To people who live and work in the city, jaywalking is an art. This is especially true for your routine walks, the metro, office, and grocery (OK, liquor) store walks.
This morning, on my metro walk, I shared a jaywalking moment with about five other people. We were all about to make a routine cross, against the DO NOT WALK sign, knowing that it was a one way street with the traffic also having a red light. A nice, routine jaywalk. However, all five of us took one step and stopped. The car to get the red was one of DC's finest, lights flashing.
Then, the same thought must have clicked in all of our heads. There are six of us, what's he gonna do, get out and cite all of us!?! Assuming he even cares. That's it, I'm going! Damn the torpedoes!* We all continued to cross in defiant unison.
Jaywalking prowess is also a good way to tell urbanites from tourists(if the usual visual ques aren't enough for you). Tourists, at least in my experience, are either terrified of or oblivious to jaywalking. The terrified ones are harmless, they just follow the signals. You know, they obey the law.
The oblivious tourists, however, can be more fun. They will follow after you when you cross, no matter what else is going on around them. Therein lies the opportunity.
Anyone who jaywalks knows timing is everything. A second too late or too early, and you've either missed your window, you're getting honked at, or worst case scenario, you get killed.** Oblivous Tourists, not knowing this, are always a second or two behind you. This can lead to disaster. Well, for them.
So if you want to give into tourist hate, I'm sure you know of an intersection or two that could prove deadly to anyone who is a few seconds behind you. They will follow you like lemmings. Then after the sound of metal hitting fanny packs and Bermuda shorts, DC will be left with a few less tourists.***
*I was probably the only person nerdy enough to quote David Farragut.
**So far, I have a 100% success rate in not getting killed.
***Note: I am not really advocating leading innocent people to their deaths. Just tourists.
It's not always easy
4 years ago
2 comments:
great story. jaywalking is a lost art.
i almost got myself killed jaywalking once. i was in London visiting some friends. i made half a step off the curb... but i looked the wrong way. one of my friends who lived there grabbed me by the collar and dragged me back just before a cab would have hit me.
I've had a few of those near death moments myself. My girlfriend freaks out whenever I attempt to jaywalk when visiting her in New York because of once such incident.
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