McLean and Tysons Keep Growing

We haven't been to McLean/Tysons for awhile - not since the Silver metro line opened several weeks ago. We like going to lunch at Cafe Deluxe because it is connected to under cover parking and is the perfect place to go in bad weather. The weather was not an issue this day, but the parking is still a nice option compared to most streets in DC. I'm sure it was our imagination, the time of day, and day of the week - but the traffic seemed to be less congested than usual. The building cranes seemed to have popped up in every direction. The new apartment and business tower that is alongside the freeway still has a way to go. All I know is I wouldn't want to live here, but it's nice to know it's only about a twenty minute drive from Capitol Hill. My husband has been suggesting he may be in need of some new pants, but wasn't in the mood to explore the options at Tysons Galleria after lunch. That place reminds us of Northbrook Court in Oakbrook Illinois - a shopping area we liked to go for more unusual items and an excuse to head to downtown Chicago for dinner. These little excursions remind us that it is too soon to give up our car because we still like to drive around a bit, and I don't like taking metro. But at least we only have one car to think about here. And that makes a big difference for a lot of reasons. 

The Silver Line In McLean

It's been awhile since we went to Cafe Deluxe in Tysons. So we decided it would be a nice ride up the George Washington Parkway, to highway 123 or better named Dolley Madison Boulevard. Along side it runs the new Metro Silver Line that is supposed to be opening soon. And it will run through Capitol South, which is a little over a block from our house. Not that we would take it as far as I am concerned, but my husband would certainly like to. Based on what I have heard, it will be the most modern form of transit, making the other metro trains archaic. It has also been reported that there will even be obvious restroom facilities, something that is not known in the current configurations around town. Near the Tysons Mall site is a huge office and apartment structure that is also nearing completion. Eventually the area is supposed to be a green space walking heaven. I know a few people who live in the area who could take the train in from work rather than drive. Neither one of them think they will because it still requires a drive to the parking lot first, a wait for the train, and not being in control. I think you need to either have grown up using this kind of transportation, or you don't have any other choice. I was so used to driving my own car in Milwaukee because there was no train and my job required a lot of travel to and from a variety of facilities. Here, I walk two blocks to work. The metro sounds like a good idea, but I just can't seem to get in to it - even if it's new and goes all the way to Tysons.