Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Live At Daybreak

Cherry Blossoms Beckon Tourists to Washington, D.C.

Aired April 04, 2002 - 06:37   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: We want to head to Washington, D.C. again. The cherry blossoms are a-blooming and drawing big crowds to the display around the Tidal Basin. CNN's Elaine Quijano is among those drawn to this wonderful spectacle -- good morning.

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Carol. You are absolutely right. It is a sure sign that spring has come to Washington. The cherry blossoms are once again welcoming thousands of visitors back to the nation's capital.

Let's take a live look now along the Tidal Basin. Already this morning, despite the fact that it's a little chilly out here, we have seen a number of folks, including some photographers from a camera call from the National Institutes of Health, but we have seen joggers, people out taking strolls. These cherry blossom trees have really become an annual tradition here in Washington. And of course, after the September attacks, really this has even more meaning.

Now, some good news. There were some concerns about the tourism industry here in the Washington, D.C. area, but organizers of this festival say that they are expecting to see maybe even bigger crowds than they had last year. Last year, they had about 700,000 people coming out to the Washington, D.C. area from outside the immediate metro area. Now, they are saying they may see even more people, and the hotel occupancy rate, which fell as low as 10 percent back in September, is now back up to somewhere around 85 percent. That's just a little bit under what they would normally be seeing this time of year.

So all in all, a lot of people out enjoying the festival. I have to tell you, it is a little bit more chilly out here than we have seen in recent days, but that hasn't seemed to stop the folks, who are coming out now -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Oh, no, it's just so beautiful. You know, something I have always wondered, Elaine, and I lived in D.C. a long time, if anyone picks the cherry blossoms, are they fined? Are they arrested? Are they thrown into the Tidal Basin?

QUIJANO: It could be all of the above, Carol, because you know what? That is a very serious offense, and the Park Service police will actually come and make sure they are out patrolling. They are making sure that these visitors aren't doing that kind of thing, because these cherry blossom trees are really a national treasure. If you are caught picking these blossoms, you could face a fine of anywhere between $50 to $1,000 and up to a year in jail -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Whoa!

QUIJANO: A year, right.

COSTELLO: Wow! Well, they should throw them into the Tidal Basin too.

QUIJANO: Right. Well, hey, they may do that. I don't know.

COSTELLO: Yes. And I can see the Jefferson Memorial behind you. A lot of people don't visit that monument, and it's beautiful too.

QUIJANO: It is. It's really gorgeous, and what was so surprising to us this morning is that when we came out here, there were already folks lined up with their cameras, folks out here with their dogs. You can imagine it's pretty chilly around this time of year still in Washington, and these people didn't really even seem to notice. They say it's a very rare experience to come out here and see these cherry blossoms at sunrise, and so that's exactly what most of these folks are doing today -- Carol.

COSTELLO: It sounds like a great idea. Thank you, Elaine Quijano, reporting live from the Tidal Basin in D.C. this morning.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.