A Guide to Cherry Blossom Season
The season of brilliantly pink blooms is upon us. Here, our guide for where to see them, where to stay, and what to pack.
06 April 2023 -
While it’s not Japan—
—the U.S. does have some stunning cherry blossom moments worth packing your bags for. Here at Studio McGee we love traveling for the sake of good design, and that’s not overlooking architecture or landscape design. One of the country’s biggest floral events is come spring each year when cherry blossoms pop open from coast to coast, displaying a brilliant field of pink for a short time. There’s a lot of chatter amongst enthusiasts each year for when the buds will choose to display their color, with people postponing or pushing up travel just to see the shades of pink. Here, we’ve rounded up a few of our favorite spots (and which design-forward hotel we recommend staying in) to peek at the brilliantly pink blooms of cherry blossom season.
Where to Stay | Riggs Washington DC
No. 02 | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Where to Stay | Wm. Mulherin’s Sons
No. 03 | San Francisco, California
From top left: Marly Short Dress from Sézane, Aria Rectangle Huggie from Katie Waltman, Justine Basket from Sézane, Demmera Sunglasses in Black Coal from Madewell, ShineOn Lip Jelly Non-Sticky Gloss in Pistachio from Tower 28 Beauty, Sunforgettable® Total Protection™ Brush-On Shield SPF 50 from Colorescience, Aegis Double Chain Bracelet Set from Missoma, Isabelle Pouch in Blush Braided Raffia from Sézane, Woven Double T Espadrille Slides from Tory Burch.
No. 01 | Washington, DC
Hands down the best place to see cherry blossoms outside of Japan is in our nation’s capital, because if you know your history, you’ll know that said cherry blossoms were actually gifted to America from the Japanese. And if you really know your history you’ll know that those gifted trees were subsequently destroyed by President William Taft as they arrived diseased, and it wasn’t until a second shipment was gifted that the city’s Tidal Basin saw a single hole dug. From there, the trees carry a rich and theatrical history full of political drama, mystery, weather, and a few souls deeply committed to ensuring the trees’ livelihood. Today you can see the trees blooming all along the National Mall, with the big show happening in their original planting place, circling the Tidal Basin.
Photos courtesy of washington.org
Where to Stay | Riggs Washington DC
The Riggs is a handsome, design-forward hotel in the former Riggs National Bank, a structure that’s part of DC’s National Register of Historic Places. The Romanesque Revival-style façade opens up to an interior of jewel tones and pastels, sleek marble and velvet, and nods throughout to the 23 Presidents and their wives who banked in the former structure in the early 20th century.
No. 02 | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Fairmount Park is Philadelphia’s largest green space, covering more than 2,000 acres along the banks of the Schuylkill River. Inside the sprawling park is another example of cherry blossom trees gifted from Japan, mainly encircling the Shofuso Japanese Cultural Center within the park. In addition, the road along Kelly Drive, on the east side of the river, features 500 cherry trees gifted by Japanese American residents of Philly in the 1930s.
Photos by C. Smyth
Where to Stay | Wm. Mulherin's Sons
This unique property was a 19th-century whiskey distillery in Philadelphia’s Fishtown neighborhood. Keeping the original industrial brick façade, Wm. Mulherin’s Sons is named after the family that operated the former business, and is now the neighborhood’s newest boutique hotel, and with only four rooms, it’s also the city’s smallest. Each of those rooms are unique in design, but all featuring original woodwork and vintage accents, like oversized Persian rugs and exposed brick walls.
Photos by Matthew Williams
No. 03 | San Francisco, California
The city’s 1,000-acre Golden Gate Park is where you should head to see cherry blossoms in bloom in The City by the Bay. Although you can see the pink flowers throughout the park, the grand event is the Japanese Tea Garden, tucked amongst the garden’s bridges and pagodas. The history of this park runs deep, and the garden itself is recognized as the oldest public Japanese garden in the United States.
Where to Stay | Proper Hotel
San Francisco’s Mid-Market neighborhood is home to this Kelly Wearstler-designed hotel and its Beaux Arts façade that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Pattern and color, florals and stripes all intermingle in the eclectic interiors, complete with a weekend cocktail crowd dressed to the nines.
Photos by Manolo Yllera
Photos by Noah Webb
You May Also Like
