As a fellow DC resident, I cannot endorse this post highly enough. Hey, if it's tourist season, does that mean we can shoot them?

I've proposed that resolution to the D.C. Council every year, and it always loses by one vote. Damn you, Phil Mendelson!

*Shakes fist menacingly*

Amen and allelujah! Great post. Here's another reason to hate tourists: they pile off their tour buses at a downtown McDonalds during the middle of lunch hour then proceed to stand at the front of the counter staring at the menu like it was written in Martian, or as if we have a completely different menu here in D.C. than they have in Des Moines. Folks, a Big Mac is a friggin' Big Mac. There are no Royales with Cheese here.

Another tourist-on-the-Metro pet peeve: how each member of a family of six needs to have his own seat and how they scramble to bunch back together when they get to someplace like Metro Center or L'Enfant Plaza and a human tidal wave comes pouring in through the doors.

Funny Metro-Tourist experience: a white middle class family at Gallery Place/Chinatown gets on a Green Line train heading in the direction of Branch Avenue when they clearly wanted to be on the Yellow Line to Huntington. The great majority of riders heading in the direction of Branch Avenue are Afrian-American, most of whom are completely non-threatening. The look of terror on the faces of the kids and concern on the parents' faces was almost comical and they got off the train at Navy Yard once they realized they were not on their way into Virginia.

I have three rules for tourists on the Metro.

#1 Travel only 10am to 3pm
#2 Travel only 10am to 3pm
#3 Travel only 10am to 3pm

There is no need for tired, cranky commuters in the morning to have to accept the fact that you and your 10 children or bus load of midwestern off-color-t-shirt wearing douche runoffs need to get to the National Mall before it opens. FYI, its grass... GRASS. There is no Barnes and Noble, GAP or anything of the like. I overheard a conversation about this between two small girls, while sitting in their own seats and senior citizens struggle to reach the new overhead bars.

Anyways, in my very haphazard rambling.

TOURISTS, DO NOT TRAVEL ON THE METRO DURING RUSH HOUR!!!!

Just thought that you should all know that the subway tips are great! I am a future tourist of the DC area and look forward to my visit. Please remember that it is everyone's right to visit such an important hub of American History. I live in a city that is also a major tourist attraction and I understand your frustrations but please,try to remember that you are a tourist as well when you go other places. I have people ask me directions all the time and I am happy to give them as a representative of my city. That is all I wanted to say except Thank you for the warmest welcome to your fine city!

I accidentally came across this blog because I am going to DC next week and wanted to get the lay of the land.
Wow. A lot of very unhappy people that love to lash out on tourists. The negativity that comes across on your blog reads off the charts. You must be a very unhappy person.

peronal attacks are not allowed.....unless they are against tourists?

Sheesh makes me want to reconsider and stay in San Francisco.

We have ways of dealing with annoying tourists.

Well Sandra, you truly have made this post worthwhile. If we can prevent one dumb tourist looking for secret service guys to take pictures with them, im happy.

Wow. I've lived in cities where there is a lot of tourism and I have never felt like shooting one of them. I am going to be traveling to D.C. this coming summer for the first time and if this is a sampling of the people's attitudes there then I am disgusted already.
Someone sure needs to knock you off of your high horse and tell you to get a grip!