Each friend in your life has a special talent: some are good at getting out of parking tickets, for instance. Other friends are good at getting free things. Yet others are excellent at providing a shoulder to cry on.
But there are few friends who, during the Thanksgiving holiday, would offer to keep your in-laws amused for a blissful hour and a half, giving you a chance to eat leftovers, drink wine straight from the bottle, and enjoy the fleeting sounds of silence.
I happen to have friends like that, and they are such good friends that they are providing this valuable service to humanity on Friday, November 26th: Walking Shtick’s last tour of the season is called “Dump Your In-Laws On Us”, and it promises to be an interesting walk through Capitol Hill– one filled with all kinds of fun factoids I am sure you have never heard before. Even hardened and veteran Capitol Hill denizens who’ve walked around on previous tours must confess that they had no idea that the place was a hotbed for so much scandal and gossip, and that the houses they’d walked by a million times were hosts to ghosts and whatnot.
Walking Shtick is actually the brainchild of Tim Krepp and Robert Pohl, two stay-at-home dads who decided to put their vast knowledge of Washington history and culture to work –and, in their own words, “further(ing) their goals of never having a real job again.” These guys are wonderful just to talk to, but seeing them in action is great– their impromptu remarks and thorough comfort with the history of Capitol Hill are wonderful; and let’s face it– after so much turkey and stuffing, you could really use a long stretch, couldn’t you?
If you want to help two stay-at-home dads keep it that way and learn more about one of the most fascinating neighborhoods in all of DC, mark your calendar for Friday, November 26th at 3 pm. Jump on the Metro (or CaBi!) and get off at Eastern Market Metro– and then walk about 75 feet or so to the Barracks Row historic marker. Prepare to be delighted.
Come to think of it, why would you ever want the in-laws to have all the fun? Leave them washing dishes while you have a grand old time with my friends Tim and Robert. I am pretty sure that by the end of the tour, they will be your friends, too.
