June 26, 2007

Overheard on the Metro

I was sitting in my usual seat on the Metro heading downtown. My usual seat is faces forward with nothing between it and the exit but legroom. It's the best seat on the train, bar none. I choose sides based on the time of day and which direction I am riding. I prefer not to sit in the sun because I can't wear my shades and my reading glasses at the same time. The Yellow Line runs from Huntington Station in Virginia past Mount Vernon Square in the District and is above ground almost as much as below.

Anyway. I was plugged into my iPod and reading a book. It was a hot day, a very hot day. The humidity made walking outdoors akin to breaststroking through a vat of the thick, rich shrimp & jalepeƱo bisque we adore from Roseina's. (Yes, I'm hungry right now. And they make a kick-ass bisque at Roseina's.) The cool interior of the train was a pleasantly stark contrast to the swampy outdoors.

Bing bong, doors closing, yada yada.

They got on a few stops down. I didn't see them, but I instantly became aware of the two women newly seated directly behind me. They conversed loud enough for me to hear them clearly despite my iPod. Of course I had to listen.

Woman1: Hey, I've been on this train before!

Woman2: Oh?

Woman1: Yeah, when the kids were in town I wanted to take them to see George Washington's house.

Me to Myself: Huh?

Woman1: When we got off the train at Mount Vernon Square, we found out it wasn't there.

Me to Myself: Did she really just say what I think she really just said?

Woman2: Isn't George Washington's house in the country?

Woman1: Yeah, it's somewhere out in the country.

Me to Myself: It's not in the country, you dumbasses, it's in the suburbs. The SUBURBS! About 20 miles from where you are right this minute and two miles from my home in guess where? That's right! THE SUBURBS. Yeesh. Doesn't everyone know where George Washington's estate is? Or at least in what state? It's in Virginia, not the District. Crack a history book once in a while or even just a newspaper, there's good shit inside!

I'm usually not that harsh with strangers, even in my head. Apparently I am a little sensitive about our local historical sites. This is not news to me.

The two got off at the next stop. I glanced up to see what they looked like. They were both brunettes with long silky hair, wearing flip flops, shorts and tank tops. Woman1 had a rack and a half. Nice. Very nice. I didn't get to their faces.

Yes, evidently I am that shallow. That's not news to me either.

.

12 comments:

Unknown said...

Oh, the things you overhear on the train/bus. Sometimes you just have to wonder...

weese said...

Oh, you people from DC are so touchy.
I am sure at some point in the 3rd grade someone told me where GW lived... tho I don't remember.

That said I imagine if I planned on visiting his house... I would at the very least google the address first.

Anonymous said...

Goodness gracious!
Some tourists can be such idiots. Alot of the time, I wish I just had on a shirt that said, "I am not a tourist." and wear it when I went into the city.
This insults me, living about two blocks away from the estate.

...end rant.

SassyFemme said...

How do you plan to visit someplace and not look up info. on it first??? Duh!

BTW, shallow can be fun. :)

sporksforall said...

I've got to agree with Sassy. In the information age, cluelessness has no real excuse. Learning more is always better.

Glad she had nice breasts, tho. :)

Gina said...

Ah, a nice rack and all can be forgiven!

Anonymous said...

Too damn funny. I guess they had no idea it's called GW's Mount Vernon.

I am amazed by folks who can live less than an hour from a major metro area and never visit the "city". It's similar to city dwellers who can't travel outside the bewltway without breaking into hives and thinking their cel phones won't work.

psu.acoustician said...

Sometimes a rack and a half does not make up for vacancy in the head.

Gunfighter said...

Au contraire, mon ami!

A rack and a half ALWAYS makes up for being dumb... at least until it;s time to talk to her... and who wants to do that?

(peace, ladies, you know that your pal gunfighter loves you all, and is interested in what you say)

Still, I can be just a LITTLE shallow, especially when it comes to rackage.

Gunfighter said...

Mount Vernon rocks! I just drove past there yesterday!

Lee said...

if the rackage was good enough, you can forgive the ignorance :)

Anonymous said...

because I can't wear my shades and my reading glasses at the same time
I just found sunglass hut sells reading sunglasses. Same as the drugstore glasses, different magnifications in a bifocal sunglass!