Welcome back to Overheard in D.C., DCist’s weekly column of funny, strange, and poignant things that our readers and staff overhear and send in. We’ve been doing it since 2006, and check out the archives here.
We can’t have Overheard in D.C. without your submissions! Email your Overheards to overheard(at)dcist[dot]com and don’t forget to include who was talking, to whom, and in what context.
D.C. has a lot of potholes. More than other cities? Hard to tell, but they are certainly a pain in the butt (and shocks). The city is trying to fix them, but maybe they need to put more thought into it.
Overheard of the Week
At the city’s Potholepalooza event on Maryland Avenue NE:
Mayor Muriel Bowser to an aide: “I don’t think I wore the right shoes for this.”
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Adorable nerds
At the FDR Memorial:
Out of town family is checking out the statue of Eleanor Roosevelt. The youngest boy, around 5 years old, goes up to the statue and stretches out his hand: “Hello, m’lady.”
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Have to think long and hard about that one
Outside Trader Joe’s in the NoMa area:
Three people are walking, two appear to be local and one a visitor.
Local: “Yeah, it’s insane how much D.C. has gentrified. So many neighborhoods have rebranded to attract people to the neighborhoods. Almost like Utah changing its name to California.”
Visitor: “Oh wow, can you give me an example of a new neighborhood name?”
Local, walking under the Amtrak/Metro stop bridge next to the NoMa Metro: “Hmmm… nothing comes to mind.”
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Subtlety is important
At a bar on H St. 10pm on a Tuesday:
One young woman to another: “He’s not smart in the way we are smart, but he is smart. His friend is an asshole though. Like, super an asshole.”
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Who says St. Patrick’s Day is only for partying?
The Wednesday before St. Patrick’s Day at the Three Servicemen Statue by the Vietnam Veterans Memorial:
A tour guide is explaining the statue to a group of visiting 8th graders.
Tour guide: “… and one is Hispanic, one is African-American, and the other is …”
An older man is riding by on a bicycle: “Irish!! The other one is Irish!”
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Yuh oh
On the Blue Line commute headed downtown from King Street:
Woman 1: “So excited you got that job interview with that company you wanted. How did it go?”
Woman 2: “Not well. I told the interviewer ‘You look really familiar.’ ‘Yeah’ he said, ‘We dated five years ago and you dumped me.'”
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It’s the new style
At Crossroads thrift store on 14th:
Teen 1: “Should I get a trenchcoat for, like, $15?”
Teen 2: “What are you going to do with that??“
Teen 1: “I don’t know… be dignified?“
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Next you’ll tell me there are no sandwiches at Dan’s Café
Two older gentleman walking down I Street in Foggy Bottom, discussing Duke’s Grocery:
MAN 1: “Yes, I know it says grocery in the name but I’m pretty certain it’s not a grocery store.”
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See, more potholes
On the L2, Connecticut Ave bus line:
“D.C. has really let itself go, road wise.”
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The possibilities are endless
Walking along North Carolina SE in the evening near Eastern Market:
A twenty-something couple was walking down the sidewalk, dressed well and carrying rough carved wooden canes that they clearly didn’t need.
Guy to girl: “We could do something more hipster than this!”
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Get him!
At Rhode Island Home Depot this last Saturday:
Wife to husband: “I got an idea, let me go online and find an article written by a man that says to do it this way and maybe then you’ll listen.”
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It’s important to sacrifice something key in your life
Saturday night about 7pm at The Wharf:
Three early 20’s women are walking together looking at their phones.
Woman 1: “Yeah, I gave up online dating for Lent.”
Woman 2: “What??”
Woman 3: “Is that an option??”
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A helpful kid!
At Trader Joe’s on Saturday morning:
Toddler (pointing excitedly): “Oh, look beer!!”
Dad: “No, that’s olive oil…” (then muttering to himself) “but we can get beer…”
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As always, we rely on you to overheard the good stuff and send it our way. Make sure to tell us who was speaking to whom and in what context.
