(…and so are the allergies…and tourists…and heat…and a million and one photos of the Tidal Basin)
I can’t believe that just two weeks ago we had snow on the ground.
The famous cherry blossoms were supposed to “peak” at the end of March…which then became the first week of April…which then became who knew when. This past weekend we went to the Tidal Basin area to take some photos only to be disappointed by the lack of blossoms — there were a few trees blooming but the majority had buds that were *this close* to blossoming.
All the cherry blossom trees must have had a conference with one another because overnight it seemed as if every trees red buds morphed into billowy pink and white flowers. It’s a pretty magical time of year to be in Washington DC (and the DC area) and it only becomes more magical when the pink blossoms start losing their grip, the petals falling softly around you and blowing ever-so-gently in the spring breeze.
Having lived in a major tourist city for so long (SF and now DC) we usually try to avoid anything that draws a large crowd of people. I think most ‘locals’ feel this way — like what New Yorker goes up to the Empire State Building? And how many times did I ride the trolley while living in SF (only once, when friends were visiting). But every now and then we put on our sensible shoes and embrace the traffic, the parking, and the busloads of slow-walking tourists to see something “touristy.” We may be aggravated for a short while, we are never sorry we did it.
I hope Sly and I can make it back to see the blossoms sometime this week for date night. With the warmer weather and longer daylight hours I think it would be fun to stroll along the Tidal Basin, ride a paddle boat and maybe have a picnic under a cherry tree. There is something to be said about being a tourist in your own town.
