Cherry Blossom Bike Ride is Tomorrow

DC Bike Party is leading a Cherry Blossom ride for bikers that happens to coincide with this great week of mid-70s spring temps. The ride will be about 10 miles. It starts in Dupont and ends at 1355 H Street NE : the Biergarten Haus. DC Bike Partiers will have special happy hour access to the roofdeck. Sweet. 

The ride will traverse the monuments on the Mall and of course the cherry blossom trees. There will be a short break in SW before heading on to H Street. DC Bike Party is encouraging everyone to wear their best (worst?) tourist wear for the ride, since you'll be partaking in the most tourist-tastic activity of the year, seeing the blossoms up close and personal.

This is not a race; everyone is welcome. 

From the organizers:

WHAT: DC Bike Party Cherry Blossom Chase

WHERE: Departs from the fountain of Dupont Circle

WHEN: Wednesday, April 10th. Meet at 7:30 PM, Depart at 8:00 PM

Cherry Blossoms at 100 Years

Family Day at the National Building Museum

Bigger, better, more. That could be the motto of this year's National Cherry Blossom Festival. 2012 marks 100 years since the original trees were gifted to the United States from Japan --to the District from Tokyo, to be precise-- and planted in the area we now know as the Tidal Basin. Before the Jefferson Memorial, before the FDR Memorial, before the Lincoln Memorial, there were cherry trees. How does one celebrate 100? By throwing the longest, most elaborate party ever. That's what the NCBF folks are doing. The Festival runs a full 5 weeks -- March 20-April 27.

The Festival is not limited to the Mall. Venues and events are located all over the city and all over the calendar between now and April 27. The party literally started last night with the Pink Tie Party at Dupont's Mayflower Hotel. This weekend, the large scale programming begins with two blockbuster events, National Cherry Blossom Festival Family Days and the National Cherry Blossom Festival Opening Ceremony.

Family Days --as in two days, up from one-- feature performances and hands-on craft activities and typically serves as the big kickoff event for the Festival. Philatelists, get excited; the USPS will begin issuing their Cherry Blossom Centennial Forever stamp here. Good stuff. That's this weekend! The venue is the National Building Museum, in Judiciary Square. Saturday 10:00AM-4:30PM and Sunday 11AM-3:30PM. FREE.

The Opening Ceremony has typically been held at the Family Day venue, but this year it has been moved to the Walter E. Washington Convention Center due to the size of expected crowds. Doors open at 3:30PM this Sunday and the ceremony begins at 5:00PM. FREE, but ticketed.

There are too many events to list here, but check out the highlights on the NCBF website. The event I always attend, rain, shine or otherwise is Sakura Matsuri, the street festival. For me, it marks the beginning of DC street festival season, which unofficially runs through October.

And of course, go see the cherry blossom trees. Check the bottom of this NCBF page for a cool map and walking/biking directions to the trees in and around the Tidal Basin. Go during the week to miss out on the largest crowds. Trust me on this one. And enjoy. The 100th anniversary only happens once!

2012 Cherry Blossom Festival: Bigger & Better

Cherry Blossom Family Day Festival 2008

This cold snap may have you thinking about impending winter weather, but I'm going to ask you to go even a little further into the future. Next spring, the National Cherry Blossom Festival will mark the 100th anniversary of the arrival of Japanese cherry trees to Washington, DC. And next year's celebration will be anything but normal.

Organizers have lengthened the festival to a full 5 weeks: March 20-April 27. That's up from two weeks. First Lady Michelle Obama has been recruited as the honorary chair. The Postal Service will release a 100th Anniversary stamp to mark the occasion. And the Martin Luther King Jr Memorial will be framed with in-bloom  cherry trees for the first time since its completion. There are other changes as well.

The opening ceremony will be moved to a large venue; the Walter Washington Convention Center (March 25th). And the associated Family Day will still be at the National Building Museum, but expanded to two days (March 24-25). The vaunted Cherry Blossom Parade will occur later, on April 14. That's the same day as my favorite Cherry Blossom event, Sakura Matsuri! That's the Japanese street festival. Food, dance performances, lots of great outfits and costumes; more. Check the early details for the full list of events here.

Even as the temps drop on the march to winter, keep in mind this 5 weeks of spring fun marking a friendship between Japan and the United States.

This One Photo of Cherry Blossoms. That's It.

But it is a good photo.

Cherry Blossom Crowds Over the Top

If its possible to feel claustrophobia in a wide open space, I had it last weekend. Just looking at the gridlocked car (and baby stroller) traffic around me was enough to cause anxiety. Sidewalks were jammed. We moved at more of a shuffle than a walk. And there was no way out. Once you decided to go with the flow, well, you were there for the long run. All par for the course for a beautiful Saturday at the National Cherry Blossom Festival.

The crowds downtown were amazingly dense and somewhat daunting. Being around so many people reminded me of the inauguration in a way. But less organized. Seeing the cherry blossoms wasn't even the ultimate objective. I wanted to use the Festival as an excuse to venture onto the National Mall and get back in touch with those parts of DC which I really appreciate, but rarely see. It's nice to be reminded that we ARE the nation's capital. And we are occasionally treated as such by the millions of visitors who make the trek here yearly. It's exciting to be around that. And I enjoy seeing everyone else get excited about being in DC, many for the first time.

After checking out the post-parade street festival on Penn Avenue, I barely made it down to the Tidal Basin. And no where close to the Jefferson Memorial, or any other memorial. I gave up after a couple of hours and lots of walking; very slow, walking. Maybe reconnecting with the National Mall and Federal DC can wait for a less popular holiday.

National Cherry Blossom Festival

...begins this weekend! Opening ceremonies at the National Building Museum this Saturday at 4:00pm.

Signs of Spring

Weather could stand to be a little warmer, but there are some signs of spring in the city. Get out and enjoy it!















































(1)Cherry Blossom Festival kickoff at the National Building Museum
(2)Carrib steel drummers from Oberlin College, of all places
(3)Opening night (and what a night it was) at Nationals Park