Tourists may be throwing residents’ routines a bit out of whack, but out-of-towners do provide an economic boon while enjoying themselves.
In addition to attending the two-week National Cherry Blossom Festival, visitors are being drawn by the gorgeous spring weather — a welcome change from a winter that saw record-breaking snowfalls in the area.
Katie Pendergrast traveled to Washington to show her children their future home. Her husband recently acquired a job in the area and the family plans to move from Charlotte, N.C., soon. Pendergrast said the weather could not have been better.
“I was expecting it to be a lot colder but it was comparable to Charlotte, which is rare,” she said.
Though many tourists take advantage of the city’s free Smithsonian museums, last year’s festival drew more than a million attendees and brought in more than $100 million for the city, according to the 2009 National Cherry Blossom Festival’s annual review.
Soonduk Kosin of Yorktown, Va., was in town for the day, picnicking with three friends and a handful of kids.
“Do you know what I like?” said her son, Benjamin, 6. “The monument! I like the bestest George Washington and Abraham Lincoln statues.”
Benjamin was prepared for the visit — he learned in school that the monument is so high that you have to take an elevator to get to the top.
But with so many people, “the line is too long so it’s easier to pickthe stairs.”
Hristina Ninova and Kaitlin Schluter contributed to this report.
Tourists strike back Visitors have their own criticisms of D.C. Here are a few, from a study by the National Park Service and George Mason University.
» Need more shade — less pruning. Replace all missing trees. Fewer barriers — remove all fences and chains not directly related to safety or security. Better drainage — tear up gravel paths and remove underlying pavement. I could go on and on.
» The joggers, all talking via their Bluetooth, seemed to outnumber the visitors and tourists. They’re surely residents and going about their lives oblivious to the significance of the monuments. Much like I can be oblivious to the grandeur and majesty of Niagara Falls which is on my backyard.
» Have the president wave to the tourists (just joking).
» Very dirty. Reflection pools very dirty (dead bird floating in one!)
» All parking should be free.
» Visiting the White House was gloomy.
» Disquieting in its overwhelming patriotic and elitist emphasis for a non-American. Interactions with the world seem to be dominated by war. However, Lincoln Memorial emphasis on liberty and democracy is a notable and important exception.
» More bathrooms.
Source: 2008 Visitor Study: Destinations, Preferences, and Expenditures, National Park Service, George Mason University
