Put Some Swing in Your Step

This is the beautiful, shiny, red espresso maker at M.E.Swing's, DC's oldest coffee roaster.  Across the street from the Eisenhower Old Executive Office Building and just a short walk from The White House, M. E. Swing's is always full of people waiting to get the signature brews that have made Swing's a District fixture since 1916.  This is quality coffee, available in a variety of blends of bean-origins, and without the bitterness that plagues most coffee chains.  The one drawback is that there isn't much in the way of seating space, but on nice days, outside seating is available.

If you need a little more than caffeine to get your feet moving, I'm also been putting together an ongoing few lists of my favorite music of 2011.

The Kennedy Center, from the Bank of the Potomac

On nice days any old excuse will do to get together with friends and just wonder around the city. Last weekend we made it to almost every square inch of Georgetown before walking down to the Waterfront and along the bank of the river. This may not be the most spectacular photo I've ever taken, but it's a nice reminder of good times with great friends and the ease of a few moments in the shade.

Our Hearts Are with You

This was the actual color of the sky and the actual color of the cherry blossoms as I left work this afternoon. Every year when the cherry blossoms begin to bloom, everything in DC changes. For one thing, tourists are everywhere. (Here's an escalator tip: stand to the right, walk to the left.) Weekends are filled with festivals, parades, and concerts. Restaurants menus take on a decidedly cherry-flavor. It's the one time of the year when I actually like pink. Since we enjoy the cherry blossoms every year, it's only polite that we stop once and a while to say thanks, especially this year.

The cherry blossom trees, which now epitomize DC as much as the Washington Monument, were a gift from the Mayor of Tokyo in 1912. Some 3000 Japanese cherry blossom trees were planted around the Tidal Basin in DC and Sakura Park (Sakura is Japanese for cherry blossom.) in Manhattan. The first two trees were planted by Mrs. Taft and the wife of the Japanese ambassador. In the late 60s, Lady Bird Johnson was presented with over 3000 more trees. Then, in the early 80s, massive flooding in Japan destroyed much of the native horticulture. Cuttings from the Tidal Basin trees were given back to Japan to continue the line.

This is probably the first of many cherry blossom-related posts (okay, the second) that will appear over the coming weeks. But as I walked through campus today, it was evident that spring is finally here, and I couldn't resist taking my phone out for a shot. I was also reminded of the very reason why cherry blossoms are dear to DC--the perpetual gift between friends. After the disastrous events of the last week, and the still horribly uncertain future, the cherry blossoms remain as a testament to that friendship and a symbol of hope, of life vibrantly reappearing after the bitter winter wanes, and of the resiliency of a people who will someday overcome.

Happy Birthday, Other Big Guy.

Lincoln may be bigger, but George is a better dresser. Every year for George Washington's birthday, the DC university named in his honor has a party; so of course George gets dressed up for the special occasion. There's a bonfire, s'mores, cupcakes, and sometimes even a fife and drum corps. This statue, which stands in University Yard, has an identical twin that stands outside of the National Gallery in London. When that statue was sent to London, it was shipped along with a crate of dirt so that Washington would always be standing on Virginia soil. To my knowledge, it did not arrive with a feather boa.

See more here.

Happy Birthday, Big Guy.

In honor of Abraham Lincoln's birthday, here's a total touristy shot. Lincoln's birthday was actually yesterday, but Saturday's post was preempted by Egypt. It seems kind of appropriate; after all, Lincoln has already had 202 birthdays, and since he did dedicate his life to ending oppression, I'm sure he doesn't mind belated wishes

American Red Cross Headquarters

This monument "To Those We Serve" is outside the International Headquarters of the American Red Cross, on the corner of E and 20th NW. For more images of the monument, you can visit my personal blog.