Springtime Giveaway to Launch Moon Washington DC!

By Eva Zimmerman

This March, in conjunction with the 100th anniversary of the National Cherry Blossom Festival (March 20-April 27), Moon is pleased to launch the first edition of Moon Washington DC [2], by journalist Patricia Nevins Kime. In Moon Washington DC, Kime welcomes travelers to iconic, history-rich Washington DC [3], covering everything from the city's vibrant downtown scene to its stately Foggy Bottom district.

To celebrate the upcoming festival and the release of our new guidebook, Moon is giving a $250 AMEX Gift Card away to one lucky winner.

To participate, find a photo you’ve taken that represents springtime to you, wherever you are in the world—whether it’s a photo of blossoms in bloom, green leaves appearing on trees, or the first melting of snow—and then, following the Flickr guidelines, submit your photo here:
http://www.flickr.com/groups/springtimegiveaway/ [4]

[Rules and regulations: We will accept photos from March 6th until March 19th at 8pm EST. The winner will be chosen by Moon Washington DC author Patricia Nevins Kime, and will receive an AMEX gift card worth $250. Photos must be your own/credited to you, the entrant, for eligibility to win. Moon Travel Guides will not publish or share your images unless specific permission is given. Perseus employees are not eligible to win.]

All this talk of springtime in Washington has made me reminisce on my time there—DC became the east coast half of my bi-coastal upbringing in 1995, after my mom and stepdad relocated from the Bay Area. I was 10 years old when we traveled cross-country by Amtrak from California to DC. We arrived at Union Station, in the heart of the city. Over the years, we lived in a number of neighborhoods in the “Northwest,” from Dupont Circle to Cleveland Park, Sixteenth Street to Tenleytown—all unique, and all within walking distance to the neighborhood schools I attended.

For me, the District’s beauty is due to its incredible diversity. It is a hub of world culture, art, music, and architecture, and a living testament to history, government, movements, and the power of the people’s voice. It was a fast-paced, worldly, thought-provoking, and eye-opening city to run around in as a teenager, and I’m thankful for my time there.

I’m living back in the Bay Area now, but one image of the District that I will always hold close is of the cherry blossom trees circling the tidal basin and the Jefferson Memorial in bloom at the beginning of spring. Cherry blossoms are what represent springtime for me, so I’ve posted one of my blossom pictures in our Flickr group to kick off the giveaway. I look forward to seeing your photos!