When I first moved to DC from Paris, I was amazed at how the pedestrians actually DO wait for the walk signal. I figured that DC is a city filled with people who respect, or at least acknowledge, authority, so they wait for the walk signal. Drove me nuts! In Paris, the pedestrians just go.

Drivers, however, are a different story. I dreaded crossing the street in DC as a pedestrian (even when waiting for the walk signal along with everyone else).