The Tidal Basin is famous for the magnificent cherry blossom trees that line the whole shore. What better way to see the beautiful blossoms than from a boat on the water. When we got to the Tidal Basin a few days into April we missed the white cherry blossoms-they all died a few days before (we did get to see the pink cherry blossoms at Hains Point instead).

The pedal boats at the Tidal Basin beckoned regardless of the lack of cherry blossoms. Although we didn’t have so much time to spend on the pedal boats, there is a minimum of one hour rental. We enjoyed beautiful sunny weather on the water. We saw the Washington Monument on one side of the Basin and on the other side was the Thomas Jefferson Memorial right on the shore.

It was fun to spot the many airplanes that were making their descent to the nearby airport. There were also police helicopters circling periodically. Pedal boating was a fun outdoor activity with very much of a flavor of Washington D.C.