Nothing represents spring more than the Washington DC cherry blossoms. The cherry blossoms are located along the Tidal Basin in Washington DC near the Jefferson Memorial. The area of the blossoms spans over two miles as there are over 3,800 Yoshino trees which bloom white flowers, along with hundreds Kwanzan trees which bloom pink flowers. The blossoms aren’t just beautiful; they have symbolic meaning.They were given to us as a gift from the mayor of Tokyo, Japan in the early 1900s.

Each year, the flowers bloom around the same time, but it depends on the weather in the region.

The peak is generally at the beginning of April or on the last few days of March. This year, they bloomed slightly early due to the warm weather; The flowers began to bud on March 5th but the puffy white flowers began to appear on March 29. On April 1st, the flowers reached their peak. (The peak is when they are completely bloomed and appear pink and white.) The length of the blossoms depends completely on the weather (and whether it too cold, rainy, stormy etc.). If the weather doesn’t meet the right conditions, the flowers disappear within a week or so. If conditions are good, they can last up to several weeks. Students from West Springfield took the advantage of the warm weather that week and went to visit the blossoms.

“My favorite part [about visiting the blossoms] was the fact that I could enjoy time with my family and [walk through DC] It made it feel truly like spring.” said junior Soo Jeong.

Several events and activities were also planned for the blossoms. On Saturday April 6th, there was the Pedalpalooza Festival from noon to 9:30pm. There were also fireworks every saturday starting at 8:30 PM. On April 13th from 10am to noon there was the annual Cherry Blossom Parade. It ran on Constitution avenue from 7th to 17th street. “Blackish” actor, Anthony Anderson was this year’s grand marshall of the parade. The parade featured floats, balloons, a marching band and entertainers.

This is generally the most popular and best time to visit the blossoms as it is generally more warm and visually appealing. The only downside would be that it would be very crowded.

Another difficulty in visiting was the struggle to find parking near the water.

“I took the metro and it was very crowded. It was [about] a 15 minute walk from the metro station to the river where the majority of the cherry blossoms were, with a few stops in between to see the kites by the national monument.” said junior Bao Tran

Many places often offered free parking but it usually become packed very early in the morning. This would then lead people to find parking that is payed for which could become slightly expensive. Many people may also not favor the walking distance from their parking space. Nevertheless, the Cherry Blossoms are a must see for everyone as they were a gift from Japan, and they are a magnificent sight to see.