Autumn Walk at the National Arboretum

I’m a little behind in posting stuff, but there’s no time like the present to catch up… or something, right?

My weekly meet up with a friend for Saturday brunch has been turning into a “let’s do something after” for a while now. Sometimes that’s just going someplace else for coffee, sometimes it’s a walk around the National Mall, but we’d been building up to a trip to the National Arboretum¹ for a while. Before car-sharing services existed, it was the kind of place one could only go if you had a car, had friends with a car, or were very patient with the local buses.

Still, we managed to make it there in an Uber from near Union Station and honestly it was exactly what I needed. It’s remote, plenty of walking path, the autumn colors were changing even though it was still pretty warm out. It feels like a getaway, even though it’s really right in the middle of built up areas and a residential neighborhood.

And you can’t go without visiting the columns…

Or the bonsai…

And of course, the bees. Not so many to be scary–unless you’re allergic–but they were clearly trying to get the best out of the last good days of warmth and slightly confusing weather.

If you’re missing a little seasonal ambiance, it’s a nice trip to spend a few hours. Best thing is to go early, and go to the entrance at R and 24th Sts NE. We told our Uber driver to take us through the official front gates, which was nice, but then we had to take a gentle walk to get to the main visitor area.

As much as I’d like places in DC to still feel “new,” I can see myself heading back here for some good walking/exercise and quiet contemplation from time to time. And with what’s ahead for the next four years, I may need quite a bit of the latter.