Springtime in Wash, DC

Yep, it's that time again.  Spring in Washington, DC is as magical as autumn leaf peeping in New England.  The weather turns the corner towards warmth and although it can be cool, it's better than whatever preceded.  And so in spring, like many other suburbanites, our fancy turns towards the Metro and going downtown.  Now, our timing this year wasn't the best due to several cold snaps which delayed the blossoms but you can always view my post from two years ago which recorded a remarkable display.

We emerge from the underground tunnels at the Smithsonian Station which is opposite the National Gallery of Art.

The Washington Monument is still wearing scaffolding as the on-going earthquake repairs continue.  As per usual, it was a cool, breezy, but not uncomfortable day as can be discerned by the crisply dancing flags.

The blossoms may not have been quite at peak but the cherry trees still exhibited a voracious appetite for kites.

But in sheltered areas, the trees were starting to bud out.  Today the temps were in the 70s and tomorrow and Wednesday the forecast calls for higher still.  So, if you're reading this now and you're local, you should plan to skip work and go stroll the tidal basin tomorrow or the next day while the blossoms are at peak bloom.  Thursday we'll have rain and wind and you know what that means in terms of blossom display.

As is our usual wont, we will tour our favourite stops along the tidal basin, but I'll include a few new sights as well.  The still wintery bare branches of this large tree contrast with the emerging pink and white tones of the cherry trees as we approach the Jefferson Memorial.

Zooming in.  Always lovely at blossom time.

The paddle boat Armada was out in force.  This never ceases to amaze me since it's almost always windy and out on the water it still must be cold.  Nevertheless, paddle they do.

The blossoms always draw a crowd.  This is actually light traffic compared to a peak blossom weekend day.

Zooming across the tidal basin from the steps of the Jefferson Memorial towards the Lincoln and Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorials.

Not quite peak but still v. pretty.

Cherry trees aren't the only plants in bloom.  There are numerous other species in flower as well, such as these forsythia bushes and tulip poplar tree.

Ahhhh, spring!

Bloom time is big time for the big bus double-deckers.

We continued our walk along the basin path towards the MLK Memorial.

The main statue is remote from the remainder of the sculptured rock.

Taken as a whole, the effect is reminiscent of  Moses parting the Red Sea for the children of Israel.  But instead here, Martin Luther King, Jr. creates a gateway for social equality.

We walked on past the recently refurbished DC World War I Memorial.

And past the hockey fields as we walked towards the reflecting pool.

No field hockey this day.  Just ribbon twirlers enjoying the sun and green grass.

The reflecting pool with the Lincoln Memorial in the background.

Looking the opposite direction one sees the World War II Monument, the Washington Monument and the Capitol in the distance.

The WWII Monument was undergoing repairs.

However that didn't seem to keep people out.

We continued our walk.  One sees the tower of the old Post Office building in the background of this exposure. 

On our way up Pennsylvania Avenue we passed the White House.  Don't know if he was home that day.  We had seen "Marine One", the Presidential helicopter flying low over the tidal basin earlier but who knows?

After a refreshing beer and sandwich at Cap City Brewing Co, we walked past Ford's Theatre on the way to the Metro station.  A good day out.

Blossom Time and the weather is Breezy.

Good Morning Campers.  Yes it's early April otherwise known as Cherry Blossom Time here in the Wash, DC area.  The weather still toys with us but the annual National Cherry Blossom Festival marks the beginning of what will become the typical hot and sticky DC summer.  This past Sunday we hopped on the Metro rail and rode into town for our annual pilgrimage to the tidal basin.

We live in the Maryland suburbs and so catch the DC Metro (aka subway) at the Orange Line's New Carrollton station.  In early April even the scrubby brush and untended volunteer trees along the rails are in bloom.

RFK Stadium, the former home of the Washington Redskins, is the last above-ground sight before the train takes the plunge underground.

We emerged back into the sunlight at the Smithsonian Station.  The Smithsonian "castle" is the brick building in the background.

Precisely why the Scientology Church had a couple of large tents on the Mall by the station exit is a mystery that I didn't bother to inquire about.

 The National Mall is a rectangular area between Independence and Constitution Avenues and is the location of many of the Museums which feature prominently in most of our visits to DC.  The Monuments and Tidal Basin are an ease walk from this starting point.

Facing east, one see the US Capital.

Facing west one sees the Washington Monument, which is about mid way between the Capital and the Lincoln Memorial. 

The annual kite festival was scheduled for the previous weekend but was blown out by bad weather.  A number of folks were making up for lost time on this day. 

Curse You, Red Baron!

But we wanted to see the blossoms so we left the kites and headed down  towards the Tidal Basin.

The majority of the trees, some of which are survivors of the original plantings made in 1912, are the Yoshino variety which has single white blossoms.

The path around the Tidal Basin was heaving with people.

Most of whom were like me and this chap, taking photos of blossoms and family members.  Cameras were everywhere and getting shots without pieces of  people in them was something of a challenge.

Not all the trees are white.  Here is an example of the Akebono variety which has pink petaled blossoms.  There are also Usuzumi and Kwinzan varieties but those bloom a few weeks after the festival is over.

Lovely!

The paddle boat Armada was out in force.  Some of the paddlers were having a heavy go working against the morning's brisk winds.  Fortunately the winds died down in the afternoon as the clouds filled in and blocked the sun.

Across the Basin one sees the Jefferson Memorial.  Don't ask how long I had to wait to get this clean shot!

Zooming in on the Memorial.

Walking around gawking at blossoms makes one hungry.  We walked back in the direction of the Mall and discussed various lunch options.

The carrousel across from the Smithsonian Castle was busy.  Our kids always fought over who'd get to ride on the black horse.  Rides now cost $2.50--I'm glad that during our riding days tickets were only a buck!

Washington is, if nothing else, a town with lots of tour options.  If you're a tourist with sore feet there's a mode of touring designed to separate you from your money.  You can take an open air double-decker bus...

Or you can join the Segway Nation...

Or if neither of those appeal you can take a ride on a WWII era DUKW.  These combine touring on the street with a dunk in the nearby Potomac River.

Being local (and cheap) we did none of those and continued walking.  We walked up Louisiana Ave. past the Carillon,

Up to Union Station and,

Finally arrived at our destination--Capitol City Brewing, where...

I finished the day with one of these.  (Highly recommended).