One of the closest neighbors to the District is Alexandria, Virginia, which is located on the banks of the Potomac River, six miles south of downtown Washington, DC. The historic center of Alexandria, known as Old Town, is the third oldest historic district in the United States. The charming neighborhood contains more than 4,200 historic buildings dating back to the 18th and 19th centuries, including homes, churches, museums, shops, small businesses and restaurants.
Like Old Town, many Alexandria neighborhoods are compact, walkable, high-income suburbs of Washington, D.C. It is the seventh largest and highest income independent city in Virginia according to wikipedia.
King Street is the main street in Old Town. Here is a view of Old Town from the George Washington Masonic Memorial observation deck. King Street is right in the middle running from the memorial under the King Street Metro Station to the Potomac river.
Walking King Street from the metro station to the waterfront. Here is the historical Hard Times Café featuring their self proclaimed “world famous chili” – established 1980.
First settled in 1695, the city retains its colonial spirit, with cobblestone streets and historic buildings in the Old Town.
This is European Country Living antique furniture building from 1895.
Another Old Town Alexandria street scene near J. Brown & Co., which offers accessories for the home. Besides being an adorable neighborhood to stroll, there is also terrific shopping!
Alexandria is primarily known for its rich colonial history and includes attractions where our nation’s founding fathers frequented, such as Christ Church, Gadsby’s Tavern and The Lyceum Historic Site and Museum. Walking along King Street, we passed the Alleyne A.M.E Zion Church in the picture below.
George Washington Masonic Memorial is seen from Old Town’s streets. We just recently visited the Memorial and I will describe our visit in the next post.
A picture of the cozy Bread & Chocolate bakery with a couple of cute tables upfront, that I snapped from the car window. 🙂
Market Square and City Hall in Old Town Alexandria. You wouldn’t know it now, but this was once the site of the second largest slave market in the US (according, of course, to ever-true wikipedia). Now it is part of a beautiful neighborhood and has a farmer’s market each Saturday. The City Hall building with a flag is in the lower left picture of the collage.
The views of King Street on the waterfront end. I love these cozy European style Old Town streets filled with boutiques, restaurants, studios and theaters. Of course, The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts is just across the Potomac. Here is the outside seating of the Il Porto restaurant.
The King Street Trolley is free and is the best way to get to the Old Town Alexandria waterfront area. The trolley operates from 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily, between the King Street Metro station and North Union Street. The trolley stops along King Street so visitors can hop on and off along Old Town Alexandria’s main thoroughfare.
The City Marina is a 3 mile cruise from Washington DC and Maryland. In addition to affording a spectacular view of the Potomac River, the City Marina has overnight and short-term boat slips and offers docking for pleasure boats and commercial vessels. Here is the area around the marina and part of the Waterfront Marina building is shown in the left picture. There is always something going on at the marina, especially in the summer time.
The waterfront in Alexandria. The area is known for its crab cakes and clam chowder. The Waterfront Marina offers Potomac River cruises with optional dinner to see the banks of the Potomac River along Alexandria and the District.
Alexandria also has about 123 art galleries, the popular Torpedo Factory Art Center along with The Athenaeum, home of the Northern Virginia Fine Arts Association. The Torpedo Art Center is located right at the waterfront. This Art Center is a popular attraction filled with art and art studios. We took only a quick look there and I snapped a couple pictures. For a more contemporary side of Alexandria, wander the streets of the stylish Del Ray neighborhood, where local artists operate boutiques and studios.
We stopped for lunch at the Union Street Public House restaurant, which occupies a renovated colonial waterfront warehouse. This nice restaurant has been serving food in a warm convivial atmosphere since 1986 and has earned its reputation as “Old Town’s Favorite Tap & Grill.” It is worth visiting if in the area.
Inside of the Union Street Public House restaurant.
It is always a pleasure visiting the Waterfront Park where we can watch various vessels and enjoy the calmness and proximity to the water. This park features open lawn spaces, walking trails, riverfront seating and boat docking.
We saw some interesting architecture on the Old Town Streets.
More Old Town Alexandria street views.
The National Park Service maintains a 17-mile paved trail along the Potomac River from Mount Vernon south of the city to the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., and is a source for biking, jogging and walking. Our visit to Mount Vernon estate can be viewed here. Biking on the Mount Vernon trail is on our bucket list.