Was there and saw them for the first time yesterday,
and of course I was there with Montfort.
Didn’t expect them to be that many,
and also not that many tourists.
I guess they are pretty famous,
and they where very beautiful.
Here’s a link of some pictures from there.
http://chanceofrain.com/pix/anniz/?M=A
Very nice pics, Anniz! Mr. Athena and I are heading to DC on Wednesday night (4/11) for a long weekend. Any good hints as to where we should go/what we should see?
I’m not the best person to answer that,
I’m going to ask Montfort to anwer it instead,
but you have to go and see the cherry blossom trees,
hope they still are blomming then,
maybe you should see them as soon as you can.
Montfort and I don’t have any plans for the weekend,
so if you and your husband have time and would like too,
maybe we could see each other over lunch or dinner?
Lots of places to go in DC. Wander around the Smithsonian Museums on The Mall. My favorites are the Air & Space, Natural History, and American History. Being Government-run, the museums and zoo are free, but watch out if you stop in their souvenir shops. Only thing I bought from a museum shop was a 6’ nylon kite from the Air & Space.
You could go with lots of other tourists up the Washington Monument, but be prepared to be in line for 90 minutes or so. Looking for an observation tower that’s not as crowded? Head up 12th Street from the Museums and stop in the Old Post Office Building at 1100 Pennsylvania, the Old Post Office clock tower is the second-tallest tower in DC after the Washington Monument. The entrance for the clock tower tour is in what used to be the basement, along with a food court.
If you have time, head up I-95 and visit the Inner Harbor at Baltimore. Here, you will find a very nice aquarium and the USS Constellation.
Anniz and I were thinking of going to the zoo this weekend. That’s a very popular thing to do in the springtime in DC, of course.
Don’t miss the cherry blossom trees, too. They should still be in full bloom this weekend.
My favourite touristy things downtown are the National Gallery of Art and the Air and Space Museum. Both of those are further east on the Mall, closer to the Capitol than the Lincoln Memorial. Be prepared to do a lot of walking, as the subway isn’t as made to get from one side of the Mall to the other.
Where are you staying, Athena?
BTW, nice pics, Anniz. 
Anniz: Thanks for the invite. Unfortunately, this trip has been planned as sort of a whirlwind “let’s see DC in 3.5 days” and as a “let’s have a romantic weekend together” sort of thing. If we were staying longer, I’d definitely want to meet up with you guys. As it stands, though, it’s going to be hard to get in what we’ve already planned!
Jeff/Montfort: We’re definitely doing the Smithsonians. Probably 2 days worth - I was there once 6-7 years ago, and had a day to see the museums, and didn’t get nearly enough time to see everything I wanted. Also high on the list are the White House, the Capitol, and the Lincoln Memorial.
We’re staying at the Willard - looks very nice, and we got a great rate, from what I can tell. We wanted to stay within walking distance to the Smithsonians so we didn’t have to rent a car.
I can’t wait to leave!
great pictures anniz. we have a few cherry trees in philly now, near the art museum. they are rather young and not quite as blossumful(?).
say hi to tian tian and mei xiang, they really are cuties.
athena: the air and space gets crowded really fast, best to hit that one first am.
I hope you see this before you leave.
First, I forgot to mention yesterday that you can come to the DC Lunch Bunch on Friday at noon. We meet at the White House exit of the McPhereson Sq. Metro station (Blue/Orange line).
Second, the Willard is a damn nice hotel. My ex-boss’ ex-wife (don’t ask) was/is the chef there, and that lady can cook. Very nice hotel.
Third, only a fool rents a car for their visit to Washington. Metro baby, Metro!
Wow, I was just thinking about the DC cherry blossom trees last night. I almost made an impromptu road trip to DC Sunday night for the very reason of seeing them. I subconsciously got on the highway and was about an hour into it before I decided I had better not skip out on work in the morning. I was hoping to go this weekend but I guess the holiday might get in the way.
From the second time I was ever in DC(about 5 years ago) I have been really enchanted by this. I drove there for some political gathering with a couple of friends riding with me. We had driven all evening from Cleveland where it was still very snowy and winter-like(late March) and after all of the driving we finally arrived and parked outside of the Washington monument; it was a beautiful starry night, must have been 80 degrees and the hill was covered with cherry blossom trees. My friends and I sprinted the 1/2 mile so up the hill engulfed in the rich scent of all the cherry blossoms and spring. For some reason that must have been one of the happiest moments of my life. We walked around all night amazed at the beauty of everything.