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Love at first light: Cherry blossom devotees hit Tidal Basin at dawn

Locals and visitors alike head to the Tidal Basin as early as 4 a.m. to avoid crowds and capture the cherry blossoms at sunrise.

By Joe Heim | 2024-03-20

It was still pitch-black and cold at 6 a.m. Wednesday as Ruiqing Yang and her two friends walked the Tidal Basin footpath. Members of a community photography club in Rockville, Md., they were among a handful of visitors searching for the perfect spot to capture the cherry blossoms in the dawn's early light.

"We want the blue hour," Yang, 54, explained. "Forty-five minutes before sunrise. Then you get the beautiful composition, the water is calm, and less people."

They got their photos, but as for fewer people, that didn't last long.

Sunrise is a magic hour for photographers and the 6 a.m. emptiness soon gave way to a steady stream of camera-wielding visitors. They navigated pathways that slowly filled with runners, bikers, dog walkers and stroller pushers, all admiring the floral beauty while taking care not to fall into the water. On this morning, at least, everyone stayed dry.

"The beauty of seeing the cherry blossoms here is one of those slices-of-joy moments that you can't pass up," said schoolteacher Megan McCormick, 35, who woke up at 4:45 a.m. to come down to the Tidal Basin with her husband, Derrick Wong, 38. The Washington couple said arriving before the heaviest crowds is key to a peaceful, more relaxed visit. Like many of the early-morning visitors, McCormick and Wong are locals who try to avoid the peak hours when tourists from around the world descend on this small patch of Washington.

Jamie Burley, 47, and her friend Kristin Clifton, 50, of Falls Church, Va., have made a tradition of early-morning visits to the cherry blossoms for more than 10 years. "I'm happy to get up early if it's for something like this. The light is beautiful, and it's less crowded," Burley said.

In the past, they've seen people having early-morning picnics among the blossoms and thought they should do that, too. "We had big dreams," Clifton said, laughing. "But we never did it."

People walk by a blooming cherry tree along the Tidal Basin. (Matt McClain/The Washington Post)

For professional photographers, it's hard to beat the bubble-gum pink and puffy cloud white backdrop of the Tidal Basin in spring. Kristen Walker, 36, and Gareth Prisk, 38, got engaged in October and decided to have their engagement photos taken by photographer Molly Lichten. The Gaithersburg, Md., couple are cyclists and thought an early-morning Tidal Basin in full bloom would be a perfect spot.

"It's absolutely breathtaking here," said Walker, who woke up at 4 a.m. Wednesday to wash her hair and do her makeup before coming down for the photo shoot.

As the crowds thickened, though, getting the perfect shot proved more challenging.

Lichten had the couple embrace under cherry blossom branches along the water's edge -- a beautiful spot, but also a heavily trafficked one. "Perfect, you guys!" Lichten called out as she snapped away. "Oops, can you do that one more time? Someone walked in front of you."

Walker and Prisk smiled gamely for the redo as passersby paused for the moment to be frozen for posterity.

Another couple, Stephan and Veronica Harutunian of Crofton, Md., picked the cherry blossom peak as the backdrop to capture a different occasion. The couple is expecting their first child, a boy, in May. They set down their coats and pretended it wasn't 41 degrees outside as photographer Alexis El Massih snapped away.

Stephan and Veronica Harutunian have photos taken along the Tidal Basin ahead of the birth of their first child. (Matt McClain/The Washington Post)

"It's unlike any other place. It's beautiful," Veronica said. Pointing to her belly, she added: "It's his first photo."

Matt and Cathy Fenwick of Arlington, Va., brought their three young children with them to take in the beauty of the blossoming trees before dropping them off at school. Or, as Matt put it: "We're going to do a forced march around this basin to maximize enjoyment."

Some cherry trees are not like the others, and one is receiving outsize attention this year.

"Oh, my God, it's Stumpy," a woman in a running group wearing party hats blurted as she passed the lonely tree on the basin's south bank. "Iconic!"

People stop to visit a cherry tree nicknamed Stumpy. (Matt McClain/The Washington Post)

Stumpy -- short, hollow and not particularly attractive -- still manages to produce beautiful blooms on its few branches that remain. News that Stumpy, along with several hundred other trees, would be removed this year for a sea-wall-rebuilding effort has resulted in thousands of blossom watchers showing up to take photos and pay tribute before the tree meets its mulcher.

In a city built on photo ops, this was the most prized of all. Visitors waited patiently to have their photo taken with the tree or snap selfies. Someone brought it a rose. A few people hugged it. Stumpy's not-dead-yet energy seemed to have a profound effect on those gathered around it.

Catherine Grant, 51, of Leesburg, Va., brought her 16-year-old daughter, Alexandra, to say goodbye to Stumpy, a favorite of theirs since they began coming here nine years ago when they moved from Arizona.

A flower adorns Stumpy. (Matt McClain/The Washington Post)

A visitor hugs Stumpy. (Matt McClain/The Washington Post)

"Stumpy basically is a characterization of how even something not perfect can thrive," Alexandra said. "It's sad to see him go, because he moved a lot of people."

But Stumpy will live on, her mother added reassuringly. Alexandra nodded yes.

"This is a highlight of the cherry blossoms," said runner Annika Olson, 29, who stopped with her friend Amanda Kwong, 30, to take photos of Stumpy before the crowds arrived. "When it's packed with people, it's just not the same. It's extra peaceful to see when it's so quiet," Olson said.

By 8:30 a.m., the magic had faded as the trees were swallowed by daylight. Buildings and cranes hidden by the dark came into view. The wind picked up, rippling away reflections on the water. Trash cans filled with coffee cups and dog poop bags. Nearby, a jackhammer hammered. A lawn mower mowed. A plane roared overhead.

The city was awake.

An airplane soars over the Tidal Basin. (Marvin Joseph/The Washington Post)


This article was downloaded by calibre from https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2024/03/20/morning-cherry-blossom-watchers/


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