Sunshine, Asian art and the Eastern Market

The weather yesterday was delightful, and lots of people were out to celebrate the start of the National Cherry Blossom Festival, which kicked off with kite flying near the Washington Monument. We took the train in to Union Station and took a leisurely stroll to the Freer Gallery, one of my all-time favorite museums. Along the way, we walked through more groves of cherry blossom and magnolia trees...the air smelled so sweet!

I got to show Carli the Peacock Room at the Freer and some of my favorite Whistler and Dewing paintings, but the Thayer angel paintings weren't on display (or I couldn't find them). Carli started not feeling well, so we never made it to the Sackler galleries below. 

We headed to the area near the Eastern Market to grab lunch and then browsed the stalls, which were a smaller version of Cleveland's West Side Market. We bailed on a play we were going to see at the Woolly Mammoth since Carli looked like death. Poor girl almost made it home before puking (if you're walking on Colesville Road today from the Silver Spring metro station, stay clear of the flower beds).

We watched the West Virginia v. Kentucky game and a movie and then called it a night before Carli went to bed with her bucket. 

Today's a little gray and I'm hoping that the rain stays away for my drive. Phil had his softball banquet last night, so I'm also hoping he's not curled in the fetal position in our bed. :)

Everything's better with cherry blossoms

 

Last night I had the privilege of experiencing Carli's infamous evening monument tour. She was right -- they look amazing at dusk and in darkness. It was chilly last night, but definitely bearable from all the walking we did. Oh, my piggies were oinking.

Today starts D.C.'s two-week long Cherry Blossom Festival. This year marks the 98th anniversary of when Tokyo gifted the trees to Washington. I read on the train yesterday that the festival is the district's highest-grossing tourist event, but we barely saw anyone as we walked around the Tidal Basin. I'm sure today will be a different story.

I can't believe my Japan trip was a year ago. Walking around the Tidal Basin reminded me of when Gina and I walked around the moat surrounding the Imperial Palace in Tokyo, which was lined with cherry blossom trees (and young professionals wining and dining on tarps beneath their branches). I hope Carli and I see tarps filled with people today!                                                                                                                                                           

She's been spoiling me with her new domestic diva skills -- homemade guac when I arrived, pesto pasta last night and now hashbrowns this morning...mmm! She's a girl after my own heart (love you, Jen)!

It's time for cherry blossoms! (this time in D.C., not Tokyo)

I just read that Tokyo's cherry blossom season has officially begun. Last year, I had the fortune of timing my Japan trip to coincide with the opening (Kyoto) and closing (Tokyo) of cherry blossoms. It was such a lovely experience. The impermanence of the cherry blossom season, which appears and then vanishes within 10 days every March/April, always reminds me that life is short and should be seized and treasured. 

This year, my friend Carli invited me to visit her in D.C. to view the cherry blossoms for our National Cherry Blossom Festival. I've been on bloom watch via this site and looks like this weekend will be perfect for a visit. Carli said she's been seeing blooms here and there, so hopefully it warms up and they're all in full view soon.

I haven't been to D.C. for fun since college when my roommate and I would stay at her aunt's in Maryland and take the train in to go to our favorite museums like the Freer Gallery and the National Gallery. (I've always been a museum nerd. Most kids spent all their money on booze in college and I was the dork buying prints to frame.)

Can't wait for this weekend!