cherry blossoms

I have a love/hate relationship with cherry blossoms. I think most locals do. While the trees are beautiful and a welcome harbinger of spring, the mass of tourists that descend on the city in late March and early April almost makes you want to send the trees back to Japan. Thanks, but no thanks.

While driving into the city the other day, I posed this question to Jon, "Have you ever seen a tourist family in DC that looks like they were having fun?" The answer is no. Friends, yes. Couples, yes. Family with kids, not so much. The parents look exhausted, the kids look bored, and everyone looks like they are tired of walking. As my mom would say, DC is a work vacation, and if you come during cherry blossom season, you are guaranteed extra work thanks to expensive hotels, crowded transportation (actually, make that crowded everything), and long lines wherever you go.

Given the above, I wasn't the least bit upset when I realized our weekend in Philly corresponded with peak bloom. We heard from several friends who braved the mall over that weekend that it was a complete madhouse. Some people didn't even make it the tidal basin.

We came up with another plan to enjoy the blossoms without the hassle. We woke up early (way early) last Monday morning. We parked at Jon's office, hopped on the metro and walked all around the tidal basin. It was a perfect morning and we practically had the place to ourselves...well, ourselves, and all the trash the weekend crowd had left behind. Like I said, it's love/hate with cherry blossom season.

It's the only way to do it, and I'm so glad we did. Also, that's another thing crossed off the 30 by 30 list.

i look really awesome, but who bothers with hair and makeup at 5:00 a.m.?