DAY ONE // I’m not sure when it was that I saw photographs of the Cherry Blossom trees blooming amidst Washington, D.C. and its monuments, but I was amazed. All this time, I thought that the only time I would ever be able to see something so spectacular would be in Japan, but being able to experience just a fraction of it in my “backyard” seems like an amazing trip all on its own.
Since then, I have been dreaming of going and witnessing the blooming of these Cherry Blossom trees that only happen for two weeks every year. Such a small window to work with, especially since its blooming period is completely up for speculation.
Luckily, my friend Rachell joined me on this trip and we were able to experience Washington D.C. (and afterwards, New York) for the first time. We guessed that it would be safest to traverse to the city for a few days when the Cherry Blossom festival was happening. Because, well, why else would they hold the celebrations when the trees aren’t blooming, right?
And so begins our journey to Washington, D.C.!
We landed in the city early in the day, around 9:30am. I was super beat afterwards because I caught a cold the day before and flying with a congestion is a BIG NO-NO! When the plane was ascending and descending, OH MY GOSH, I felt like my eardrums were going to implode. I was scrambling around the airport during my Chicago layover to find any kind of medicine that would reduce the congestion and found a nasal spray that helped a little. For days afterwards, my ears were not working properly (though now, a month later, they are working just fine).
Anyway, after a quick and much needed nap, we were off to explore a bit of the city.
Since there really wasn’t much to do except to admire the architecture from afar and the sun was quickly descending, we left and wandered the grounds for a restaurant to have dinner at. Rachell, being the foodie, found a place called Founding Farmers on Yelp, and with ninja skills, were able to get us seated within 45 minutes when the wait is normally over 2 hours long!
If you are planning on going here, make sure to get a reservation first.
The place is known for their Chicken and Waffles (which Rachell got, and it tasted amazing!) but I got their Rotisserie Chicken and oh, my. So good. Just looking at this photo makes my mouth salivate. Oooooh.
I should look happier but my cold made me feel so wonky. Good thing I had an appetite though. Rachell, on the other hand, was as perky as a bumblebee at the center of a flower, haha.
We passed by the White House again after dinner and saw it lit up in all its glory, just like in the movies. The crowd had died down immensely by this point.
After having quite a long day, we called it quits and headed back to the AirBnB apartment.
