Take a Moment to Stop and Listen to the Violins

One of the dangers of living in D.C. too long is that you acquire what a friend new to the city and I have termed the "City Face." Eyes averted (Do NOT make eye contact)! Face serious (Do NOT even think about a smile)! General manner of hostile obliviousness (You are NOT to be distracted)! It is my least favorite part of living here probably because it is such a huge departure from the tiny town where I grew up where everyone honked, waved, smiled, and stopped to see how you were doing even though they knew more about your life than you did.

And despite a valiant effort, I find myself sporting the City Face more often than not. If you ever see me, tell me to snap out of it.

When wearing the City Face, you run the risk of missing out on so many of the cool things the surround you in this city. From the completely clueless tourists that you cannot help but giggle at to the stunning cherry blossoms to street musicians that perform in the Metro stations. I am quite fortunate that my Metro stop has a regular lineup of talented buskers. Monday usually brings the guy who sings the most stunning arias (as you scale the escalators, it is almost like listening to an angel in heaven...so pretty) to the Thursday night a capella trio with their Motown repertoire to Friday afternoon's duo of adorable 10-year old violinists.

But how often do people stop and actually appreciate the music? Or are people just too busy too care? Would they stop and notice if a world-class musician were performing in Metro station?

A writer for the Washington Post tackled this question last April. Gene Weingarten is currently my favorite Post writer (John Kelly is actually my favorite Post writer but he is on sabbatical in Oxford for the year so he has been temporarily replaced). Weingarten is a humor writer for the Post and hosts Tuesdays with Moron, an online chat that is often the highlight of my week.

The topic he wrote about for the April 7, 2007 issue of the Washington Post Magazine was not of the humor variety; rather it was topic of human interest (or lack there of). He sent Josh Bell, a world-class, Grammy-winning violinist to perform in L'Enfant Plaza, a busy Metro station in the middle of D.C. Bell dressed like most other Metro musicians wearing jeans and t-shirt but his music was on a different level. And Weingarten stood off to the side and observed the reactions of the passersby (and in a clever way, managed to conduct interviews with those who completely ignored Bell).

And Weingarten wrote one of the most beautiful articles I have ever read. The story, fascinating; the writing, flawless. The story moved me in a way most articles do not (Okay, so most articles I read are entitled "How to Lose Six Inches Off your Waist in 30 Minutes" or "Don't Yield for Yellow: Incorporating Spring's Hottest Color into Your Wardrobe" but still...) In fact, I developed a bit of a WriterCrush on Weingarten.

And today my WriterCrush won the Pulitzer Prize for his feature story.

If you read this story when it first came out, read it again. If you missed it, here's your chance to read the story that I love so much. The story can be found here. Read it, and take a moment to stop and listen to the violins.