Unity among strangers in an unfamiliar city

By Allison Bush

Created:
01/18/09 10:55pm

Last updated:
01/18/09 10:59pm

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Washington, D.C. – There’s definitely something to be said for the term “safety in numbers.”

We arrived in Washington, D.C., on Saturday night, and by Sunday at noon, I was crossing the street, looking at the first Metro station that I would ever enter.

It really doesn’t sound that hard, does it?

But the mobs of people, seemingly walking purposefully and confidently toward the station, made me feel just a little out of place.

That is, until I actually got in the station.

My feeling of ease almost entirely returned once I reached the ticket station, where there were at least 20 people either just staring at the machines, looking around in the hopes someone would save them, or laughing awkwardly as they fumbled with their bills.

It only got better after we all jammed ourselves into the train with less personal space than anyone should ever have to experience, and I saw about seven cameras shoot into the air as people laughed with their friends about this just being part of the “historic experience.”

The feeling continued throughout the day as I’d stop and ask people for directions and they’d respond with a laugh and something along the lines of “No clue!” or “You’re guess is as good as mine!”

It’s kind of fun to be part of a huge group of people – none of whom are that familiar with the place, experiencing it all the same way.

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