The famed cherry blossoms surrounding the tidal basin in Washington, DC were in full bloom this weekend. The Festival kicked off Saturday, March 30, with tens of thousands of locals and tourists from around the world descending upon the National Mall to enjoy the day. Upon exiting the Smithsonian metro station (which puts you on the Mall, halfway between the Washington Monument and Capitol Building), I was immediately struck by all the kites in the air. Apparently April is also national kite month, and it was one of the first events of the festival. I circled the tidal basin, completely open to the beautiful blossoms and kaleidoscope of languages being spoken. I unleashed the options on my digital camera for the first time, snapping pictures in a wide array of settings, mostly with super fine (1600x1200) resolution based on a great post I read recently. Below are my unedited favorites, in the order taken, which was between 2:30-4:30pm. It was mostly cloudy, and as the afternoon wore on, I didn't adjust to account for the dimming sunlight. Maybe next time I'll get up early enough for sunrise...yeah right! I included links to larger versions hosted on Flickr.
Comments are appreciated!
Capitol Building - Large - 1024x768
Jefferson Memorial - Large - 1024x576
Cherry Blossoms and Washington Monument - Large - 1024x768
FDR Memorial - Large - 1024x576
White House (a Democrat can't get there soon enough!) - Large - 1024x576
World War II and Lincoln Memorials - Large - 1024x768
