an annual phenomenon like the cherry blossoms will definitely come with it's share of baggage (tourists including myself). I don't come up for the festival per se, but to take pictures of the blossoms and catch up on some tourism:
the enthusiasm around the tidal basin, featuring both locals and foreign tourists jockeying for position to snap pictures of flowering trees amid grand monuments, brings with it a sludge for people that actually live there and consequently loathe the festival. Aesthetically, DC suffers from many boring concrete government buildings giving it a sterile feel. (especially when it's rainy or overcast!) The larger than life monuments, roundabouts, public squares, outdoor cafes, European architecture, and cherry blossoms help choke this out and project a beautiful capital city capable of drawing in tourists from around the world.
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