< Previous Page | Next Page>

Day 3 - Cherry Blossoms

Monday was our cherry blossom tour day. One drawback of purchasing our tickets ahead of time was that even when the day dawned cloudy and drizzly we were in the mindset of cherry blossom sightseeing and didn't want to postpone it. The pictures make it look really dreary, but it really wasn't that bad. It was still so incredibly gorgeous and picturesque, and we didn't have to worry about getting the sun in our eyes. The pictures, however, all look rather blah, especially as many of them were taken through the plastic windows on the tour boat.


Maya on the tour boat headed out from the Washington Marina.

Cherry trees on the shore of the Potomac River from the tour boat:


We were also able to see the Washington, Jefferson, and Lincoln Memorials from the boat:


And the tour guide on the boat gave us some DC history lessons and pointed out other sites:

Officer Housing	The Hanger for Marine One, the President's helicopter (white building, blue doors)	The Roosevelt House
The Navy and Marine Memorial	The Pentagon (at least I think that's it in the background)

After the tour we enjoyed Wonderful Meal #4 at a restaurant on top of the Capital Yacht Club, Jenny's Asian Fusion. A meal of small plates was perfect since we wanted to save our appetites for dinner at Nora's.

The Jefferson Memorial was next on the docket, so we walked over to the Tidal Basin:

Ironically, the photo of Mike above was taken at the FDR Memorial (not his favorite president), because I thought the stone and blossoms together made for a pleasantly masculine photo op.

Here are our photos of the Jefferson Memorial on approach, up close (that's Maya standing on the base of the steps), and inside:


From the Jefferson Memorial we continued around the Tidal Basin to the Lincoln Memorial (the side shot includes California's listing on the lower tier, second from the left):


Of course, throughout the day we got photos of the Washington Monument, since you really can't miss it from anywhere (there's also a photo of the Capital from down the National Mall):


After all that walking, and with feet complaining bitterly with every step by the end, we made it back to our hotel to relax, clean up, and dress up for dinner at Restaurant Nora. Restaurant Nora was, when it opened in 1999, the first certified organic restaurant in the US (meaning that 95% of the ingredients are organic). This dinner was Wonderful Meal #5, and definitely one of the highlights of the trip. Mike tried two single malt scotches from their list (Glencadam and Bruichladdich), and I enjoyed my first taste of morels. Delicious!

< Previous Page | Next Page>


Most photos taken by Mike, some by Maya or random helpful people