Cherry Blossom Adventures

DC is known for many things, most of them decidedly political. That makes the famous spring cherry blossoms all the more special, considering it’s one of the few events whose buzzwords do not include “Trump,” “partisanship,” “foreign policy,” or “clusterfuck.” I think I went to see the blossoms in April, but again I’ve been lazy about sorting through my photos for something worth posting.

The day I went, it took around forty-five minutes to find parking, which is nothing out of the ordinary for cherry blossom season. It started off cloudy but cleared up later in the afternoon, giving me the opportunity to play with light in the photos. The weather was gorgeous, with temperatures in the low 70’s and trees in peak bloom. This, of course, brought masses of people whose main purpose appeared to be blocking my framing with their elbows. Oh well–you win some, you lose some, I guess 😉

Swans in the Basin

A (Very Belated) Collection from Philadelphia and Chicago

I think I’ve been holding on to these photos from Philadelphia since the end of February, and the ones from Chicago since mid-March. I only started looking at them a couple weeks ago. Of course I chose today, the night before I’m moving across town, as the time to finally post them. I also have a set of cherry blossoms still sitting untouched in my Lightroom–hopefully I’ll get a chance to sort through those and post them within the next couple weeks.

I took the train up to Philadelphia for the weekend, hoping to revisit the Graffiti Pier and the navy yard and other favorite photogenic haunts. Much to my frustration, it chose that weekend to dump a blizzard on the whole east coast, complete with many feet of snow and sub-zero wind chill. So although I never got a chance to hit the places on my list, I did explore the (thankfully indoors) Reading Terminal Market. Reading Terminal Market turned out to be pretty great, with amazing food (pierogies, anyone?), crowds of people, and lots of neon in all shapes and colors. There were a good number of booths run by Amish people as well, selling everything from candy to wooden trinkets. Neon will forever be one of my favorite things to photograph, and the DayGlo-toned produce section was also a highlight.

I only got to spend one afternoon in Chicago–a quick stopover on the way home from another trip. That meant I had to choose one place to go, so I chose Millennium Park. Millennium Park (and its giant reflective sculpture, the Bean) was a fabulous place to photograph and experience, and I got a number of good photos on the way there, too. I still feel like I need to spend a longer time in Chicago and try to see more of what the city has to offer, because I know I really only saw a tiny corner. Fortunately, in a couple months I think I’m going to be in a place where that’s a lot easier… updates on that situation most likely forthcoming.

Philadelphia: Downtown Cheese
"On a downtown cheese..."