Tourist season is upon us . . .

Is winter, followed by summer these days? 8 days ago we woke up to a dusting of snow. Today it is supposed to get up to 80 degrees. What happened to spring? (80 degrees is "it's-pretty-much summer" weather to me.)

Anyway . . . despite the snow and 80 degree weather combo, Spring is finally upon us in DC. The key indicator being the Cherry Blossom Festival. It's a big deal here. A BIG deal. The news even reports the bloom schedule in the weeks leading up the "Peak" bloom dates. This is the 3rd year in which Chris and I have lived in the DC area and have had the joy of experiencing all that is the Cherry Blossoms (sarcasm font needed). Don't get me wrong, they are beautiful and are a great historical tradition in the city and even worth wrestling through crowds to see and photograph, but to me (and probably other Washingtonians), the Cherry Blossom Festival only means that from then until October you must avoid the National Mall and surrounding streets. Because, when the Cherry Blossoms are in bloom, tourists take over.

Thunder clouds rolling over the Tidal Basin's Cherry Blossoms

For example, this past weekend Chris' mom made her annual trip to town to see the Cherry Blossoms. We walked the Tidal Basin, which was crowded but manageable. We used the metro, which was mildly crowded, but nothing crazy. And then, we decided to go to a "trendy" burger place for lunch - Good Stuff Eatery. We've been to Good Stuff before, and it is goooood. If you haven't heard of this place, it was opened by Top Chef Season 4 and Top Chef All Stars contestant, Spike Mendelsohn. They have fresh and yummy burgers (including an Obama Burger), hand-cut fries, and shakes to die for (I like the Milky Way shake with bits of actual Milky Way bar in it, Chris likes the Toasted Marshmallow shake, with a toasted marshmallow on top). Anywho, it's delicious and always has a crowd, but the crowd mob that was there on Saturday is the biggest I have ever seen. The line to order filled the entire first floor of the building and wrapped all the way outside to the corner of the street. We even watched a woman argue for our table. Awkward...

Anyway, the crowds at Good Stuff just bummed me out and reminded me that DC no longer belongs to Washingtonians. For the next 6 months it will belong to tourists. Which is fine. Heck, I was a tourist in DC not once, but twice, before we moved here. I get it. I'm just bummed that now I must navigate my way around town through the throngs of tourists lost on the corners of streets, going to my favorite places, and standing on the left of the metro escalators.

As Chris aptly stated, it is "time to put your patience-cap on" . . .