awwwww how pretty.. I'm jealous

jealous?! You were just in Japan, silly!

lol yeah but I've never been to DC though (.

Well if/when you go, I can give you tips on where to go and what to see.

lol cool. Any local slangs to know? I almost feel out of place going to some US cities.

Ahhh. How pretty. Yes that decided it. Next year's DC trip will be during cherry blossom time.

local slang? I've only been here about 8 months and I haven't picked up on any... but then again, I'm pretty uncool.

Star, just be warned it's CRAZY CROWDED. But I think it's worth it to do once.

so how different is DC from Baltimore? I've been there before, just never got the chance to make my way to DC

Personally, I think it's a whole other world in terms of sights, architecture, culture, etc.

There so much more to do in DC and so much more "diversity" in terms of places to see, things to do, etc. It's a huge city and there are all these neat little pockets of neighborhoods. Add to that all the free Smithsonians, and all the history. I really like it here.

Everyone should go to DC at least once. I've been countless times and I still haven't seen everything. I love the Smithsonians. The whole history of DC is amazing in of itself. You can spend days on The Mall and not see everything. Balitmore is fun too. But I agree with sy... totally different worlds.

Last time I was in DC, I finally made it to the Holocaust Museum. Holy cow... so emotional. This next time, I am going to Arlington. I've been twice before, but my friend who lives in DC is yet to go. So I said I'd go with her.

wow now I'm all excited to go. We're still figuring out where to spend out honeymoon and since an island retreat isn't exactly that exciting for either of us, I sounds like DC is a good place to go. Would you guys recommend it for honeymooning?

It'd definitely not an island retreat! Are both of you into history and spending the day at museums? If so, then I think you'd enjoy it. I love that kind of stuff, so DC is like my paradise. Check out the Smithsonian website to get a feel for what is in the museums. Sy may know some great romantic and cozy restaurants for you to go to. I know DC has some great hotels.

Yes we are, that's one of the reasons why we both love Chicago so much cause it's so rich in history and we love going to the museums and zoos

As far as the island, for our 1 year anniversary we went to Hawaii, last year for his birthday we took a 2 week cruise in the Caribbean, we've both been to south Pacific many of times so we really want to have the not so typical honeymoon.

I can completely understand that. I'd rather have a honeymoon in the mountains. I'm not a beach girl.

I really think ya'll might want to think about DC then. The weather will be around 80-90 (which you'll be used to!) in the summer. You'll do a good bit of walking, but it I've always enjoyed it myself. I don't know if they still do this since 9/11, but you can try contacting your Congressman's office and see if their aide will take you on a tour of the Capitol. I did that one time, but that was before 9/11. (Like I said, I've been to DC a lot.) The Mall is the most touristy area, but it's pretty historical with the monuments, the Smithsonian, the Capitol, etc. Like I said, I'm betting Sy could give you some great non-touristy areas to go to and enjoy as well.

sounds awesome.

When are you getting married? If its in the fall, you should consider Maine or Vermont for leaf peeping! Or Cape Cod!

Gorgeous, Sy! I so miss this!

Nice pics! Didn't get down there at all this year. I've lived here for 8 1/2 years and always find something new and exciting to do- especially with the kiddies. Baltimore is fun but a completely different experience.
Myst, DC would be a fun honeymoon if you love history. Also, Annapolis is about 45 minutes away and has great B&Bs and restaurants-one of our favorite weekend getaways. If you go down to Charlottesville, there is a lot of history as well, B&Bs and vineyards which are fun.

Gorgeous pics! When I have a day off from my family I'm going to try and take some good pictures of cherry blossoms here in Portland. I love when the wind blows, it looks like it's snowing pink! Here's one I took on my birthday, which was about a week and a half ago:

They've really filled out and gotten prettier since. I'm so obsessed with them!

Pretty. The dogwoods are blooming here. Not quite cherry blossoms, but still very pretty.

Im still seeing twigs in Jersey...bah.

Those pictures are beautiful!
I know there is a park here in Newark thats full of cherry blossoms...I should check it out this weekend.

Oh yay! I just looked it up and in Branch Brook Park they have a cherry blossom festival the 15th-22rd! Im happy

thanks everyone

Myst, let me know if you want some tips about DC. I definitely second Annapolis. Especially if you like the water. Rent a boat for the day and just relax and chill. That's my idea of a good time.

I love water and yes I will. I talked to Ryo last night about it and he said he loves the idea so we're adding it to our list of places.

Great photos!

Myst, I can give you some great DC suggestions, as well.

You can still take Capitol Tours, but aides don't give them any more. You should still call your rep's office to get a spot secured on the tour, but it will be given by the Capitol Guides now, who work out of the new visitor's center. (This is a very recent change.) You can also get gallery tickets from your rep's office.

The museums are amazing, as well. The renovations at the American History Museum are great and I would DEFINITELY recommend the Holocaust Museum. It's free, but if you pay just a little bit, you can get tickets in advance. If not, I would recommend getting there EARLY. The tickets for the whole day usually go by 9:00 or so.

The new Newseum is great, too. The only negative thing about it is that it's $20 and all of the other museums are free.

There are also some great food spots in D.C. There are some cute/romantic little restaurants in Georgetown and Dupont. There's also one really nice restaurant (Citronelle) in Georgetown that a lot of people go to for special occasions. (But be warned, it's ridiculously expensive.) The chef at Citronelle (Michel Richard) does have one other restaurant that's less expensive, but still decent (Central). I also recommend Sonoma, which is a great restaurant/wine bar on the Hill.

I can't believe I missed this whole D.C. thread! Someone better still be around.

And, I must say, sy is right about the ridiculous crowds. Rude, pushy people took over the city on Saturday. I went to see the Cherry Blossoms last year, but it was on the Sunday of the last weekend and there was bad weather, so the crowds weren't nearly as bad. This year, though, I went on the peak Saturday, which is when the parade and the street festival took place and it was horrible. If anyone just wants to see the Cherry Blossoms, I would recommend going on one of the two "outside" weekends instead of the peak weekend; they are beautiful for about three weeks.

I figured they had made changes to the Capitol tours. I still have my page badge. They told us that we could use it to bring our families for tours after our term was up, but I imagine they've changed that rule now too. Sigh. Oh well.

I want to go back to the Natural History Museum. The last time I went through it, I had to pratically run through because of the people I was with. They wanted to go to Air and Space which I have seen a gazillon times (but still very cool).

So pretty!

I have been wanting to take a trip to DC. It just seems like a fun getaway.

Sy, Lucy wants to put one of your cherry blossom pics on her blog. Just because!

Sounds good.

gorgeous shots sy!

Beautiful photos Sy.

Yes, shots! I hope I can make it back someday to go for a run under the blossoms!