Randomness or Small Town Syndrome
Most would agree that the DC Metro area is a thriving metropolis but there seems to be a surprising small town vibe that pops up more and more often. A couple of months ago I was out in Old Town with some girlfriends at a fun little bar called the Light Horse. We were minding our own business, drinking beer, laughing and having fun - as girls on the town are known to do - when this slightly aggressive, definitely drunk, guy came over. He started trying to drag us out onto the dance floor - and I don't mean figuratively - he literally grabbed our hands and started to pull us. We tried to decline as politely as possible and when he didn't get the point we were a little more direct in our refusals. He finally wandered off and accosted some other women in a different part of the bar and after a few complaints to the staff he was removed, arguing the entire time. Watching him get escorted from the bar made the situation not only hilarious, but unforgettable.
About a month later, a couple of us went to 'The Continental' in Rosslyn to watch a bunch of local bands play. We went to see a specific group (Fools and Horses) and were sitting around, enjoying the music from the rest of the bands and having a few laughs when we saw this guy wandering around, bouncing to the music and talking to random people with this big goofy grin on his face. It took us a few minutes to realize that he was the same guy from the Light Horse and when we did we could not stop laughing at him, the situation and the randomness of running into him again. We kept wondering what we would say or do if he ended up at our table again but he never did so we just watched him wander around the room, dancing to the music.
That night at The Continental we were introduced to another local band (The Reserves) and made plans to go see them play last night in Old Town. The girls and I had a couple beer at Murphy's before heading to the Austin Grill where the band was scheduled to go on at 10pm. When we got there the opening act was still on so we started chatting with members of the band for a couple minutes and then wandered to the bar to get drinks and find a good spot to sit and watch the show. As we were standing in front of the bar some guy walked past us and I recognized him but couldn't place him for a minute or two. The other girls saw him and immeadiately recognized him as the guy from The Light Horse and The Continental. Well we all started cracking up. We went and sat down and started watching the band play and the next thing we know that guy - whose name is Patrick - is sitting on the other side of our table. He starts talking to us, asking our names, how we heard of the band, were we enjoying it, did we want CDs, etc. Turns out he is a major groupie of The Reserves and spent the next 20 mins talking to us about the band and telling us that he just wanted to make sure that we were "Enjoying the experience of the music". When we stopped paying attention to him and wouldn't jump to buy cd's or dance with him he gave up and moved on to his fruitless attempts to get people dancing. He had no idea that this was the third time we've seen him out - he'd been drunk or caught up in the 'experience of the music' every time we saw him. And as much as I know the common thread seems to be The Reserves, I have a feeling that running into him again in the future in some unexpected place is a very distinct possibility.
Is it randomness? I doubt it, DC really is just a small town masking as a big city.
About a month later, a couple of us went to 'The Continental' in Rosslyn to watch a bunch of local bands play. We went to see a specific group (Fools and Horses) and were sitting around, enjoying the music from the rest of the bands and having a few laughs when we saw this guy wandering around, bouncing to the music and talking to random people with this big goofy grin on his face. It took us a few minutes to realize that he was the same guy from the Light Horse and when we did we could not stop laughing at him, the situation and the randomness of running into him again. We kept wondering what we would say or do if he ended up at our table again but he never did so we just watched him wander around the room, dancing to the music.
That night at The Continental we were introduced to another local band (The Reserves) and made plans to go see them play last night in Old Town. The girls and I had a couple beer at Murphy's before heading to the Austin Grill where the band was scheduled to go on at 10pm. When we got there the opening act was still on so we started chatting with members of the band for a couple minutes and then wandered to the bar to get drinks and find a good spot to sit and watch the show. As we were standing in front of the bar some guy walked past us and I recognized him but couldn't place him for a minute or two. The other girls saw him and immeadiately recognized him as the guy from The Light Horse and The Continental. Well we all started cracking up. We went and sat down and started watching the band play and the next thing we know that guy - whose name is Patrick - is sitting on the other side of our table. He starts talking to us, asking our names, how we heard of the band, were we enjoying it, did we want CDs, etc. Turns out he is a major groupie of The Reserves and spent the next 20 mins talking to us about the band and telling us that he just wanted to make sure that we were "Enjoying the experience of the music". When we stopped paying attention to him and wouldn't jump to buy cd's or dance with him he gave up and moved on to his fruitless attempts to get people dancing. He had no idea that this was the third time we've seen him out - he'd been drunk or caught up in the 'experience of the music' every time we saw him. And as much as I know the common thread seems to be The Reserves, I have a feeling that running into him again in the future in some unexpected place is a very distinct possibility.
Is it randomness? I doubt it, DC really is just a small town masking as a big city.
posted by Jo | 1:55 PM
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