West Potomac Park — Attraction in Washington

This should really be two reviews, one for the Cherry Blossom Festival, one for the rest of the year. We'll start with the rest of the year.

Being near the water is always gorgeous, and there's always something going on, either polo on the Polo Fields, ultimate frisbee being played on Ohio Drive, or a softball league game going on

It's a lovely place to bike or jog, or just drive down and sit on the water. One summer evening, I saw two buddies had driven down, pulled camp chairs from their trunks, and were just sitting on the side of the water, watching the sunset. It was truly idyllic.

Now for the Cherry Blossom Festival.

One star: Forget parking, or biking, or jogging. All the roads will be parking lots and all the sidewalks and paths will be jammed with tourists gawking at this one particular set of trees (which, in case there was any doubt, TOTALLY GROW IN THE REST OF THE CITY TOO). There's nothing fun happening, because no one can get there. If it's Cherry Blossom time,...

I've been down here in the middle of the day and had such a bad experience that I'd sworn it off. As a result, I normally avoid it during the entire time it's warm. Or I may take an out-of-town guest to one of the lit memorials after dark.

However, I went down to the Tidal Basin for a photo walk at the peak of Cherry Blossom bloom. I arrived at approximately 7:30 a.m. and the entire area was tranquil. As I walked around the Tidal Basin, there were mostly photographers doing the same thing I was doing. All were courteous. Because I made multiple stops it took me about 1 1/2 hours to get back to the Jefferson Memorial where I started.

Just at 9 a.m. tour buses arrived letting off lots of people so if you want to avoid the crowds, definitely get there well...

Good views. Easy meter street parking in the morning. Free on Sunday. Volley Ball courts. Nice biking & jogging paths along the Potomac. Beautiful Japanese Cherry Trees along the tidal basin. Gorgeous when in bloom but go early in the morning to avoid the crowds & for better photos. During rest of the year; early morning, mid-morning & at night usually quiet & serene & easy to park. Great place for photography of west end of the National Mall: Memorial Bridge, Lincoln Memorial, WWII Memorial, Korean War Memorial, Kennedy Center & of course the...