2018 Spring Vacation - Washington D.C. / Cherry Blossoms

We had arrived in Washington D.C. the day before and had a full day to see the sights. The main thing on our agenda was to see was the cherry blossoms in bloom.

For centuries, Japanese have held picnics and parties every spring to view the sakura in a custom called hanami. And so my wife was very interested to see the cherry blossoms here from the trees that were a gift to the U.S. from her native country.

After having encountered mostly cooler than normal temperatures all week, and seeing barely any sunshine, we were grateful that we finally had great sunny weather for this day. We started our day by walking over to the Wharf and taking what was billed as a "Cherry Blossom Cruise."

A forty-minute boat ride, I knew that it was not a "cruise" but I was disappointed that it did not go anywhere near where the majority of cherry trees are located. For anyone else planning a trip to D.C. to view the sakura, I would recommend avoiding this "cruise." If you want to go on a boat, rent one of the paddle boats on the Tidal Basin instead and you'll have much better views.

While we didn't see many cherry blossoms on the boat ride, it was interesting to see the new developments in the area.

After we got off the boat, we strolled past the fish market. The live crabs on sale were fun to see as they were very lively.

We then walked over to see the Jefferson Memorial.

I may be biased as I am a big fan of Jefferson, but I think this is one of the best monuments in D.C.

The basin area near the Jefferson Memorial has the most cherry trees. We were about a week early for peak bloom, but we still saw some nice sights.

On the National Mall, the Blossom Kite Festival was going on. It was fun to see so many different kites against the backdrop of the monuments.

After a late lunch, Kai and I went to the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. Kai wanted to see the Hope Diamond, but was a bit disappointed that it wasn't too sparkly. But as someone who loves rocks and minerals, he really enjoyed the vast collection of many different minerals here.

We also saw the sections on dinosaurs, mummies, and bones. We both thought this bird skeleton was funny.

For dinner, we walked over to Chinatown for dinner again, this time to find a Japanese restaurant. We have enjoyed walking around D.C. It is reminiscent of New York City, but much cleaner and less gritty.

The first Japanese restaurant we went to had a two-hour wait but we found another one that seated us in 10 minutes. My wife had nabeyaki udon.

I had sushi, while Kai had octopus sushi and calamari.

And for dessert, we returned to the place where Kai got bubble tea the night before. This time I ordered one, too, and the lady who made them gave us the extras.

Our vacation is coming to an end. We fly home tomorrow afternoon.