Tourist Time. They’re here. Yes it is high tourist season and with it, comes heightened stress for locals.

So with metorail during the tourist season, it is advisable to have your SmarTrip filled at all times, just to avoid long lines at farecard machines at some of the busier stations.

Besides the main downtown transfer stations, Smithsonian, Union Station, Rosslyn, Pentagon City and Woodley Park-Zoo/Adams Morgan stations seem to have the worst tourist crowding on the weekends and during off-peak periods during the week.

How to Deal With Tourists. And though many of us in D.C. find tourists less-than-ideal elements in one’s daily commute, outsiders do bring in a lot of cash to the city. So DCist says be nice to them and be welcoming (most are very nice people), but also assert yourself enough to the point where they will understand that they are being obstacles in the way of locals who must get through to turn the wheels of democracy. Saying “Excuse me, I’m trying to get by” on escalators should be sufficient enough. Don’t you think? Then again, you could just wear a Stand to the Right T-shirt.

And if you see a tourist about to do something stupid, like stick in a baby stroller (with baby) in closing train doors, put out your arm and say “No! Don’t you think that’d be a bad idea? What about the baby? I advise you to wait for the next train.” Courteous advise usually leads to eventual logic.

What are your tourist-season strategies on metrorail?