March 6, 2008
Cherry Blossom Peak Dates Announced
The National Cherry Blossom Festival held a press conference this morning to announce the predicted peak blooming dates for Washington, D.C.'s famous flowers. The Post's Going Out Gurus report that Robert DeFeo, the chief horticulturist for the National Park Service, has determined peak dates will be between March 27 and April 3.
As the GOGs point out, the Cherry Blossom Festival itself runs from March 29 to April 13, with the parade scheduled for Saturday, April 12, so the blossoms look like they might well peak before many of the main festivities get underway -- which for local residents could actually be good news, given that tourists may not start arriving en masse to see the blossoms around the Tidal Basin until the festival gets underway. The smart move will be to schedule some time to get down to see them at the beginning of the predicted peak period. In our experience, the early morning hours on weekdays, just after the sunrise, are the ideal time to take a quiet walk amidst the blossoms, while weekend afternoons and early evenings are the absolute worst in terms of crowds.
Grandstand tickets for the parade are already on sale for $15 each. Grab some up now if you're planning on going.
Photo by Cordileran
|
Do they actually hold a real press conference for stuff like this? Or do they just issue a press release claiming a press conference was held. Kind of like when a press release has "quotations" as if it were a real news article.
Reid, they held an actual press conference at the Mandarin Oriental at 10:15 this morning, although I didn't make it down there myself.
Dozens of cherry blossom festivals have taught this monkey a thing or two about botany and human behavior.
-You know a GREAT way to kill cherry blossom trees? Break off a million little branches and take them back home as souveniers! Climbing around the lowhanging branches like an idiot helps, too!
-Don't forget to bring your triple-wide stroller AND babble on your cellphone while running into people!
-Don't bother looking for parking. Just come to a complete stop on Maine or Independence, throw on your blinkers, and haul your lardasses out in the middle of rushour traffic! Take your time! All that honking and gesturing? It's just DC's way of saying, "Welcome!"
Definitely endorse early morning hours. Even on peak weeekends, I've always found parking right on the Tidal Basin before sunrise.
Sommer, be glad you didn't make it to that presser. I logged on to the live feed at 10 and had to sit through 55 minutes of marching bands, Fenty speeches, Tommy Wells and a woman in desperate need of a public speaking class before they introduced the nice man who actually makes the predictions. Took him all of 30 seconds to say what he needed to say :)
As a co-worker of mine will refrain again and again ... IT'S JUST A TREE!!!!
yes, but it's a pretty tree. and people actually go out of their way to protect them. wish they would do that for the average trees, too . . . but this is better than nothing.
Somebody needs to go down to the Tidal Basin in a Lorax suit with a taser. I'd do it, but I'm out of town that week getting a lobotomy.
dude, don't hate. history and nature are cool. especially when combined.