"Mr. Smith goes to Washington?" No, feet go to Washington, DC. I'd been to Washington, DC twice, each visit having it's own special memory. When I read about the springtime blooming of the beautiful Japanese cherry blossoms in Washington, DC, I thought to myself, hmmm. . . an excuse to plan another trip!
Washington, DC is a dream come true for history and museum enthusiasts. Most of what you'll see and do in DC is also FREE! Take advantage of your tax paying dollars and see a bit of our country's history. There is so much that I could comment on, so I will keep it to the highlights of my recent visit.
The Smithsonian museums, are a must. Take advantage of your tax-paying dollars, because it's FREE admission to all Smithsonian museums. Imagine, you can see rockets and airplanes at the Air and Space Museum. You can see the Hope Diamond at the Natural History Museum. You can see the Constitution, the Bill of Rights and the Declaration of Independence at the National Archives. All of this is FREE! I won't lie, the lines may be long, but it is well worth the wait.
Thinking back to my DC visits, I remembered how each trip had a different effect. My first trip was when I was in high school. I still remember the awe and being speechless seeing the Lincoln Memorial. Abraham Lincoln was my favorite president as a child and although I'd see the memorial on television, it does not compare to being up close and personal.
My second visit was during college. I remember re-visiting the Vietnam Memorial and staring at all the engraved names. I thought solemnly about the soldiers who fought for our country and our freedom. I took a moment of silence to say, Thank You.
This particular trip to DC, however, brings a smile to my face. Although I was here to be a tourist and re-visit my favorite museums and sites, the main attraction was the cherry blossoms. What a beautiful and wonderful site to see all of the blossoming trees around the tidal basin. When the wind blew, the petals would float and scatter in the breeze. It was snowing cherry blossom petals!
If you want to see the cherry blossoms, and you don't live in the area, do a little bit of planning. There are many festivals and activities planned around the bloom schedule. I did some research on the peak bloom date for years past on the National Cherry Blossom Festival website and planned accordingly. Once the plane tickets were booked and the hotel reservations made, I crossed my fingers and hoped that Mother Nature would cooperate. That she did, and as you can see from the pictures I've posted, we were there for the peak blossom dates in 2010!
