Cherry Blossoms, Minus the Crowd
I moved to DC at the beginning of March in 2011, just in time to witness my first Cherry Blossoms season. I lived in the heart of downtown DC, just blocks from the national mall, which made it a walkable distance to the Tidal Basin. The sight of hundreds of these blush-pink trees lining the water was breath-taking. Then you also have the MLK, Jefferson memorial and Washington monument perfectly positioned in the background, practically begging tourists to take a photo. And that’s the only thing I wasn’t crazy about…the massive amount of tourists infiltrating this small area detracted from the natural beauty of this seasonal event. Nature is best appreciated with some degree of quiet solitude. I was standing with my dog by the Tidal Basin attempting to take in the sights, and was being elbowed by passersby, poked by selfie sticks and intervening between a little girl trying to pet my people-anxious dog. Not the scene I had envisioned.
When my husband and I moved out to the suburbs, we were pleasantly surprised to find a cherry blossom tree growing in our own backyard! We also found out about a neighborhood of cherry blossoms in Kenwood area of Bethesda.
Although there are no national monuments in the background, the beautiful colonial and cape-style homes in this neighborhood give it an all-American feel. We went on the weekend as we had last year, and found only a handful of people walking the practically desolate streets. On some of the roads the cherry blossom trees bent inward, creating a gorgeous natural canopy.
Last year we brought Chase when he was only a few weeks old:
This year he was slightly more interested in the blossoms.
If you’re in the Bethesda area and considering visiting the area, you will be in for a treat. We hope to make this our annual family tradition.
INSIDER NOTE: Parking is definitely tough, as the MoCo police placed no parking signs on almost every yard. However, there’s a small, hidden strip on Kennedy Drive between Norway Dr. and Lawn Way that is available to park.
