K – Each year I make it a mission to go see the cherry blossoms at the tidal basin at peak bloom but not at peak crowds. I can’t help myself – it’s so beautiful to walk in the fresh and usually warm spring weather and see the cherry trees with their fluffy, pale pink blossoms. But fighting through the crowds isn’t my favourite so each year I go a different day or time. This year I went mid-week and early in the morning. It was bit chilly but not too cold and there wasn’t a crowd so it was easy to walk around the basin and enjoy the scenery without being nudged by someone trying to pass. I decided to drive and parked at Hains Point and there seemed to be quite a bit of parking there at that time. There is also a shuttle to the basin (it costs one dollar), but since it was such a beautiful morning I decided to walk instead. I will say walking along the Potomac from Hains Point to the basin was pretty dirty. It looked like the Potomac overflowed and deposited all of the trash that people thoughtlessly had tossed into it onto the ground. The sidewalk was also buckling so if someone has trouble walking I’d recommend walking elsewhere.
Besides the cherry trees blossoming there is the National Cherry Blossom Festival, which celebrates the 1912 gift of 3,000 cherry trees from Mayor Yukio Ozaki of Tokyo to the city of Washington, DC. Among some of the things they have at the festival are paddle boats so you can view the scenery from the basin, a community art show, concerts and Japanese exhibitions and events. The festival goes until April 13.
2GirlsinDC 