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. 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.
You might notice we have fewer overheards than normal. We’re taking that as a sign that folks are staying home and socially distant—good job! But as a result, we are now taking submissions for eavesdropping on video conferencing calls and all of the other newfangled ways we’re staying in touch.
Overheard of the Week:
A man in his 20s walking near Kalorama Park and talking on the phone:
—
The Force is weak with this one
Man: Don’t you use your lawyer talk on me!
Woman: That’s Star Wars!
—
How many degrees of separation?
A man in his late 20s or early 30s talking on the phone outside an apartment building in NoMa:
“Dude, it’s crazy. I have like, this friend of a friend of a friend who’s like dating Tiffany Trump. And he’s in charge of weapons for Raytheon.”
—
Tech talk
A vendor talking to a customer at a farmers market in Herndon:
“So, high-performance computing, data analytics…”
—
This week, we’re spotlighting some of our favorite past submissions as a reminder of what pre-coronavirus life was like in D.C.
October 18, 2019: Sometimes mothers really do know best
A 20-something woman is talking to a friend on the phone on Sunday evening in NoMa:
“… so I screamed at him ‘You’re buying the rest of my drinks for the night and taking me on a date next weekend where I get to buy the most expensive thing on the menu!’ Yeah, mom says I can do better but I honestly feel like I have the upper hand in the situation.”
—
September 7, 2018: The last straw
In Cava in Rockville:
Mother: “Honey, do you want a straw?”
Teenager: “Mom! Don’t you care about the environment?!?!?”
—
October 6, 2017: Who asked you!
In Georgetown after seeing a massive rat:
Old lady: “They call those city rabbits.”
Passerby: “Okay honey.”
—
November 8, 2019: Start by making your bed
Two 20 -30 something guys looking around on Good Wood on U Street NW:
Guy: “I need to get my apartment together so my parents think I’m happy and healthy.”
