Sometimes I feel like I am blind to DC. I travel all over the world and write about my adventures, but when it comes to my own hometown, the place where I actually LIVE, this blog is mostly silent. Which is pretty ridiculous considering it’s a major city for tourists and a pretty freaking awesome place in a lot of ways that visitors don’t even know about.
So this summer I am going to write more about Washington DC. I hope to show you guys that there is a lot more to this city than the National Mall, and that it’s actually a really interesting, diverse and cultural place. So for starters I am dedicating this week to all things DC.
But first, I’ll show you flowers. One of the highlights of being in DC during the springtime is the plethora of flowering trees and bushes: azaleas, magnolias, dogwoods, daffodils and more. Then there is the crown jewel: the cherry blossoms. They actually bloom all over town- there are two in my yard, but the most beautiful and iconic ones are the National Cherry Blossoms down by the tidal basin. Given to the nation by Japan, they bloom for just about a week every year and are a major tourist attraction.
Because they only bloom for 7-10 days, there’s a very small window for appreciating the trees. This year, the year of endless winter, they bloomed very late, not until mid-April. When Mike and I first tried to go see them they were still just on the verge of bursting into bloom:
Pretty, but not quite the look we wanted. So we came back a week later and got to see them in all their glory:
Oh how I love to see cherry blossoms every spring time. DC must be very lovely during this time with cherry blossoms all over the place. I must visit DC next time.
I LOVE DC! I once found a guide book about all the free or cheap things you can do in DC and it had some great suggestions- like volunteering to be an usher for the theater houses. I always volunteer at the Wooly Mammoth Theater when I am in town (you get to see the show for free!). Yes!
Super shots….I am always amazed by how pretty cherry blossoms are in spring…but I’ve really only seen them in photos.
These are beautiful photos. Spring in DC is wonderful. Not sure when we’ll get spring where I am (the Netherlands). Most flowering trees are a bit confused 😉
p.s. Got to say hi to Mike @ TBU Rotterdam. I missed his sessions, but my husband (also Mike) attended them. We’re looking forward to working with your Mike to improve our site. Thanks for the heads-up about his sessions at TBU!!