April 01, 2025
Last week Professor Harvey told me she was going on a “cherry blossom safari.” She was wearing pink and going for a walk and picnic around the Tidal Basin to see DC at its loveliest. As Prof. Harvey put it, cherry blossom season is the only time of year when Washingtonians smile at each other, even at strangers.
The somewhat grim assessment of our fellow Washingtonians aside, I love the idea of looking at cherry blossoms as a safari. A safari isn’t a walk or a bike ride, it’s an adventure. A safari is a walk with intent, it’s an adventure to see what is otherwise hidden.
What’s your DC safari? Washington, DC is full of parks, hiking trails, bookstores, history, galleries, and more. What adventures can you imagine that involves seeing what you might otherwise miss if you casually walked through a park or museum? Stalk the illusive Joseph Cornell? Search for the rare first edition Fitzgerald or Langston Hughes? Food trucks are great to seek in the wild. Or maybe go on a safari to Theodore Roosevelt Island to catch a glimpse of the cherry blossoms before it’s too late. Wherever you go, bring a picnic.