Changing of the Seasons

There is an moment in DC in the springtime when everything changes. It's a bit hard to pin down, but it's between the cherry blossom festival and Memorial Day (about two weeks ago now this year.) There are a few telltale signs, which seem irritating at first, until you realize that the change has happened. For example - you miss a Metro train because people are standing on the left (you walk on the left, stand on the right.) It takes an extra 15 minutes to drive home from work because someone is trying to turn left illegally to get to the Lincoln Memorial. You wear pantyhose to work, and your feet get really hot and sticky and swollen, whereas they didn't the day before. And then you realize - tourists? Humidity? It's Hell Season, aka the swampy, humid, middle-America-tourist filled season that lasts until even AFTER Labor Day. It's why the British diplomats received hardship pay for being here until the early 80s. And I wish it was over already!