Other Memorials (Consult the map for exact spots.)
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Korean War Memorial, War War II Memorial, Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial, Thomas Jefferson Memorial, all of which are open 24 hours a day and have no charge, are also in this area, as well as the famous cherry trees at the Tidal Basin, which bloom in the spring. A little further out is Theodore Roosevelt Island with his memorial.
Fun Fact: In 1910, 2,000 cherry trees arrived in the U.S. — a gift from Japan as a symbol of the friendship between the two countries. But after arriving infested and with overpruned roots, the trees were not able to be saved. Instead, they were burned in a heap. Tokyo mayor Yuko Ozaki tried to ease the tension by joking, “To be honest about it, it has been an American tradition to destroy cherry trees ever since your first president, George Washington,” referring to the legend, which never actually happened, of Washington ‘fessing up after knocking down his father’s cherry tree. Ozaki then sent another shipment in 1912, and the healthy trees were planted in D.C. by then-First Lady Helen Taft, and this was the beginning of the abundance of cherry trees in the Tidal Basin.
You probably didn’t know... Breaking off a cherry blossom or branch in Washington, D.C., can warrant a fine — or even an arrest.
August 14, 2019 / THE MONSEY VIEW / 167 www.themonseyview.com / 845.600.8484