It’s cherry blossom time in DC, and that means rows and canopies of beautiful pink and white blossoms lining the Tidal Basin, off the National Mall. It’s one of the great signs of spring and one of the great things about living in this area.
But if you’re headed into downtown from Northern Virginia, which can be an odyssey on a regular workday, here are a few tips.
When to Go
The peak bloom is forecasted to be between March 23 and March 26, but might move up with warmer weather. A couple of things about that: According to the National Park Service, “peak bloom” means that 70 percent of the roughly 1,200 Yoshino cherry trees (which don’t produce fruit, only blossoms) are at their beautiful best. It’s two stages after “peduncle elongation,” which is neither here nor there, except when you have a chance to use the phrase “peduncle elongation,” by God, you take it. (That stage hit on Tuesday afternoon.)
Where was I?
Oh yeah — if you really want to go during peak bloom, you’ll want to go early in the morning to beat the crowds. (You’ll notice that the first two days of the peak-bloom period are on a weekend, so that’s right out.) But honestly, barring a windy rainstorm, is there that much difference between peak bloom and a few days before or after? Especially when the blooms last about 10 days?
How to Get There
The Metro is your best bet. The closest station to the Tidal Basin is Smithsonian, but changing trains is the time-killer — get as close as you can on one train and walk the rest of the way. You can get to Smithsonian or L’Enfant Plaza, which is only a little farther, on every line that runs into Northern Virginia. You can check out Metro’s map on its site.
And you’ll be happy to know that Metro won’t be doing any track work until after 10 p.m. from March 18 through April 19.
What About Driving?
Do you remember what happened last year? The traffic jam on the Sunday of the peak bloom period lasted hours.
The National Park Service told people to take transit or bike.
Don’t drive. If you do, don’t get mad at me.
Alternatives
The Tidal Basin is by no means the only place in the DC area to see cherry blossoms.
If you want to head into DC, there are cherry blossoms at Hains Point, which is where a lot of people park to walk toward the Tidal Basin (OK fine, but still don’t say I didn’t warn you.) You can also find them at Dumbarton Oaks and Oak Hill Cemetery, both up Wisconsin Avenue from Georgetown, as well as the grounds of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, in Northeast.
You can also get fancy by booking a cherry blossom cruise, or check out the blossoms without leaving home over the Bloom Cam.
But you don’t even have to leave Northern Virginia — there are hundreds of cherry blossom trees in Meadowlark Botanical Gardens, in Vienna. That peak is expected a little later, and it’s not free, but the top ticket is $8; admission for kids and seniors is less than that, and there are gobs of other plants and trees to see.
So with just a little creativity, you can see one of the area’s main attractions without smelling exhaust for hours.
In conclusion, peduncle elongation.
Feature image courtesy National Cherry Blossom Festival
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