Spring is my favorite time of year. There is no other time of year when so many things are in bloom. The color of the trees, the little surprises popping up from underground in the form of yellow, white and purple flowers, and the slight bit of warmth in the air. Spring is a season of rebirth and regrowth and it makes me very happy especially considering some of the health issues I?ve been going through the past few months.
For the past few days I have encountered delays heading inbound on the Roosevelt Bridge in the late afternoon. This is pretty unusual and not once have I encountered a crash or a broken down vehicle. Then it hit me: DUH, it's the start of the cherry blossoms around the Tidal Basin. Nothing in this town has the romance or the allure of the cherry blossoms in full bloom against the backdrop of the Jefferson Memorial. The rounded dome on that monument is the perfect backdrop to the glorious blossoms. No hard lines and sharp angles such as those at the memorial to President Lincoln, no, the sensual lines of the Jefferson Memorial (duplicative of Monticello or not) are just perfect and fit as well with the curving lines of the Tidal Basin itself.
The cherry blossoms are uniquely Washington and I hope that you take a few minutes this weekend to enjoy them. But do yourself a favor: don't drive. If you are close enough, take a bike ride and experience this event in an incredibly intimate way. If your bike isn't ready, then by all means take Metro. It will be a bit of a hike from the Smithsonian stop but it will be well worth it in many ways.
Spring is also the time when baseball kicks off and this year Washington has not just a team to call its own (as a long-time resident it feels good to be able to say that again) but a new stadium. I haven't been to the stadium yet but look forward to the experience. It's encouraging that so many are taking Metro instead of driving although I suspect that will change once all of the parking space has been determined. I must admit though that I am still surprised that the powers that be didn't use the RFK site where all of the basics such as convenient Metro access and tons of parking was already in place. It seems like the big complaint about this new location has to do with those two things more than anything else. The fact that Ben's Chili Bowl has opened a concession stand at the new stadium is simply a huge lump of frosting on the cake. It's like Boog's BBQ up at Camden Yards without all the smoke. Yes, I will continue to go up I-95 to see some of my favorite American League teams and players but will be calling the Nationals my team from here on out.
Steve Eldridge is a long-time reporter, observer and commentator on the Washington region's transportation issues. You can contact him directly by writing to: Steve@SprawlandCrawl.com. Unless otherwise requested, letters or portions of letters can be used within future columns. Letter writers will be identified by their first name and city/neighborhood.
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