Izikistan » dc

Xmas on the Mall

isaac — Mon, 03 Jan 2011 03:41:14 +0000

On Christmas day we made our traditional trip down to the Mall to view the trees and have a drink at Sofitel.

El Tamarindo

isaac — Sun, 02 Jan 2011 04:08:30 +0000

Strange weather today – the roads were wet but it wasn’t raining.

The insane Rally to Restore Sanity

isaac — Sun, 31 Oct 2010 17:07:25 +0000

We weren’t sure about going down to the Mall for the rally, but after spending about an hour asking each other “Are you sure you want to go?” we decided to at least see how close we could get before succumbing to agoraphobia. We caught the Metro at Grosvenor/Strathmore, where the trains were already pretty full. By the time we made it anywhere near the Mall our Metro car was completely packed – it was so packed we weren’t sure how we’d get off the car, but at Metro Center we joined a scrum headed for the doors and made it out.

From Metro Center we walked over to 7th then down towards the Mall. The crowd got thicker as we got closer, with a knot around the funky dragon thing near the National Archives building. After a bathroom stop at the National Gallery of Art at least one of us was about done, so we headed over to Cafe Du Parc just in time to restore sanity and people watch.

Christmas on the Mall

isaac — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 23:04:06 +0000

Our new Christmas day tradition is to make a trip down to the Mall to check out the National and Capitol Christmas trees. There was still plenty of snow left on the grassy parts of the Mall, adding to the festive atmosphere. After getting our fill of mingled church and state we went on a scavenger hunt for someplace open for drinks and snacks. After striking out at a couple of places we ended up Le Bar at Sofitel, exactly where we ended up at last year. Maybe next year we’ll go straight there…

More cherry blossoms

isaac — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 22:55:16 +0000

I got brave last weekend and rode the bike down to Hains Point. It turned out to be a traffic nightmare and the bike and I got pretty hot, but I did manage to find a parking spot along the Potomac side of Potomac Park, where there were plenty of blossoms and not very many people.

Yesterday the Tidal Basin was way too crowded so today I decided to make a Metro-and-foot trip down, knowing rain and Monday would thin the crowds a bit. The rain and wind weren’t fun, but the Tidal Basin was very quiet and the blanket of petals all over everything was well worth getting a little wet.

Cherry blossoms

isaac — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 20:27:14 +0000

It’s springtime in DC, which means cherry blossoms and tourists. After the inauguration, the cherry blossom crowds seem pretty tame – no need for the national guard to do crowd control at least. However, trying to take photos around the tidal basin you’re either standing in someone’s way or further trampling the already dead grass. So, I like to head over to East Potomac Park, towards Hains Point, instead. Also, the blossoms around the tidal basin and Hains Point are all the same delicate pinkish-white, so if you like some variety in your blossoms, you’ve gotta go elsewhere. I found the bright pink blossoms at Brookside Gardens in Wheaton.

Update: Added a couple more from Brookside Gardens. This Flickr set contains a few more photos.

Cherry blossoms down at the tidal basin

isaac — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 01:16:27 +0000

This has been a pretty nice cherry blossom season in DC – a little windy but warm enough that they haven’t fallen to the ground early like last year. These were down around the tidal basin, across from the Jefferson Memorial. There are some less crowded spots out around Hains Point, but there’s something about the trees around the tidal basin – the light off the water illuminates the blossoms from below I think. There’s a bus from the parking at Hains Point to the tidal basin this year, so it’s easy enough to see all the trees.

Wildflowers around DC

isaac — Mon, 17 May 2004 18:19:25 +0000

I’ve been making my way through the hikes in 60 Hikes within 60 Miles: Washington DC, mostly the ones closest to DC so far. I photo things that catch my eye, most often flowers along the trail. Here are a few that I’ve seen so far this spring:

Cherry blossoms

isaac — Thu, 01 Apr 2004 18:12:44 +0000

The cherry trees around the tidal basin and elsewhere started blooming in earnest last weekend. Here are a few examples of what I found:

Old Capitol pillars at the Arboretum

isaac — Tue, 16 Dec 2003 17:58:58 +0000

Took these back when the weather was a little nicer. The columns were removed from the Capitol in 1958 as part of a remodel, but weren’t placed at the National Arboretum until the 1980s. The National Arboretum web site has more information.