The warmer weather is settling in and trees are blooming in shades of pink and white, which can only mean one thing: it’s officially cherry blossom season. Every year the blossoms draw huge crowds, Washingtonians and tourists alike. Here are some common telltale signs to differentiate a tourist from a true DC resident.
One major betraying sign of a tourist is a huge camera hanging around their neck. We live in an age where phones are the common form of taking pictures, yet for some reason so many tourists choose to carry around a heavy camera. How they manage to keep their suitcases underweight is beyond us, but we applaud the commitment. Along with cameras, selfie sticks are extremely popular among DC tourists. It doesn’t matter where you are, there’s always that one family of four posing in front of a monument with a big selfie stick.
Anyone who’s dared to see the cherry blossoms after ten in the morning knows how insanely crowded the Tidal Basin is with tourists taking thousands of candids with the trees. From being smushed between families, slow walkers, and little kids running around, it only takes a few moments to realize a cherry blossom excursion is better saved for another day. Even when trying to push through and make the most of the experience, the monuments are always a wreck and crawling with crowds of people. Not only are there tons of people, but they all manage to strike the same poses: pretending to pinch the Washington Monument or leaning back to “eat” it, to name a few.
So many tourists seem to flock to the DC merch stands and food trucks by the mall. No matter how questionable the hotdogs look, or the fact that the shirt with way too many landmarks on it doesn’t actually look cute, stopping at the street vendors appears to be a staple of the classic tourist experience. Usually it’s not just one stand; they dilly-dally at different stalls just to see every possible version of practically the same hoodie. Now, we can certainly think of better uses of time, but if they want that overstimulating t-shirt to remember their DC experience then so be it.
The cherry blossoms aren’t the only places tourists congregate. At almost any time of day, there’s always a mass number of tourists waiting in the astronomically long line outside of Georgetown Cupcake. Tourists will gladly stand there forever for those overpriced cupcakes, and while they may be good, it’s rare to see a DC resident suffering in a line for hours for them.
Yes, tourists can be a bit annoying, but there’s something oddly sweet about the people who visit our city. Maybe it’s the way they seem so excited to simply look at the monuments we’ve come to take for granted, or their enthusiastic way of taking pictures, but if one thing’s for sure, it’s that they’re easy to spot. •
