I'm not sure if it was the fanny packs or the bermuda shorts with flip-flops (like anyone can walk all day in those) or the blinding surprise of camera flash in the Metro stations. But the tourists are back. They're on the trains again, looking for Dupont Circle or Georgetown or The Mall. They're stopping in the crosswalks again, pointing to and taking pictures of the White House up 16th Street or the Washington Monument from 15th NW. They're riding the escalators up to Connecticut Avenue and spinning on the street corners, trying to figure out which was is which.
Welcome Back!
Tourism is one of the greatest things about Washington DC. I'm constantly encouraging family members and friends to come out here and see the nation's capital, the monuments, memorials and museums. Feel free to whip out a pocket map or ask a local (you can tell which ones are tourists and which ones are local. It's very obvious). And yeah, I'll take your picture in the Metro station.
When tourists start landing in DC again, it heals one more wound left over from 9/11. Yes, the city is a target. But it's also a magnet. And it's ours. Our country. Our capital. Our city.
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