A Really Quick Fast Five About Cherry Blossom Season in Washington DC!

 

It's cherry blossom time in Washington DC and I took advantage of that this week and saw some beautiful things!

1.    Take a City Cruise to view the cherry blossoms.  I did this.  It's with City Cruises operated by Hornblower.  It was a lunch cruise.  The views were amazing from either inside or outside.  Most of the boat is glass, so you can get the views either way.  Lunch was a three course meal with options for the main dish.  It was delicious.  The cruise lasts 2 hours and you get to go all up and down the river.  We had a guide telling us what we were seeing and he was also a DJ and the boat had a dance floor.  A good time was had by all and we sailed along one entire section of the cherry trees.

https://www.cityexperiences.com/washington-dc/city-cruises/cherry-blossoms-cruises/

https://nationalcherryblossomfestival.org/springtimeadventures/

https://www.cityexperiences.com/washington-dc/city-cruises/water-taxi/washington-dc-water-taxi-cherry-blossoms/   

2.    The best way to get to the Tidal Basin and see the cherry blossoms.  I've been to Washington DC so many times I've lost count.  One thing that I do know is that if you trust your phone with Google Maps to get to that Tidal Basin where some of the most beautiful views of the trees are; you will work way too hard to get there.  Number one, no matter what mode of travel you put into Google maps, it can't shake the idea that you're driving.  Therefore, it will probably tell you to take a very long route and go to the Jefferson Memorial.  Don't do that.

The road is Independence Avenue, and it's just across that street from the Washington Monument (you can't miss that one) to the park where you can view the trees and the memorial.  You can walk the bridge as well if you like.  It's quick and easy, especially if you're not driving as I wasn't.  I don't drive unless I have to when I travel.

I promise it's quick and easy and the views are magnificent.  There are also cherry trees on the mall, especially by the Washington Monument for added viewing.

https://www.nps.gov/articles/dctidalbasin.htm   

https://nationalcherryblossomfestival.org/event/bloomfest-at-the-tidal-basin/   

https://cherryblossomwatch.com/monuments-tidal-basin/   

https://www.trolleytours.com/washington-dc/tidal-basin   

3.    Another way to see beautiful cherry blossoms is to take the water taxi.  Also operated in part by City Cruises and Hornblower, the water taxis have many functions.  They operate some cherry blossom cruises.  However, they are also a regular transportation option and you can go to a lot of cool places and see the cherry blossoms along the way.

I took the water taxi to Alexandria, Virginia and National Harbor, Maryland along with seeing the blossoms.  It was a great ride and reasonably priced.  You catch it at the wharf on the DC waterfront.

https://www.cityexperiences.com/washington-dc/city-cruises/water-taxi/washington-dc-water-taxi/  

https://www.wharfdc.com/getting-here/water-taxi/  

https://visitalexandria.com/things-to-do/waterfront-activities/   

https://alexandrialivingmagazine.com/lifestyle/city-cruises%E2%80%99-potomac-water-taxi-launches-from-alexandria-fr/   

4.    Visit the waterfront.  I can't say enough about this neighborhood.  It's full of marinas if you have a boat.  It's where you catch the City Cruises and the water taxis.  It's largely a pedestrian area and it's large.  It is home to beautiful views with the cherry trees right across the way and the river area to gaze at.  It's absolutely gorgeous at sunset.  There's clubs, fine dining, snacks and drinks.  It's a place to gather, eat, drink and be merry.

I got there by taking the Green Line subway to the conveniently titled Waterfront Station.  From there, it's just a couple of blocks to the waterfront.  I spent a lot of time there this trip and it was fabulous.

https://www.wharfdc.com/   

https://washington.org/dc-waterfronts   

https://www.trolleytours.com/washington-dc/waterfront-activities   

https://www.georgetowndc.com/neighborhood/georgetown-waterfront/  

https://www.wmata.com/   

5.    National Harbor, Maryland and the Capital Wheel.  This one was a bit of a surprise for me.  I love a good wheel and they have one 180 feet tall.  The area looks a bit like an overly patriotic playground for rich people, but that didn't stop me.  

I got to take the water taxi out there and it's almost an hour ride.  It was a beautiful ride along the Potomac River and the wheel was a fabulous ride too.  This whole place is built for tourists, and it isn't my normal vibe, but they had a wheel.  The restaurants were expensive and didn't look that yummy.  It was still off season, so not every place was open.  Still, it was great and I would tell anyone to take that afternoon trip.

https://www.getyourguide.com/national-harbor-l116217/cruises-boat-tours-tc48/?campaign_id=21890360134&adgroup_id=&target_id=&loc_physical_ms=9192792&match_type=&ad_id=&keyword=&ad_position=&feed_item_id=&placement=&device=c&assetgroup_id=6538663094&synthetic_keyword=national%20harbor%20md&partner_id=CD951&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=21886561097&gbraid=0AAAAADmzJCN7JXGe1XN9ahRl73eSiSsuu&gclid=Cj0KCQjw1ZjOBhCmARIsADDuFTCzsbG5ULpp3wILAhPnbhVzGqvuGho1_AIUkuvZ73tZ8q-d2Y9phjEaAqWuEALw_wcB  

https://www.nationalharbor.com/  

https://washington.org/find-dc-listings/visit-national-harbor   

https://www.visitmaryland.org/listing/music-venues/national-harbor   

There you have it.  Those are some things that I learned when I was visiting DC this week.  I'll have more to say, but this is a start.  If you want to see the cherry blossoms, I'd hurry.  They're already peaking and they don't last long.  Enjoy!