Info Plas

Washington, DC is always a terrific place to visit. But the city will offer two big bonuses in early April, the Cherry Blossom Festival and the blooming Cherry Blossoms themselves.
I grew up in Baltimore. It’s an hour away from DC but worlds apart in terms of look and personality. As a kid, I took many day trips with my family to Washington. We visited all the landmarks, the U.S. Capitol, the Washington Monument, the Smithsonian, the U.S. Mint, the Washington Zoo and others. Even back then, I loved the atmosphere in the nation’s capital.
I attended the University of Maryland in College Park, immediately outside of Washington. During those years, I saw more of DC, and liked what I saw, especially the elegance of Northwest Washington, home of the Washington Cathedral, Embassy Row, Rock Creek Park and beautiful neighborhoods. It was during this time that I first visited Georgetown, getting a taste of DC nightlife.
After graduation, when I moved back to Baltimore, visiting Washington was a regular part of my activities. I would frequently visit the city on weekends and make an annual shopping trip to one of its better malls. DC has traditionally offered higher-end retailers than Baltimore. Every year between Christmas and New Years, I would take the train to Washington and spend the day at a couple of my favorite museums, such as the Air & Space Museum and the National Gallery of Art. In my early work years, I also started sampling the fare at some of DC’s finer restaurants.
I had never, however, attended one of Washington’s best and most famous events, the Cherry Blossom Festival. The Festival itself was not what interested me the most; it was the Cherry Blossoms themselves.
When I moved back to Baltimore in 1988 after having lived in New York for several years, I made up my mind to see the cherry blossoms. But that’s not as easy as it sounds. You see, when the Cherry Blossoms bloom does not always coincide with the Festival; it depends on the weather. So every weekend for several weeks one Spring, I tuned to the all-news radio station in Washington for an update on the blooming.
In March, 1990, I heard on the radio station that the Blossoms were in bloom. That Sunday, I made the short car trip to Washington and was not disappointed. The sun was shining and the sky was blue. I walked through the slightly-chilly air and marveled at the explosion of color and at the other visitors, many of whom were foreign. The sight conveyed the feeling that Spring had arrived.
The Cherry Blossoms surround the Tidal Basin and continue south along the edge of East Potomac Park. The Tidal Basin is a small body of water near the Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial and Jefferson Memorial. The Yoshino Cherry trees were a gift from Japan in 1912.
The good news is this year, the blooms and the Cherry Blossom Festival are expected to coincide. The Festival, which features fireworks, concerts, special art exhibits, cherry blossom tours and other events all over town, will take place from March 27 to April 11. The predicted blooming dates are March 31 through April 11, with the peak blooming period happening from April 3 to April 8.
Washington, DC is always a terrific place to visit. But the city will offer two big bonuses in early April, the Cherry Blossom Festival and the blooming Cherry Blossoms themselves.
I grew up in Baltimore. It’s an hour away from DC but worlds apart in terms of look and personality. As a kid, I took many day trips with my family to Washington. We visited all the landmarks, the U.S. Capitol, the Washington Monument, the Smithsonian, the U.S. Mint, the Washington Zoo and others. Even back then, I loved the atmosphere in the nation’s capital.
I attended the University of Maryland in College Park, immediately outside of Washington. During those years, I saw more of DC, and liked what I saw, especially the elegance of Northwest lampy Washington, home of the Washington Cathedral, Embassy Row, Rock Creek Park and beautiful neighborhoods. It was during this time that I first visited Georgetown, getting a taste of DC nightlife.
After graduation, when I moved back to Baltimore, visiting Washington was a regular part of my activities. I would frequently visit the city on weekends and make an annual shopping trip to one of its better malls. DC has traditionally offered higher-end retailers than Baltimore. Every year between Christmas and New Years, I would take the train to Washington and spend the day at a couple of my favorite museums, such as the Air & Space Museum and the National Gallery of Art. In my early work years, I also started sampling the fare at some of DC’s finer restaurants.
I had never, however, attended one of Washington’s best and most famous events, the Cherry Blossom Festival. The Festival itself was not what interested me the most; it was the Cherry Blossoms themselves.
When I moved back to Baltimore in 1988 after having lived in New York for several years, I made up my mind to see the cherry blossoms. But that’s not as easy as it sounds. You see, when the Cherry Blossoms bloom does not always coincide with the Festival; it depends on the weather. So every weekend for several weeks one Spring, I tuned to the all-news radio station in Washington for an update on the blooming.
In March, 1990, I heard on the radio station that the Blossoms were in bloom. That Sunday, I made the short car trip to Washington and was not disappointed. The sun was shining and the sky was blue. I walked through the slightly-chilly air and marveled at the explosion of color and at the other visitors, many of whom were foreign. The sight conveyed the feeling that Spring had arrived.
The Cherry Blossoms surround the Tidal Basin and continue south along the edge of East Potomac Park. The Tidal Basin is a small body of water near the Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial and Jefferson Memorial. The Yoshino Cherry trees were a gift from Japan in 1912.
The good news is this year, the blooms and the Cherry Blossom Festival are expected to coincide. The Festival, which features fireworks, concerts, special art exhibits, cherry blossom tours and other events all over town, will take place from March 27 to April 11. The predicted blooming dates are March 31 through April 11, with the peak blooming period happening from April 3 to April 8.