Saturday, March 24, 2007

You Know You're From DC, when...

Here are a few things about living in the Washington, DC area that make me laugh. People from other places may wonder about some of them, so, if you need clarification, just ask.

I especially love #27.


You Know You're From DC When...

1. You say you're from DC, but you actually live in Va or Md.

2. Ice on the roads just means that you pay more attention to other cars, but still go 75 mph on the highways (I don't do this, which is how I stay out of ditches).

3. You can tell when the roads change from DC to Maryland (they get better), and Maryland to Vriginia (they get better still).

4. You know where the Pentagon really is.

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5. You can see the National Cathedral from almost anywhere.

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6. You actually know at what times the streets change directions and which they direction they change to.

7. You know that Georgetown is NOT only a school

8. You know that Northern VA. is in no way similar to the rest of VA.

9. When you say you're going to the mall you don’t necessarily mean you're going shopping.

10. The Old Post Office doesn't sell stamps.

11. You can take the Metro to another state.

12. You know that we call it Targét, not Target... and are well aware that the one in Alexandria is just a "tad different".

13. You can live next door to a senator/vice president, ousted foreign leader, or any political figure and it is no big deal.

14. The term "inside the beltway" has more significance than national politics.

15. Washington National Airport is and will always be "WASHINGTON NATIONAL" not "Reagan National”

16. You claim that there’s nothing to do on a weekend night even when you have the entire Nation's Capitol to explore.

17. You actually know that Captiol Hill really is a hill.

18. You say "NOVA" to refer to the community college and not to Nothern Virginia itself.

19. You turn on the "local news" to hear about the latest national scandals/events.

20. A Virginian doesn't even have to look at a cars license plate to know that it is a Maryland driver.

21. It's not "the subway" it's The Metro.

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22. When you are driving at night, in PG County, and you see 5 police cars pulling someone over you know its just for a rountine stop.

23. You know what PG County means.

24. You've ever had to explain to someone that there's more to Arlington than a big cemetery.

25. You have a few friends who don't know, or can't tell you what their spouse does for a living...It's Top Secret government work... Just like yours.

26. You describe traffic moving 1 mile in 5 minutes as "not that bad"

27. You know what "motorcade gridlock" is, and have been late because of it.

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28. You're aware that National Airport is in Arlington, Virginia, not D.C.

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29. you know that Pentagon City is the name of a mall.

30. You know how to get to the "REAL" exorcist stairs!

31. When you know that Chevy Chase is a place, not an actor.

32. You know that if you hit one red light on Constitution Ave. you will hit every red light until you get to 66

33. You can parallel park like it’s your job.

34. You know you're from DC area when your life revolves around finding a parking space.

35. When you realize you utter the phrase "damn tourists" entirely too often.

36. You get an inch of snow and your kids miss 3 days of school.

14 comments:

soccer mom in denial said...

#15 - Amen

#18 - what? NOVA isn't a show on PBS?

#21 - in my parts the subway is The T. Not the MBTA. The T.

Fun list. And with music too.

Anonymous said...

This is a great list. I think you missed the oppressive traffic, but why focus on the negative.

Lisa Johnson said...

Great post! And what a nice treat to hear that song when I happened to have my headphones on. What a classic!

#25 reminds me of a SNL skit from a long time ago where the FBI or CIA has a Christmas party and nobody can talk about anything. It's hilarious!

Anonymous said...

We took the Metro to the Mall and felt like locals. But man oh man...those escalators are a mile long!!

Great shopping and restaurants too.

Lawyer Mama said...

Great list! And soooo true in so many ways. I'm still laughing at Target's pronunciation. You wouldn't believe the looks people give me when I give it a French twist here.

"You know that Northern VA. is in no way similar to the rest of VA." Um, yeah. I'm realizing how true that is. It's hard to be a Democrat down here.

Alex Elliot said...

Wow! I actually have never been to DC. I can't wait to go, particularly now that I'm "in the know" since I read your post.

Fightin' Mad Mary said...

in answer to your question about the R2D2 mailboxes "It doesn't officially begin until March 28th, but the US Postal Service and George Lucas have gotten together to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the release of Star Wars (suddenly we feel really really old). To honor this momentous occasion in cinematic history, the post office is wrapping mailboxes in 200 cities nationwide so you can drop that check for the cable company right into R2D2's greedy little mouth." (from la.curbed.com/archives/2007/03/star_wars_goes.php)

Lola Gets said...

Great list!
L

Grimm said...

Great list...

However, I am now scared to death about visiting D.C.. Do you do guided tours Bill?

Gunfighter said...

Sure, Grimm!

I'll show you stuff that most tourists never get to see.

Anonymous said...

So can you tell me where the Exorcist stairs are so I can show off to my coworkers in June?

Tasha said...

Great list. I'm definitely guilty of #1. Amen to #8 and #12--I'm still trying to figure out the deal with Alexandria. #20, you can be from any other state in the nation and tell if you're behind a Maryland driver.

Anonymous said...

Ooh! I understood everything on the list and I've only lived in the area for little over a year! Very funny...

PT-LawMom said...

Fantastic list! I miss living in DC and will share this with my buds there - what a laugh!