15 Mar WHERE TO STAY FOR D.C.’S ANNUAL CHERRY BLOSSOM MADNESS

By Susan Hanson

For a few weeks each spring, Washingtonians trade politics for hanami, the Japanese practice of cherry blossom viewing. (The city’s 3,000 cherry trees were a gift of friendship from Tokyo in 1912.) The Ritz-Carlton Georgetown, Washington, D.C. gets in on the action with a seasonal package that includes a private pedicab ride to Hains Point in East Potomac Park (one of the best viewing spots), a picnic, and, back at the 86-room hotel, cherry-themed snacks, cocktails, and treatments in the newly renovated spa. The cherry blossom package is available early March through mid-April this year.