Many in the crowds in the city for the festivities are young people on spring vacations from school. Some come with groups from their schools, wearing similar T-shirts. That lets their teachers and guides count heads, and make sure nobody gets lost.

Younger children are also touring with their parents and grandparents. The first stop for many visitors is the Tidal Basin in West Potomac Park, southwest of the National Mall. The easiest way to get there is on foot after using Washington’s Metro system.

The famous cherry trees bloom around the waters of the basin, which reflect the trees’ images. More cherry trees grow in East Potomac Park and around the Washington Monument.

The National Park Service suggests that cherry blossoms should be seen during three time periods. The first is when the light pink flowers swell their buds as they wait for warmth and sunshine to fully open. The second is the peak time, when the blossoms are fully “out.” At that time the blossoms look like they do on postcards. The third is when the blossoms have fallen, covering the ground with a beautiful snowy blanket.

“Hi my name is Danielle, I’m from New York, and I’m on my way to the Cherry Blossom festival. I’m expecting that it will be beautiful, because I’ve seen them in person in Japan, so it’ll be interesting to see them here.”

At the Tidal Basin, visitors from all over the world are moving along the sidewalk and between the graceful trees. Their branches appear to reach out to the people. Some of the trees were given to the United States by Japan and planted as long ago as 1912. Others developed much more recently.