Washington tourists in August: Clearly, the rejects of the vacationing world. An article in today's WaPo shows how our subway system, designed to thwart invasion and attack, also cleverly repels a more pernicious presence:
With no public transportation experience, George said, "we didn't know what we were supposed to do." The first challenge was simply buying a Farecard. "That ticket machine is awful," she said. "We finally figured it out by just pushing all the buttons."Of course, that's also how Americans vote. The real tragedy? The family still thinks they're in New York. The article also highlights a rather Sartrean visitor Metro dilemma, quoting a confused passenger, "Which way is the exit? How do you get out of the building?" Ah, yes, we've heard of the tourist mole people, trapped underground in world they didn't build and don't understand. But, frankly, as long as they stand to the right, damn it, we don't care.
