A Visit to the National Arboretum

The azaleas were past bloom. We used to visit the National Arboretum routinely when we lived on Capitol Hill - especially during spring cherry blossom and azalea seasons. We returned last year to take photos of the Capitol columns and haven’t been back since. So it was time for another walk about and that would be the place. So we drove in by first heading towards our old neighborhood and then took the side streets rather than the freeway. There wasn’t a park entrance fee this time and one can use the old entryway off Bladensburg Road rather than the busy New York Avenue entrance. The park was very green since we are now in between seasons - except for the entry walkway that has huge purple balls along the way. The new and renovated koi pond had a few large koi, but it was nothing like before when it was filled with hundreds of fish. There were quite a few people wandering about. We did walk through the azalea park, but we were not able to drive along the path we liked because of the eagle nest that could not be disturbed. There is also quite a significant bonsai collection and a lovely herb garden with arbors and roses. All in all it was a very pleasant visit. We decided to return home using the freeway. The city has definitely changed since we first moved sixteen years ago. We rarely drove through then NE section of town and we were not familiar with the roads. I’m not sure when we will return, but it’s always a nice option.