Cherry blossoms in D.C. draw crowd on Spring day despite pandemic

WASHINGTON — Despite a global pandemic, people sought solace Saturday in the beauty of the pink and white cherry blossom petals that have become an iconic symbol of the nation’s capital.

“It’s incredible,” said Amanda Maurer, 24, a Baltimore teacher who drove down to the Tidal Basin with her husband, Derek.

After a week of being cooped up per orders of Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, who has closed nonessential businesses and schools, Maurer said the trip from Baltimore to D.C. was a needed break from coronavirus gloom.

“I wanted to see the blossoms, but I was also going crazy,” she said. “I needed something to do.”

Each year about 1.5 million attend the National Cherry Blossom Festival, but the coronavirus pandemic, with the resulting guidelines on social distancing, is expected to reduce that number significantly.

Organizers have canceled all related events. And public transportation officials are asking people not to use the subway system or buses to travel into downtown Washington. Two subway stations nearest the trees were closed Saturday.

Flights have been slashed at the region’s three airports, limiting the number of out-of-town tourists who annually flock to view the cherry tree blossoms.

Despite the coronavirus, people were running, cycling and walking through the blossoms, snapping pictures and enjoying a brisk spring day.

This year, the trees will reach peak bloom between Saturday and Tuesday. Perhaps because of travel restrictions, the crowd on Saturday was lighter than some residents remember.

“This is definitely a pullback from previous years,” said Mike Toner, 45, of Arlington, Virginia, sizing up the crowd Saturday.

Toner and his wife, Nikki, and 7-year-old daughter, Charlie, on a scooter, were walking past the World War II Memorial after taking in the blossoms that surround the Washington Monument and the Thomas Jefferson Memorial.

“They are beautiful,” Toner said.

The Spring day also made the outing enjoyable, he and his wife agreed.

“You gotta get outside.”

Many people chose to view the blossoms from the safety of their vehicles.

Others defied D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser’s warning and were congregated in groups, sitting at picnic tables and standing in clusters with family and friends.

Although pedestrians were bunched up at crosswalks, most people seemed to heed the advice of health officials and stayed at a distance while strolling among Washington’s famous monuments and the trees.

The National Park Service has urged extreme caution for those who venture down to view the cherry blossoms that have “come to symbolize the natural beauty of our nation’s capital city.”

Late Saturday the park service asked people to stay away from the Tidal Basin, and roads were ordered closed to curb the crowds of sightseers.

The trees were a gift from the people of Japan in 1912 as a gesture of friendship, according to the park service.

This year, every event, including a parade, which make up the National Cherry Blossom Festival from March 20 to April 12 has been canceled because of the coronavirus outbreak.

But the trees defied the outbreak and provided some spiritual relief Saturday for those who needed a mental break from the public health and economic crisis that has engulfed the globe.

And for people whose tour packages and planned trips to Washington to take part in the festival were dashed by the outbreak, they can still get a glimpse of the trees at https://nationalmall.org/bloomcam.

Contact Gary Martin at gmartin@reviewjournal.com or 202-662-7390. Follow @garymartindc on Twitter.