Each spring, the Washington DC area erupts in colorful flowers. Cherry blossoms are the most famous, of course, and everyone waits with bated breath for the National Park Service to announce when peak bloom is expected. But there are plenty of other flowering trees and pretty petals to get excited about. From magnolias and eastern […]
Washington DC
Beautiful Washington DC Area Parks and Gardens
Tourists flock to Washington DC for its outstanding Smithsonian Museums, elegant monuments and memorials, and imposing government buildings. But the city is also home to a surprising amount of green space. Of course, everyone knows about the Tidal Basin thanks to its annual cherry blossom display, and the National Mall with its wide open view […]
Hillwood Estate, One of DC’s Best Hidden Gems
I’ve visited many fine European palaces, and Hillwood Estate in Washington, DC, can compete with just about any of them. Hillwood was owned by Marjorie Merriweather Post, one of the richest women in America during her lifetime. She was the sole heir to the Post Cereal Company, which she later turned into General Foods. Marjorie […]
Best of DC: Monuments and Memorials
As world capitals go, Washington, DC is among the most impressive. Sure, it’s relatively young, without the distinguished history of the grand dames of Europe. But what it lacks in age, it makes up for in stately monuments and memorials. Many of the most significant are grouped around the National Mall, a large public park and gathering place also known […]
A Guide to the Washington, DC Cherry Blossom Festival
The Washington, DC cherry blossoms are a most extraordinary gift. In 1912, Japan gave the United States 3,020 cherry trees in a grand show of international friendship. First Lady Helen Taft and the wife of the Japanese ambassador planted two of the trees along the banks of the Tidal Basin. Little did they know the […]