Segway City

Cars, buses, even Harleys are common in DC, but lately troops of segways are rolling down the sidewalks. Riders stand upright, balancing themselves on a narrow platform between two large wheels, grasping a handle waist high. Inevitably, the troop leader has a sleek cycler's helmut, perforated for circulation; the others wear football helmuts without the chin grids. They zip around in pods, slightly terrifying the pedestrians - not so much by their size, which is small, or speed, which is slow, but by the inevitable teetering of the heavier set tourist perched on such a slender vehicle.