WASHINGTON D.C.'S ANNUAL
CHERRY BLOSSOM RENEWAL
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By Lee Foster
Some of the best non-partisan news coming out of Washington DC each early April involves the blossoming of the 3,000-plus cherry trees around the Tidal Basin.
As if to parallel this surge in nature, there always seems to be a renewal in Washington's memorials, attractions, hotels, restaurants, and theatres to delight a visitor.
RENEWAL OF THE CHERRY TREES
Though Washington is a congenial place to visit at any time of the year, the late March-early April time of cherry blossom flowering is a special time. It is at this time that the heavy burdens of governance give way to the non-political joy of the flowering of Washington's famous cherry trees.
The cherry blossoms are best experienced in a leisurely walk around the Tidal Basin, where views of the Jefferson Memorial and the Washington Monument are fringed with cherry blossom frames. The weather can be sunny and warm or windy and chilly, so come prepared with comfortable walking shoes and adequate protection against possible cold, wind, and rain.
The pleasure of a walk around the Tidal Basin is that your perspective and the light change with each passing hour.
The cherry trees are a gift from Japan, beginning in 1912, commemorating the 1854 Treaty of Peace and Amity, officially establishing formal relations between the two nations. An alert travel writer with an eye for beauty, Eliza Scidmore, saw the blossoming cherry trees in Japan as a joyful springtime event. Eliza envisioned Washington with a similar springtime enhancement. She persuaded the wife of President Taft that this would be a good idea. A newly reclaimed area, the Tidal Basin, built to protect Washington DC from Potomac River floods, was selected as the primary site for the trees.
Aside from a leisurely walk around the Tidal Basin, it is fun to view the National Cherry Blossom Festival Parade on Constitution Avenue. Military honor guards from the various service branches and high school marching bands from around the country are the two main categories of parade entrants. A patriotic heart will be stirred when viewing the various military honor guards that kick off the parade. From the south side of Constitution Avenue, you can observe the military honor guards with the White House in the distance. As a slice of Americana, the parade has few equals. A high school marching band from Ohio might be followed by a Christian Academy band from the South, then a similar high school entry from New Mexico or Hawaii.
After the parade, a Japanese street festival, known as Sakura Matsuri, takes place on Freedom Square, near the White House. Aside from plenty of Japanese food, washed down with Sapporo beer, there is an afternoon of performances, ranging from taiko drumming to martial arts displays.
Everyone in Washington seems to have their spirits uplifted by the Cherry Blossom Festival. Restaurants get into the theme with cherry food and drink options, such as a cherry martini or a cherry turnover dessert.
WASHINGTON DC'S TOURISM RENEWAL
Washington is such a diverse and dynamic tourism destination that a traveler will find new enrichments available each spring.
One blockbuster addition in recent years is the National World War II Memorial on the central axis of the Mall. This evocative and dignified memorial honors the 16 million Americans who fought, the 400,000 who died, and the millions who supported the war at home. WW II was a defining event of the 20th century. A simple statement at the memorial tells the story, "Americans came to liberate, not to conquer, to restore freedom and to end tyranny." The WWII Memorial was hurried to completion because about a thousand of these aging veterans were dying each day.
One restored hotel to celebrate in downtown Washington is The Madison, which was a fashionable place 1963-1990, but grew tired, as the new owners candidly admit, in the 1990s when no new investment was made in the property. To the rescue came an entrepreneur with vision and deep pockets, sinking about $40 million into the dream. The Madison has returned to a deserved five star-diamond rarified league.
The restaurant scene in Washington continues to mature, with chefs and owners creating their own signature American culinary offerings.
Palette has a modern, edgy, arty décor, but the menu emphasizes a steady, mainstream emphasis on tasty veal and local rockfish.
Bistro may be the place to indulge in chunky, ample crabcake "held together by an angel's whisper," implying that additional ingredients beyond crab in a crabcake are seldom an improvement.
Zola, a lively restaurant inspired by the adjacent Spy Museum, is the place to investigate the tuna tartar, followed by the roast lamb, washed down by one of their numerous, good-value wines-by-the-glass.
Rosa Mexicano offers tableside preparation of guacamole, perhaps followed by the grilled shrimp in lime.
DC Coast is housed in an airy art deco treasure, a former bank. The spinach salad, followed by the fillet of duck breast, gets high acclaim.
The Tabard Inn is a cozy, dark-wood inn and restaurant with an appealing Sunday Brunch menu featuring items such as smoked trout and salmon.
If you are fortunate enough to have a place to cook for yourself in Washington DC, be sure to go to Maine Avenue and see the immense seafood market. There you can get Chesapeake Bay blue crab, which turn red when steam cooked. Fillet or even whole fish are available, from red snapper to rockfish. The entire fresh seafood panorama of the east coast fisheries is apparent, which is a feast for the eyes. You can walk away from the market with some cooked shrimp and crab for a snack.
The theatre scene in Washington will surprise a visitor with its range. Typical of several exciting venues is Arena Stage. Arena presents provocative plays, such as Dael Orlandersmith's powerful Yellow Man, which explores the universal question of human identity in the circumstances of two black families struggling with darker or lighter skin, provoking a series of poignant hostilities.
Visitors come to Washington D.C. each April both for the natural renewal of the cherry blossoms and the cultural renewal of the capital's tourism scene. The pleasure of visiting Washington in April appears to be at least one thing about which Democrats and Republicans are in agreement.
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Washington D.C.: If You Go
For further info on Washington tourism, contact the Washington DC Convention & Tourism Corporation, 901 7th Street, NW, Suite 400, Washington, DC 20001, 202/789-7000, www.washington.org.
This article was written by Lee Foster of Foster Travel Publishing. Contact him at his website www.fostertravel.com or via email at lee@fostertravel.com. Copyright Lee Foster.
Lee Foster's most recent travel guidebook is Northern California History Weekends (Globe Pequot), which won a Lowell Thomas Award.
Lee Foster's new literary book is Travels in an American Imagination: The Spiritual Geography of Our Time.
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