated. Sometimes, they have a point.

It's been a big week, with lots of crazy stories and tragic ones. No matter what you think about him, Michael Jackson is seemingly on everyone's mind.

It's good to be nice to your elders. But everything has limits.

D.C. is blessed with a lot of green space: parks, gardens, the Mall, and more. There's a couple botanical gardens, grottoes, fancy manicured lawns, and trees everywhere. Rock Creek is almost a wilderness in places, and even the smallest little pocket parks have nice landscaping. It's good that visitors can appreciate it.

Asking strangers questions can be a recipe for disaster. But sometimes, it can be awesome.

There are a lot of homeless in D.C., and they have many ways of panhandling. Some just sit quietly, some will tell a joke, some have a sign or talk about how they need money for a court date or to get to work. Some of them probably have legitimate reasons for asking for money. And then there are strategies that probably won't work.

For whatever reason, the dummies seemed to come out of the woodwork this week. Maybe it's the warm weather, or they're busy thinking about grilling out or going to the pool, rather than making a coherent point. Whatever it is, we're blessed.

Forget Bike to Work Day! For whatever reason, today is National Pizza Party Day. Blame the sinister pro-pizza lobby, or something.

There's been a lot said about the Obamas so far, mostly positive (at least, if you go by the polls.) You hear he's presidential, he's nice, people overseas like him, he's getting a lot done. The couple have romantic nights, Sasha and Malia are cute, everybody likes the new dog.

Most of the time the "stupid tourists" overheards we get are the same old thing -- "gee, where is the Washington Monument" (right behind you); "this FBI T-shirt is so cool" (no, sorry), and so on. They often get obvious things wrong, like calling the Capitol the White House, saying the Washington Monument is where the President lives, the Potomac is the Mississippi, stuff like that. But sometimes, under the idiocy and the fanny packs, there's a subtle point about race in America.

Earth Day. Some people think it's a fake holiday, other people admire its lofty goals. As we noted last week, the Earth Day celebration on the Mall consisted of people giving out plastic trinkets and other crap, things with cardboard stuck to it, and piles of trash. It's good to think about the Earth and all, but sometimes you need to do more than think.