The Famous Cherry Blossoms
March 22, 2024 – Day 7
Cherry Hill Park, College Park MD
We stopped in DC to visit with our friend Ann who lives nearby. On the docket were DC tourist traps. Paul really wanted to see the cherry blossoms, Susan had already seen them, Anne sighed and put up with us (Paul). Locals don’t go there because even in off times it’s too crowded. We had also hoped to see some of the museums in downtown DC, maybe National Gallery, Smithsonia, Air & Space or even the International Spy Museum. It turns out that these museums are just like the big National Parks. They’re over crowded and you need a timed reservations to get in. So we met up for a great bruch near her home at Busboys and Poets. The food and service were pretty darned awesome. We have both put that on our “go again” list.
(susan here: This might be my favorite DC stop. The Cherry Trees were also pretty spectacular.)
Busboys and Poets is proud to be named in honor of renowned black poet, Langston Hughes. In the early 1920s, Hughes resided in Washington, D.C. where he worked as a busboy at the Wardman Park Hotel. One evening, he placed several of his poems on the dinner table of American poet, Nicholas Vachel Lindsay. The next day, in local newspapers, Lindsay informed the world of his meeting with a “busboy poet.”
From the bottom of their menu:
Busboys and Poets is a community where racial and cultural connections are consciously uplifted… a place to take a deliberate pause and feed your mind, body and soul… a space for art, culture and politics to intentionally collide… we believe that by creating such a space we can inspire social change and begin to transform our community and the world.
Next up we grabbed an “Uber” (actually it was an outfit called Ride Share) and headed into DC. For the uninitiated DC is a lesson in the epically expensive. We haven’t decided whether the cost of an “Uber” or parking is more insane. Three hours of parking can run you $30 or more. A ride into DC is just about the same. Buses and metro are an option but there’s a cost there too with time spent waiting for, riding on and walking to and from what was going to be a walking-rich day (susan here: We ended the day at 5.4 miles).
The cherry blossoms did not disappoint. They’re a rite of passage much like seeing New England Fall Foliage. Paul had really wanted to see them. It’s a do once thing—unless you’re Susan, or a very nice local friend who humors their out of town friends. The cherry blossom are all over the place but the main concentration is on the walk around the Tidal Basin.
From a plaque on the walkway around the basin:
River Bottom to Parkland where you are standing was originally the bottom of the Potomac River. The shoreline roughly paralleled 15th Street, skirted around the Washington Monument which stood almost at the river’s edge, and then followed what is now the current route of Constitution Avenue.
In the 1880s, planners developed a strategy for reclaiming this area, which at low tide was nothing but mud flats. Dredging operations and seawall construction created the Tidal Basin and East and West Potomac Parks. In 1897, the United States Congress designated this new section of the city as park land “for the recreation and scenic pleasure of the people.”
This next one is a photo of “Stumpy,” not some random woman in a blue coat. Stumpy is a famous tree. It’s barely alive, its trunk is severely damaged and it’s struggling from being inundated with water at high tide. Stumpy and about 120 of its friends are scheduled to be cut down. Climate Change means rising sea levels and with that the Potomac River over flows its banks here regularly. This regular flooding with brackish water is killing the trees. Most of them are too fragile to move and then replanted after they fix the sea wall. So they must be removed. The US Government had to seek permission from the Japanese government for the removal as they were originally a gift from the people of Japan. And say “Hi!” to random lady in the blue coat! (There was a quit a crush of people here looking for photos with Stumpy. We didn’t get in line to do it.)
After Stumpy we made our way through the Franklin D. Roosevelt memorial. It was quite a moving experience to see how people of honor and courage sat in the White House not even 100 years ago.
“They (who) seek to establish systems of government based on the regimentation of all human beings by a handful of individuals rulers call this a new order it is not new and it is not order.“
“We must scrupulously guard the civil rights and civil liberties of all citizens, whatever their background.“
“We must remember that any oppression, any injustice, any hatred, is a wedge designed to attack our civilization.“
–Franklin D. Roosevelt, President of the United States, 1933 to 1945
Up next wasn’t a president, but a great man who could have been president and deserves to be amongst the Presidents, Martin Luther King.
By this point we were cold and tired of walking. Susan and Paul really wanted to make it to the Lincoln Memorial and then the Washington Monument but the Lincoln Monument was pretty far away. So we trudged over to the Washington Monument. The newly repaired elevator was broken once again so no trip to the top for us. Our friend Ann told us it worked for about a week before it broke. Again. Apparently this is a regular occurrence.
You can see the Capitol and the Lincoln Memorial from here, but they are pretty far away and photos don’t really capture them well.
Next we had to leave the area, our friend Ann knows that an “uber” will never voluntarily come into this area. Traffic is so bad they’ll not make any money at all. The answer was to walk a few blocks more and wait for them to show up. On the way we passed the National Museum of African American History and Culture, which also requires tickets. ;- )
Along the way we found this odd car whose job it was to pick up the trash, a car, not a pickup! He was honking and yelling for people to get out of the way and they didn’t. Odd since it’s weird to have a car driving at you on the sidewalk. We all wondered about the intellectual capacity of these people who wouldn’t get out of the way.
While waiting for the “uber” Susan noticed this building with beautiful decoration. DC is chock full of beautiful buildings and architecture. More than just about any place either of us can remember.
Next up was dinner. Ann knew of a good Chinese place near Cherry Hill Park where we were staying. We headed back to the RV, hung out for bit, then set out for North West Chinese Food. This place serves traditional foods from North Western region of China. You’re not going to find Chop Suey or Kung Pao Chicken here. (susan here: but you will find University of MD supporters and NW Chinese Food t-shirts!)
We all shared two bowls of the hot and sour dumplings in broth. Paul loved his Dan Dan noodles, and really disliked Susan’s choice. (susan here: I ate it because, well, it’s what I had. The noodles were this odd combination of slippery and stretchy. Think earthworms. It was very off-putting. And the “flavor” was really just HOT. There wasn’t a rich layering of other flavors–only heat. It’s not a get again. Paul’s Dan Dan and the dumplings were great.) Paul ordered more noodles and dumplings to take home.
All in all it was quite an enjoyable day. Thanks Ann!