The much-cherished cherry blossoms on the Tidal Basin are at peak bloom and the weather is gorgeous today, which means that a lot of people are going to ignore the social distancing guidelines and risk spreading the coronavirus. The National Park Service says it’s “impractical” to close the Tidal Basin (not sure why) but that people are urged to forego a visit this year. The police department has closed off all streets and bridges leading to the site (which not only eliminates parking but also prevents people from viewing the blossoms from the safety of their cars) and Metro has shut down nearby stations, yet Friday and yesterday, hundreds (if not thousands) of people were crowding the narrow path that runs through the trees along the water.

The Trust for the National Mall has a live “Bloom Cam” http://nationalmall.org/bloomcam operating 24 hours a day. Although we’ve visited the Tidal Basin most every year we’ve lived in DC, this is how we’re viewing the blossoms this year.

Best to view in "Original" because other versions resized by Pbase are decidedly unsharp.

Welcome visitor, posted earlier: