GW Parkway to Mount Vernon

It was a beautiful day yesterday following the unexpected rainy morning walk in the park. Since we didn’t want to go out for dinner during super bowl time, we decided to have brunch at Faccia Luna near Old Town, Alexandria. They have a breakfast pizza that is usually quite good - and it was. We frequently use the George Washington Parkway from our house in northern Virginia to DC but we haven’t gone in the other direction for a while. Since the sun was shining, we headed out toward Mount Vernon on one of my favorite drives along the Potomac River. I have visions of George Washington riding along some path along there towards his home. We passed by the eagle’s nest on the golf course - but it was unoccupied. We passed by Cedar Knoll - a restaurant my husband hates, but I love for the views. It’s like an old time super club vibe sitting on a lucrative piece of property. Once we hit Mount Vernon we took the circle drive around to head back. There were quite a few visitors considering it is the off season. A lot of locals have visitor passes to walk the grounds all year round. Mount Vernon is really a pretty place to visit. One of these days we need to stop and visit Fort Hunt on the other side of the river. On the way back towards DC the bikers, hikers, and walkers were out in full swing ambling along the path by the river. There are a lot of parks and boat ramps along the way. We took a detour when we reached Alexandria and stopped for gas. It was a lovely day to be outside. 

A Drive Along the GW Parkway

After lunch in Alexandria, we headed towards Mount Vernon along the GW Parkway. It is one of my favorite rides all along the Potomac River. And being a holiday weekend with weather that is still reasonable to walk in, there was a lot of activity. The parking lot was filled at George Washington's house, and there were plenty of walkers, bikers, and runners all along the path back to Alexandria. And if you are interested in water fowl, the geese and ducks were aplenty. Oh, and did I mention all the pooches? It wasn't quite a sunny as was predicated, but it didn't seem to bother the new year revelers. You never know what you'll see along the parkway. We haven't spotted any eagles for quite some time, but there remain a lot of nest remnants from season's past. Let's hope we see a few of these magnificent birds in the spring. It's such a great place -  for them and for us. 

George Washington Presidential Library at Mount Vernon

After our usual Saturday brunch at McLean Family Restaurant - where today Mark Levin and Sanjay Gupta were also chatting about with friends - we thought a short ride to see the new George Washington Presidential Library was in order. We had passed by the area several times since the groundbreaking, and heard on the news yesterday that it would be opening.  It sits right across from Mount Vernon on the George Washington Parkway. It doesn't appear to be a place that you can just drop in and look around. It's intended to be a destination for visiting scholars and will house only GW's papers,all the books written about him, and all things digital. All other personal artifacts and such will remain at the estate, more or less. Perhaps there will be presentations that one could attend, but it appears to be more scholastic in nature rather than just interested to learn more. If anyone deserves a library is it George Washington. He was a remarkable person...and seemed to be a nice guy. I've never heard of anything really negative about him, and someone would have found something by now. Now that's something really unique in this day and age. 

The Mall from the Plane

Having just returned from a trip to Milwaukee, where we lived for thirty years before moving to DC, the view from the plane can be memorable depending on the flight pattern, and obviously from where you are seated. I remember long ago we could easily see either Mount Vernon coming up the Potomac River, or the Mall and all the monuments landing from the other main flight path. When sitting on the Capitol steps, or driving along the George Washington Parkway, one can see a continuous run of airplanes as they head towards Reagan National Airport. Because of the location of the airport, some of the landings and touchdowns are enough to make you never want to get in to an aircraft of any kind again. It seems lately though that no matter what way we are landing or taking off, we seem to be on the opposite side of the action and scenery down below. Luckily for us, we have seen it all before. The nicest part of where we live is that the airport is about the same distance from our house as it was in Milwaukee. But the view in between is so very different.

George Washington Library at Mount Vernon

We've had to do a lot of errands in Alexandria lately, and driving along the George Washington Parkway we have passed by Mount Vernon several times. Today, we noticed a red car pulling on to the Parkway with an unusual looking driver in the front seat. On closer inspection it appeared to be Martha Washington on her way to Mount Vernon. We waited for her to pass us by in her hot red KIA, and snapped a photo of her speeding towards her destination. As we passed by the grounds, we noticed that the George Washington Library construction is underway. It is expected to open in 2013. From the Mount Vernon website is this description:

Located on the picturesque and historic setting of the Mount Vernon estate, the Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington will serve as a worldwide repository for expertise about Washington, his achievements, and his legacies. Equally important, the multi-faceted facility will aggressively disseminate knowledge about Washington to the widest range of audiences, using state-of-the-art technology and cutting edge approaches to sustain our growing national network of George Washington experts and enthusiasts.

This is one of the many reason we love living here in DC. You not only get to see Martha Washington, but also get to visit the place she and her famous husband lived - all just a few miles away.

The roads are in, and the trailers are in place

Across the street from the Mount Vernon Estate grounds

Very close to where we live

Martha racing off to work

Del Ray Alexandria and the Hunt for P'tit Basque

My husband found addresses for three cheese shops in the area with the hopes of locating our favorite P'tit Basque. We do rely on our friend to pick it up at Costco, but in between it's nice to know it can be found elsewhere. So we checked out a place on F Street downtown near the Verizon Center and the National Portrait Gallery- no luck and VERY inconvenient. There is also a corner market on East Capitol in our neighborhood, which we will check out at another time. After brunch this afternoon in Alexandria, we drove to Mount Vernon Avenue in Del Ray- a little suburban area right next to or a part of Alexandria to a little shop called Cheestique. The neighborhood was very quaint, and reminded us a lot of Downer Avenue in Milwaukee. Inside was quite a variety of cheese selections, wine, and a little cafe. And there it was- right in the middle front of the assorted cheeses. So we got the cheese, along with some rosemary bread and jam. The place reminded me of the old butcher shops - when the bell rang upon opening the door. My grandfather had a grocery store and was a butcher in Massachusetts. We used to visit the butcher shop in Florida to pick up the old dry bread for the ducks.There is something about living in these quaint old places- as long as they are close to a big city.

Front and center

Something for everyone

A very brisk business

Looks good!

Along Mount Vernon Avenue

Cute little bag

Mount Vernon  = Main Street

GW Parkway, Cedar Knoll, Mount Vernon and Fort Hunt

Every once in a while we take a drive to Mount Vernon along the GW Parkway. We have not been since the fall when the leaves were a brilliant red. And as the seasons change, so does the landscape. So after brunch in Alexandria, we kept moving east. Along the way is the old supper club Cedar Knoll where the view is marvelous of the Potomac River. Mount Vernon was really quiet- hardly a tourist in sight - but a great time to visit if you don't like crowds and love freezing temperatures. Every tme we pass by this way, I've noticed a suspicious looking tree that always looks the same- and finally realized it is a transmission tower dressed up to look like a tree. A lot of people I know either walked or rode their bikes from Washington DC to Mount Vernon and back along the bike path that twists and turns alongside the river. Heading west is Fort Hunt on the Virginia side across the river. It was established during the Spanish American War on river farm land previously owned by George W, and used during WW2 to interrogate German prisoners.Obviously the geese are all over the place, but they were all resting on one leg with their heads on their backs with the Convention Center in the background. It's always a very pleasant drive and very hard to believe that it so close to our house.

Not very far from home

Cedar Knoll with a great view of the Potomac

A very quiet Mount Vernon entrance

The "fake" tree

The bike/walking path along the river



Fort Hunt in Virginia



All the birds taking an afternoon nap- no eagles today

Eastern Market

Since it was such a beautiful sunny day, we decided to walk over to eighth street for brunch. Because it was so nice outside, we continued walking afterwards and detoured through Eastern Market before returning home. My understanding is that this market has been around since Thomas Jefferson's time. There is something here for everyone, but we like to stroll through it to enjoy the people scenery. There is a flea market, many restaurants and vendors, a food market, and even a psychic. My husband is the happiest in these kinds of places- he not only looks like he is, but says it as well. I can't remember the last time we ever bought anything here, but it sure is a pleasure to soak up the atmosphere. The best part about it is that it is only a few blocks away.

Shops and restaurants

Outdoor flea market on the weekends

Pooches, strollers and everything else

Something for everyone

The official banner

Not a lot of customers!

Outdoor vendors

Always colorful regardless of the season

Indoor vendors

This section was rebuilt because of a fire

Fresh veggies

A reminder of living in the Midwest

A great neighborhood