Rather last-minute, Panda and I decided to go check out the Cherry Blossom Festival today. Most of the trees aren’t quite ready yet, but a few early bloomers were there to greet visitors and it was a lovely day out to walk around. We got stuck in traffic all the way around the Tidal Basin and eventually got a parking spot at West Potomac Park. It was so crowded there were even a line of cars parking on the shoulder of an on ramp. Luckily, we were able to find a spot to park in legally. We then walked from the FDR Memorial all the way to the booths set up for the festival and then kept going to the MLK Memorial and back to the car. It’s the first time I’ve worn sneakers this year, after the crazy winter weather we’ve been hit with. I’m ready for the warmer months to finally kick in!

We arrived to blocked off roads and I noticed that the dots on these signs are actually three dots in a triangular configuration. Never knew that before!

As we were stuck in traffic, I got to see this K9 police car complete with fan in the back window for the dog.

I don’t come to the Tidal Basin much, so it was a treat.

A random tree trunk had been hollowed out from two sides.

Before we really even saw cherry blossoms, I stopped to admire these flowers.

A ton of people were out enjoying the day.

Across the way were all the booths for the festival.

Patrolling on horses. Not a bad way to spend the afternoon.

One of the few trees that was a-blooming.

Every single paddle boat was out on the water.

Most trees looked like this.

Some of the cherry blossoms had opened up. Spectacular.