Update on 6/27/17 — A bottle of Listerine mouthwash has joined the deodorant on top of the bus stop.
Earlier: Every once in awhile, a mystery captivates a community.
Today, those who work in the office building at 3100 Clarendon Blvd (including ARLnow.com’s staff) are wondering: under what circumstances did this stick of Old Spice High Endurance deodorant get on top of this bus stop?
The deodorant has been there, across from the Clarendon Metro plaza, for at least a week. Neither rain nor wind has knocked it from its perch. It’s unclear if anyone will ever remove it.
Some locals who spoke to ARLnow.com had theories as to how the deodorant got up there.
“People get drunk on the weekends, that would be my best guess,” said a man who works at a local bar.
“I assume somebody just threw it and didn’t expect it to land up there,” said another passerby.
“I ride this bus every day. I would’ve never looked up there, even though I’m tall I can’t see up there,” said a man waiting at the bus stop, who was previously unaware of the deodorant’s presence. “Maybe somebody was upset with the deodorant’s performance and threw it up there out of anger. Or, more often than not, people throw things up there to see how often they stay up there.”
The windows on the second floor of 3100 Clarendon Blvd — home to the MakeOffices coworking space and dozens of companies — do not open, thus making it unlikely that it was tossed from an office. There is a rooftop patio on the third floor, but it would have been difficult to get a stick of deodorant to land and stay on the angled bus stop roof from that height.
Have any other guesses? Let us know in the comments.