If you ask people about summer in DC, their eyes glaze over. DC summer is swamp season, when it gets so hot, thick and sticky that you just have to pray when you step outside that you don’t melt down to a pool of sweat right on the side walk.
But if you are in DC for the summer…Fear Not! I actually think this sticky time is the best of the year, and here’s why: for a few glorious months, everything slows down. Throughout the rest of the year, DCers are charged. People barely stop for meals, rushing through their days like little hyperactive guinea pigs. In such a fast paced environment, there can be a sense that you’re wasting time if you stop for even a minute to interact with a stranger, and so people stand silent in the metro, tapping their feet impatiently.
In the summer, we get a break from this pace. Out of sheer desire to keep from burning up, DCers slow way down with the first heat wave. Already, restaurants are filled with people taking a mid-day break to sit in airconditioning and guzzle down iced beverages. I even saw people clump together under a shady tree and chat while waiting for the light to change.
So here’s my summer challenge, that I hope others will do too! Find a couple of activities each week where you can be luxuriously unhurried. Two of my favorites are to dawdle through the Dupont farmer’s market (stopping for every sample offered), and to browse for hours at Kramer’s bookstore. If you get hungry, order a slice of their exceptional carrot cake. More suggestions are welcomed :)
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