Today (or I guess technically yesterday since it is past midnight pacific time) was our last full day in Seattle, WA. Jimmy and I have been blessed with unusually sunny and warm weather during our short stay here, but today it was cloudy as standard.
We were hanging out around the Space Needle on Sunday, and this crazy homeless guy shuffled up to us and mumbled some crazy talk at us. He stuck out his fist and requested a pound, and I kept my eyes downward and averted. My standard behavior for any soliciter is to avoid eye contact because whenever I make eye contact it apparently means they should bother me more, but this is the exact opposite thing that Jimmy did.
When the bum indicated for Jimmy to give him a pound, he looked him straight in the eye and said, "no, I am not going to do that." The bum gestured again and mumbled something incoherent, and looking him in the eye again Jimmy said firmly once more, "No." He shuffled away and I was so glad to not be harassed by this homeless man any longer. I wish I could be as assertive as Jimmy, but alas I find myself constantly being harassed by soliciting bums and hawkers. Obviously my eye contact avoidance technique doesn't work, or perhaps I am looking at them wrong. That or I just have SUCKER written on my forehead.
Overall, a great trip, but I miss New York a lot already. While we were in Victoria, BC last week we were craving rice so bad, so we gorged at their Chinatown. Unfortunately we were too full for bubble tea afterwards, which I am also craving now, but I'll get to appease my tummy in just 21 hours!
We were hanging out around the Space Needle on Sunday, and this crazy homeless guy shuffled up to us and mumbled some crazy talk at us. He stuck out his fist and requested a pound, and I kept my eyes downward and averted. My standard behavior for any soliciter is to avoid eye contact because whenever I make eye contact it apparently means they should bother me more, but this is the exact opposite thing that Jimmy did.
When the bum indicated for Jimmy to give him a pound, he looked him straight in the eye and said, "no, I am not going to do that." The bum gestured again and mumbled something incoherent, and looking him in the eye again Jimmy said firmly once more, "No." He shuffled away and I was so glad to not be harassed by this homeless man any longer. I wish I could be as assertive as Jimmy, but alas I find myself constantly being harassed by soliciting bums and hawkers. Obviously my eye contact avoidance technique doesn't work, or perhaps I am looking at them wrong. That or I just have SUCKER written on my forehead.
Overall, a great trip, but I miss New York a lot already. While we were in Victoria, BC last week we were craving rice so bad, so we gorged at their Chinatown. Unfortunately we were too full for bubble tea afterwards, which I am also craving now, but I'll get to appease my tummy in just 21 hours!
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