Places to Go - A Morning On the Tidal Basin (Washington DC)

Last weekend, my good friend, Laurie, came to town (yay!!!), the weatherman predicted amazing weather so we decided to take the kids to the tidal basin for the morning. We parked right by the river at Hains Point, one of my favorite hidden treasures of DC (also a great spot for easy access to the Jefferson Memorial) - lots of beautiful views, though the sidewalks are in a sad state of disrepair.

Unfortunately, the wind was stronger than expected, so we hurried over to the Franklin Delano Roosevelt memorial, where the trees helped block the cold air. This memorial has become one my favorite spots in DC - beautiful waterfalls, lovely statues, great views of the capital, and huge rocks to climb make it the perfect spot for a picnic lunch with kids.



No matter how hard I try, I can never get a really good shot of the waterfalls.



The rock piles can entertain my kids for hours. Really.



The statues of the Great Depression are so beautifully done. They make a great history lesson for kids.



From the Roosevelt memorial we walked on the tidal basin to the MLK memorial, which was lovely though incredibly crowded. I thought F would enjoy seeing MLK's statue, since they spent so much time at school discussing his legacy, but I think the large crowds overwhelmed her somewhat. Plus there weren't any rocks to climb.



So we reversed our route and walked back to Hains Point. The bridges in particular fascinated T, who couldn't believe that cars were actually driving on top of us.
All in all a great morning, plus it felt wonderful to have my friend back for awhile.

Places to Go - The Cherry Blossom Festival (Washington D.C)

On Sunday afternoon, we drove the whole family to the Tidal Basin for the Cherry Blossom Festival. The early morning snow must have discouraged visitors because crowds were (oddly) lacking, despite the late-day sunshine and warm(ish) temps (low-50s). We even found parking in the B lot of the Jefferson Memorial and extra spots were available (usually during Cherry Blossom season I end up finding a spot towards the end of Hains Point and taking the free shuttle to the blossoms). Unfortunately, a super-fussy T made the short walk to the Jefferson Memorial trying at best (why when a baby screams in public do strangers feel the need to stare at you with evil eyes of disapproval? As if the unhappiness of your child wasn't enough punishment in itself). Luckily, across the street from the Jefferson Memorial parking lots the trees were in full bloom. So we sat and the kids ran. And we spent a beautiful afternoon this way. If you can make it, I highly suggest paying the blossoms a visit. And don't worry, we didn't pick any, P rebuked T for trying to touch them with a stick by yelling (loudly) "STOP! You're hurting them. Don't hurt them!" Apparently the National Park Service's anti-blossom-picking campaign was a success with the girls (the cute beaver mascot especially won their hearts).

For more info on the festival, Kid-Friendly DC has the scoop, click here. And if you don't feel like dealing with the tidal basin crowds, you can also see cherry blossoms in bloom at the National Arboretum (Washington D.C.) and Meadowlark Gardens (Vienna, VA), both of which are incredible places to visit.

Places to Go - The Tidal Basin & Jefferson Memorial

Since I started this blog, I've been wondering how long it would take before I started repeating myself. I knew it would happen EVENTUALLY, but I didn't think it would happen this soon (see my previous post here). But last week, I read on this blog, that one of the best places to see the fall colors is the Tidal Basin and the girls love the Jefferson memorial, so it just made sense to check it out. Unfortunately, the colors had not really peaked yet (we went last Wednesday, so they may be much better this week) and much of the Basin was under construction (which ended up being a plus for T, who could have watched cranes all afternoon). Nevertheless, we had a great time, all three kids love the grassy overhang area of the Jefferson Memorial, where you can people watch, water watch, and play in the grass ALL at the same time. Plus, friendly squirrels were everywhere, which made T's afternoon (along with the boating construction). We also managed to go for a walk on the river and check out the George Mason memorial (P made a toybox out of Mason's hat). All in all a great afternoon and we didn't spend a cent.

Places to Go - The Jefferson Memorial (Washington D.C.)

Despite the fact that we live less than fifteen minutes from the National Mall, we rarely visit the monuments. Part of the reason has to do with a horrific experience involving F's desire at the age of 2 to climb all the stairs of the Lincoln Memorial (where to put the stroller? what if she falls? Or (more likely) what if one of the ten zillion tourists crushes her?). Further the parking situation by the reflecting pool never makes things easy. I find it grueling, at best.

But the Jefferson Memorial is an entirely different story. First of all, it has its own HUGE FREE parking lot, which took me over two years to discover. To get there just take the Park Police exit off of 395N and you'll find it. Second, crowds do not flock to the Jefferson Memorial in the numbers they do to the other memorials (except during cherry blossom season). And, most importantly, the statue itself is surrounded by huge beautiful lawns. If you have children these lawns are perfect for duck duck goose or picnics or even mild games of tag. And, if you go at night, the memorial is a great place to watch dusk fall over the city and the tidal basin. which is beautiful. My oldest daughter now asks to go to the "big statue" all the time. if you live in the DC area, you should go there. now. seriously. now.