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Soon enough the cherry blossoms will come - though rarely in sync with the festival. If you do go visit, make sure you walk around the Tidal Basin - if you are below 55 years old or so make sure you read up on the story of Wilbur Mills (a Democrat representative) and Fanny Foxe (aka The Argentine Firecracker or The Tidal Basin Bombshell) - it happened right there - a piece of Washington history. She probably was the last person to go swimming there.....
Some time later in this year when the pollen, smog and oppressive heat arrive we will be missing this cold clean air.... I myself am awaiting the week or two of temperate weather between the two seasons.....
Wilbur Mills: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilbur_Mills
Wilbur Mills and Fanny Foxe: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fanne_Foxe
Original story in the Washington Post: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/local/longterm/tours/scandal/tidalbas.htm
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I have a new camera, so this will be my first opportunity to get some GOOD pics! Thanks, anyway!
and I remember Wilbur Mills + Fanny Foxe, and fortunately I rent a place on the river in southern Maryland, so will at least have that beauty (and a new grandbaby!) to take my mind off our oppressive heat!
elleng,
Sometimes you might be able to scrape up some parking on Ohio drive along the Potomac, but I usually take the metro or park miles away and enjoy the spring air - who needs the stress of dealing with all the traffic that is usually down there. Go into the FDR memorial and a little past the gift shop turn left towards the tidal basin and there will be a path with some steps going down to the path around the tidal basin. The MLK memorial will be on your left, the Jefferson on your right and straight ahead is the Washington memorial. I just grabbed a photo off the web to save myself some time, but being there is much better than this picture would have you believe. A wide angle shot or a panorama will be most dramatic. Sometimes you will see that the TV stations and newspapers shoot from the same location as you are now in. We usually end up walking to the left past the MLK and over the bridge around the basin to the other side where there are planted flowers - I think it's the small parking lot near where you can rent the boats.
Here's to the blossoms and spring - today even though it's 24 degrees outside I noticed a couple of robins flying around and the beginnings of what look like buds beginning to emerge from some trees in the backyard - soon the Jonquils will be out, I think I spotted the green shoots about a week or two ago.
Burfman
Here's the photo I grabbed off the web:
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Here's a link to google maps with the spot behind the FDR gift shop....
[link:https://www.google.com/maps/@38.8838586,-77.0436759,54m/data=!3m1!1e3|]
I'll try again as the picture and map didn't come out...
Picture I grabbed off of the web from roughly that vantage point:
Google map of the giftshop and the path to the basin behind it:
https://www.google.com/maps/@38.8838586,-77.0436759,54m/data=!3m1!1e3
