People's reactions to us always fall into two categories. There's the "Oh my God, I love your city" reaction, which we always love because it's always great to hear. You know, validation of certain life choices and all that. Then there's the "what the hell are you guys doing?" reaction, usually followed by a long-list of perceived outrages we've done against the very fiber of the nation. Sometimes this is mixed in with the first response. This is ever the more so in light of the microscope suddenly placed on us by the media and our current role as go-to guys for those who feign outrage for a living and those who love being outraged.

Now there are four appropiate responses to these types of discussions

1)Shrugging shoulders
2)Immediately say something along the lines of "hey, don't look at us, we had nothing to do with it."
3)Remind said person just how beautiful the city is and hey, didn't you love that restaurant we took you to?
4)Argue back and tell them the importance of making big, empty, symbolic gestures.

We usually go with options 2 or 3.