03-29-2025 Peak Bloom
As luck would have it, peak bloom occured on a beautiful Saturday. The area was packed, we were delayed 30 minutes just to exit the train, then another 30 minutes just to walk out of the Metro up to the National Mall. The crowd was thick and the walk slow, but in the end, so totally worth it.
Previous days, the food trucks were fewer, and walking space was plentiful. But our earlier trips gave us a better sense of what we really wanted to see. The far edge from the Ntl Mall, across the basin, was an explosion of blossoms that cascaded over the edge. They created an overhead of white, almost glowing ceiling, giving a sense of being under a blanket.
The declared Peak day of Bloom and the Kite Festival 
Various groups would fly larger special kites, but hundreds of common kites filled the air 
Bumper to Bumper as far as the eye can see… 
Canopy of Cherry Blossoms 
This only lasts for a week 
Hmmm… 
Free Classical entertainment 
Tree for Lover’s wishes 
Bloosom waterfall 
Completely in bloom 
Across the basin 
On the steps…
The pictures are in chronological order, so you will see the Tidal Basin as we walked and stopped for lunch under the trees, before reaching the Jefferson Memorial. This trip was one of our earliest plans for our life on the road. Martha has missed this event twice as the date of blooming is difficult to predict. We stayed for a month and managed to watch the blooms slowly emerge and open over 4 days.