Seasonal Travel Pleasures in Washington DC

I am in Washington DC for awhile carrying on my travel journalism in a wintry environment.

I am reminded of how some of our favorite travel destinations are celebrated for their relatively changeless year-round pattern (Hawaii is the classic example) and how others (such as Washington DC) offer a major seasonal variation in travel experience.

Each season in Washington DC has its special pleasures.  I come here often and year around, and am working now on a book for travelers on how to photograph Washington DC year around.  The book will be released by Countryman Press in late 2009.  (I am doing a similar book on San Francisco, near my primary residence in Berkeley CA).

As I walk the Mall in this chilly time, I think of Washington and his troops surviving a winter at Valley Forge, to the north in Pennsylvania.  The trees around the White House are spare of leaves and the National Christmas Tree in front of the White House could indeed be in Minnesota if there were snow on the ground, as sometimes does occur. 

My next visit will probably be in the spring Cherry Blossom time, a totally different physical feel to this great imperial city.  You can peruse my past coverage of the Cherry Blossom Festival at your leisure.

In summer, the weather is warm, the trees are lush with foliage, and the perennial Washington seems to appear, rugged and full with seasonal growth.  This is a time to consider my past writeups/photos on Perennial Washington DC.

However, this past year, for the first time, I happened to be in Washington DC for the glorious fall color period, in October.  Even on the Mall, you can find maple trees ablaze with the Washington Monument in the background.

Certainly, there are some destinations, such as Hawaii, that we savor because year round the temperatures may vary by 5 or so degrees.  It takes some local expertise in Hawaii to know what the season is.

But in Washington DC there is a theater of the four seasons,  and every day the performance changes a little, which can have some improvisational pleasure for a traveler.