those stylin' DC women

A few weeks ago, it was still unseasonably warm enough for my hometown to be a tourist's delight. I was walking from the Metro to my office building and passed a mother, crouched down to her child's height, pointing into the commuting horde, saying: "... well honey, the ladies wear sneakers for walking and carry nice shoes in their purses to change into at work..."

Okay, I'm one of those sneaker-wearing-ladies. Granted, I wasn't until this past summer, when I finished the process of recovering from a broken foot, but I've joined the ranks for women who carry their nice shoes to change into at work.

But that's besides the point. Overhearing this snippet of conversation made me wonder: Why is this child so observant of the footwear habits of DC women? Is DC really so fashionably backwards that wearing sneakers for part of one's commute is that strange? Strange enough for this child to ask his mother why women aren't wearing their heels?

I'm glad the tourists won't be back until the holidays.