Winter in Washington

our guides don’t work much in January and February for good reason — it’s cold outside. Now native Washingtonians know there are various degrees of cold and we often hear from visitors that this is nothing compared to the great frozen north from where they live.

My response — this is as far north as I’m ever living. Oh, I’ve covered football in Green Bay at minus-22 degrees, but I was out of town 14 hours later. I was offered a job in New York once and said no without hearing details. It’s too cold was my response.

The last three days were brutal by our standards. Sunday was literally a 90-degree temperature swing from the previous Sunday. You would have had to pay me with a gold bar to tour on Sunday.

But I did go Saturday with a group. And after freezing in the morning, the afternoon wasn’t too bad. Take the money when you can get it during the winter is a tour guide’s motto.

It’s definitely different touring in the winter. You see things normally obscured by trees like the Vietnam Wall from the Lincoln Memorial steps or the American Indian Museum from the street. I kinda like it. There’s plenty of parking, but I was surprised to still see a number of student groups.

The fastest tourists ever walk is downhill from the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery to the bus, especially in the cold. I can’t keep up with them. I just waive to meet me at the visitors center.

So what’s worse – the 100-degree days of summer or the 20-degree days of winter? I’d say it’s a tossup, but I was yearning for a hot day and come summer I’ll be yearning for winter.

I often tell people who say I’m so lucky to work outside on beautiful days that one third of Washington days are wonderful, one third are tolerable and one third are rough. And, rain makes any day a little rougher.

At least the cherry blossoms are coming soon. I hope.