Almost three weeks ago, the cherry blossoms bloomed in our Nation’s Capital in brilliant shades of white and
pink. They lined the streets, parks and even the monuments, providing us with an annual reminder of how grateful we are to the Japanese for this beautiful gift. People come from all over the world come to see these trees against the backdrop of blue sky and white monuments, hoping to snap a memorable pic or two.
Being a DC area resident, I am ashamed to admit that I had never in my life toured these beautiful blossoms during the day… or even at night. It is usually cold, rainy and windy, not providing the best of circumstances for the blossoms to stick around long. This year, the city (and I) got lucky.
Three Fridays ago, I was invited to not just tour the cherry blossoms, but to tour them at night. It doesn’t sound like much
but when it includes visiting two memorials I have never been to: The Jefferson Memorial and The Roosevelt Memorial, much less to a memorial at night, it provided the perfect “something-Nichole-can-scratch-off-her-bucket-list” activity.
To see the Jefferson Memorial lit up, surrounded by cherry blossoms, is in and of itself peaceful – not a large crowd of people in sight and it’s calmly quiet. But, to be able to step out onto the stairs that over look the Potomac and view the other monuments, is unforgettable. It’s an activity I highly recommend you do at least once.
