In the D.C. region, conversations often start with, 鈥淲hat do you do?鈥� 91欧美激情鈥檚 series 鈥�Working Capital鈥� profiles the people doing the work that makes the region unique.
Sherman Outhuok grew up in Georgetown and has lived in D.C. for years. And while he spent most of his life working in the restaurant business, he decided that he wanted to do something different.
That meant transitioning to becoming a tour guide, hoping to teach guests something they didn鈥檛 know about D.C.
Ahead of an afternoon tour earlier this month, Outhuok made sure the small group was comfortable riding their Segways before they left the Capital Segway shop along Connecticut Avenue.
Participants watched a safety video and got comfortable riding the Segways, and then Outhuok gave out hand warmers and water bottles.
Then, the group left for a two-hour, 6-mile journey across the city.
Now in his second year of giving tours, Outhuok hoped to shine a light on the city鈥檚 hidden gems.
鈥淲hen you鈥檝e taught somebody a bunch of different things that they didn鈥檛 know, or some more history about D.C. culture that they didn鈥檛 understand, then that鈥檚 probably the most rewarding,鈥� Outhuok said.
Before giving tours on his own, Outhuok shadowed a fellow tour guide as part of about three weeks of training. The key, he said, is learning as much about the city鈥檚 history as possible while making sure everyone in the group is hydrated and safe.
On his first-ever tour, Outhuok said he became so nervous that he seemingly forgot everything. He knew all of the history, but didn鈥檛 know how to tell the narrative story of it. The experience, Outhuok said, is similar to a comedian creating an act.
鈥淭he hardest part is managing your speaking with safety,鈥� Outhuok said. 鈥淭he safety is really important. You鈥檙e out here in the street, sometimes driving around through traffic and buses, and want to be on the National Mall, and you have 15 people behind you on a Segway tour. You have to be careful.鈥�
During peak season, starting around the time of the National Cherry Blossom Festival, Outhuok said working as a tour guide is his full-time job. When he鈥檚 busiest, he鈥檚 giving three two-hour tours each day.
The route starts near the White House and stops at the Lincoln Memorial, Capitol and Tidal Basin, among other places.
In the winter, meanwhile, Outhuok spends time at the Library of Congress, 鈥渓earning new history and just diving deeper into a little bit of U.S. history鈥� to keep his tours interesting, he said.
鈥淪ome people have been to D.C. many times, and then they never know some of the history, like the .50-caliber round that hit the Lincoln Memorial back during World War II,鈥� Outhuok said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 kind of fun to point things out that people have been here for years and just never really knew.鈥�
While there are tour guides and Segway tours in multiple major American cities and others around the world, Outhuok said the things that make D.C. unique also make his job different.
鈥淛ust the fact that the White House is the only White House in the world where people want to come and check that out. Just the monuments, the size of the monuments that we have, people are just blown away by the size of the Lincoln Memorial,鈥� Outhuok said.
By the end, Outhuok hopes he鈥檚 shown 鈥渟ome of the hidden spots of D.C. that nobody really sees. A lot of people don鈥檛 even know the Korean Veterans Memorial is even there, because it鈥檚 hidden behind a grove of trees.鈥�
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