Cherry Blossom Special - Washington, D.C.

Nothing heralds the arrival of spring in this Nation’s Capital as the blooming of the the Japanese Cherry trees. The famous trees, a gift from Japan in 1912, signal the coming of Spring with an explosion of life and color surrounding the Jefferson Memorial on the Tidal Basin in a sea of pink and white. The blooming of the cherry trees around the Tidal Basin in Washington , D.C. has come to symbolize the natural beauty of the nation's capital city. Millions of visitors from across the nation and around the world come to the Nations Capital to witness the spectacle, hoping that the trees will be at the peak of bloom for the 2006 National Cherry Blossom Festival, Washington , D.C. 's rite of spring. We undoubtedly were a definite part of the whole scenario in Washington ’s merry making festival!

The 2006 National Cherry Blossom Festival is scheduled for March 25-April 9. We made an early trip to Washington , DC to be a part of the blossoming season which lasts for only about 14 days. We could hit across quite a number of blossoms in this cold weather… As the blossoms need to have a warmer climate to show up in its fullest form, they were still not at their peak bloom. Exactly when the buds will open is not an easy question to answer, but the forecasts are made by the horticulturists and they are based upon the weather forecast, and close inspection to determine the stage of bud development.

We decided to leave early in the morning on Saturday …We started a little after 5 O’ clock in the morning. Washington , DC is exactly 230 miles away from Florham Park . It was a thorough four and half hours drive with a break in between to refresh. We reached the city at around 9.30 that morning viewing lots of cherry blossoms as we kept getting closer and closer to Washington ….checked in Courtyard by Marriott on the Connecticut Avenue, as we had already made a reservation there….

We then started off on foot along with the city tour maps and Metro maps …. We had a good and a quick bagels and omelets break fast at a very good breakfast café called Cosi…and then headed towards the Dupont Circle station for the subway to the Metro Center . The nation's capital is one of the easiest cities to navigate and a terrific city for touring, once you understand the basics. With one of the safest, cleanest and most efficient public transportation systems in the country serviced by Metrorail (subway) and Metrobus , Washington , DC's many attractions and neighborhoods are easily accessible. The subway stations, by themselves, were yet another marvel in a man’s numerous achievements… My goodness….The whole system is built in underneath with a good amount of precision in every aspect….like ticketing vending machines, information centers, guidelines, schedules etc. The escalator which took us deep inside was of an awesome length…it took nearly 5-6 min to get to the station underneath from the top on the escalator! And, from there also there was again a double-decker system of the rails…the metro trains running above and below that level! Train lines are named by colors: Red, yellow, blue, green, and orange. It was amazing to see all this going on so perfectly underneath from the ground level.

We reached the Metro Center took another subway to the Smithsonian station. Got down there and climbed up the hollow to the ground level to reach the National Mall area….and once up … there was a huge bustling crowd in the open ground and we could see almost all the attractions of the city from that point….like the US Capitol behind us, the Washington Monument in the front, the Lincoln Memorial beyond, the Smithsonian Castle beside us and many other good architectural buildings in the National Mall area. As the seat and symbol of democracy, Washington is a city of powerful history and epic political drama. Its enduring symbols – The White House, U.S. Capitol, museums of the Smithsonian Institution and monuments to the great American Presidents are the major attractions for the tourists all around the world.

One of the best ways to experience Washington is on foot, with wonderful pockets including the inspiring monuments, memorials, parks, Smithsonian museums and various other famous galleries and buildings found on the National Mall as well as the world-class theatres and splendid gardens, squares and circles throughout the District. We then walked towards the Washington Monument. There was this The 40th Annual Smithsonian Kite Festival going on and there were number of participants flying their best kites… Kites in different forms and brilliant colors…we could see them in the forms of the butterflies, the wasps, many Nemos, fish, birds, tiny aero planes all gliding in the sky…and it was so good to see the kites along with the monument standing upright in the sky. Located at the western end of the National Mall, this four-sided stone structure honors the "Father of his Country," General, Founding Father, and the first President of the United States , George Washington. At 555 feet 5 1/8 inches (169.29 meters) high, the Washington Monument towers over everything in Washington , DC and is one of the tallest masonry structures in the world. Fifty flags surround the base of the Washington Monument and symbolize the 50 states of the Union . Of all the Presidents of the United States , George Washington is the most celebrated. Washington Monument commemorates his legacy.
Then we moved on to the World war II Memorial, from there on hit the Reflecting Pool. What the Reflecting Pool reflects are the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial, which are positioned at either end of it. The pool is long -- a third of a mile -- and shallow, at about three feet. It is flanked by pedestrian paths.

We then walked towards the famous Lincoln Memorial. The Lincoln Memorial is a tribute to President Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States (who is known as ‘the Great Emancipator’) and also the nation he fought to preserve during the Civil War. The 19 foot tall statue of Lincoln exhibits his compassion, strength and determination and remains one of the popular places on the National Mall for expressions of freedom.
We then moved onto the Korean War Veterans Memorial and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. One of the more visited memorials in the park, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial honors those men and women who served in the Vietnam War. People come all over the world to view the black granite wall that holds 58,249 names of those killed and missing in action. ‘The Wall that Heals’ serves as a place for remembrance, reflection, grieving and closure. Let me make a frank submission here … In the history of mankind Wars itself are a great blunder. There are losses at the cost of men fighting for nations and sacrificing their lives…. Why should all this have happened…If you get in deep and look at it…you will realize that a country’s history should not talk and take pride in exhibiting itself in being involved in the destructive causes of waging wars and later building memorials in the honor of numerous sacrifices made by the unknown innocent people….A Nation has to grow with its integrity to gain power. Wars are just a curse of human intelligence…. War Does Not Always Decide Who Is Right But It Always Decides Who Is Left! Ok lets not get into the controversy of the Vietnam and the Korean Wars….

After the memorials at the National Mall we walked to the famous White House through the Ellipse. From far off, outside a fence we caught the glimpses of the White House, significant for its Federal architecture, as a symbol of the Presidency. It has been the home of every president of the United States since John Adams. We then walked…the whole Constitution Avenue towards the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum…. We could see the Washington Monument, US Capitol building all the time we walked backwards in the National Mall. The line to the Museum was very very long…We got to enter the museum after a 30 min wait in the line. The Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum maintains the largest collection of historic aircraft and spacecraft in the world. It is also a vital center for research into the history, science, and technology of aviation and space flight, as well as planetary science and terrestrial geology and geophysics. It has hundreds of original, historic artifacts on display, including the Wright 1903 Flier; the Spirit of St. louis; the Apollo 11 command module Columbia; and a Lunar rock sample that visitors can touch. It was a good Science break….After spending say 3 hours inside we were out of the Museum at around 4 O’clock ….

We then walked to the Smithsonian Castle and from there on to the Tidal Basin, a popular destination as the cherry blossoms make their appearance around the Tidal Basin. The area is famous for its many beautiful Japanese cherry trees in bloom with the Jefferson Memorial in the background. It was a Walk in the Clouds experience! This easy 2.1 mile loop offers natural and cultural treasures. We walked around the complete loop stopping for pictures at the very pretty puffy white blossoms of the Yoshino, Kwanzan and Usuzumi cherry trees which seem to create a cloud like effect while you walk. Surrounded by these famed cherry trees, the pedestrian promenade which loops around the Basin can't be beat, with its sea of pink above and a sea of fallen blossoms underfoot.

We visited the famous Jefferson Memorial located at the south side of the Tidal Basin makes an excellent vantage point for panoramic views… Thomas Jefferson, the 3rd President of the United States is one of the greatest figures in the history of this nation. The author of the ‘Declaration of Independence’ was one of the founding fathers of the United States . President Franklin Delano Roosevelt felt that a person of such magnitude deserved a memorial, similar to the Lincoln memorial and the Washington monument. The Jefferson Memorial is a dome-shaped rotunda and Jefferson's 19-foot statue stands within, surrounded by some of his most inspirational writings and passages. We spent a lot of time here enjoying the beautiful scenario and the breeze of the waters at the Basin.

We walked out around the Tidal Basin and came across the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial…. a fourth presidential monument in the memory of the 32nd President. Located along the Cherry Tree Walk on the Western edge of the Tidal Basin , its shade trees, waterfalls, statuary, and quiet alcoves create the feeling of a secluded garden rather than an imposing structure. Unlike the Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials which are compact, covered and focused on a single statue of each president, the FDR memorial is vast, uncovered, and focused on numerous statues, quotes, and waterfalls.

We then moved towards the Japanese Pagoda and the Japanese Lantern… It was already turning dark …We walked back…. Towards the Washington Monument and all the way towards the US Capitol Building to see it lit at night It was stately and gorgeous…We were dead tired…as we had walked the mad max in our lives I guess…The legs had already started singing terribly .... We must have walked straight 10 miles in the whole day…We then took back the same route by subway reached our destination to have a sumptuous dinner at California Pizza Kitchen…..and later went to the hotel and retired for the day. It was a very long day.
The next day …Sunday …all set we checked out from the hotel… went to Cosi for a quick breakfast…We passed the Embassy row (we saw our Indian embassy there) as we drove to visit the Washington National Cathedral….a huge and a marvelous architectural beauty. It was awesome…. The building abounds in architectural sculpture, wood carving, leaded glass, mosaics, artistic metal work, and many other works of art, including over 200 stained glass windows….We then came back to the Dupont circle, parked our car at a safe place. Later we took a subway to Arlington, Virginia to visit the Arlington National Cemetery where we walked to the President John Fitzgerald Kennedy’s grave site to pay our respects….We even saw the changing of the guard taking place at the Tomb of the Unknowns. We then visited the Iwo Jima Memorial….and returned back by subway to the Smithsonian station.

We visited the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History.This museum is dedicated to understanding the natural world and our place in it. This museum is a favorite with kids, but has plenty to intrigue all ages. More than 81 million artifacts are displayed including specimens of animals and plants, animal and dinosaur skeletons, an enormous collection of natural gems and minerals, displays of early man, evolution of human being in the world… a long journey showing the evolution from invertebrates to vertebrates, an insect zoo, a live coral reef and much much more. The universe is constructed from a multitude of various materials. It is dynamic in form and shape due to a multitude of various processes and interactions between these materials. To the human, however, in his need to establish his place and purpose in the universe, the most important material is biological and the most important process is evolution, far it is only here that the human can learn to understand himself, an understanding that is vital to his survival. It’s a great place for preliminary education for the kids… It has simulations…audio and visual aids for each and every exhibit… auditoriums which film informative films for the kids. We saw families and lots of kids in all sizes enjoying the museum.

After the museum we walked towards the US capitol building spending little time at the reflecting pool over there and then walked to the National Gallery of Art ….quickly gave a look at the Sculpture and Painting section and then took a new DC circulator Bus which drove only two of us to the Smithsonian station to board a subway back to Square A ..the Dupont Circle . We then went to Chipotle packed ourselves two Burritos and around 6.30 in the evening started off to New Jersey …We had to pass through Baltimore , Maryland and Philadelphia , Pennsylvania to reach NJ….. We reached home at around 11.30… We hit the bed after a walkie weekend.

Happy living.

The capacity to be puzzled is the premise of all creation, be it in art or in science.

-Manasi