Out and About…in Old Town Alexandria, VA

It was another beautiful fall day in Northern Virginia with temperatures in the 70’s. All too soon it will be winter weather here with the cold temperatures and chilly winds. We just knew we had to get out of the apartment and do something! After a lengthy debate of what and where, we decided to visit a favorite spot of ours – Old Town Alexandria, founded in 1749. This area is just flooded with history that includes beautiful townhomes and many-chimnied houses from many years ago.

“A busy, historic district along the Potomac, Old Town is marked by cobblestone streets and 18th-century townhouses. George Washington slept at Gadsby’s Tavern, one of the many small museums in the area. Another is Stabler-Leadbeater Apothecary, opened in 1783. Indie boutiques and foodie spots line King Street, and there are open-air eateries by the river. The Saturday farmers’ market has been operating for 260 years.” ― Google

We started our day with a couple of local errands and then headed down the road. Our first stop was lunch at Bugsy’s on King Street. One block near the waterfront, King Street is now closed to motor vehicles and is a pedestrian walkway of food options. We sat outside and enjoyed a burger, excellent hot french fries and a calzone. Of course a beer and diet coke were also consumed!

Afterwards, we walked around the corner to revisit a favorite Virginia shop where you can find everything Old Town and many Virginia and D.C. items of interest. I added this great sweatshirt to my growing cold weather collection. Sadly, the Christmas shop next door closed its doors so we consoled outselves with a delicious dish of Creamery rocky road ice cream and oreo ice cream as we people-watched from the bench outside. All too soon the ice cream was gone and the parking meter was out of time, so we headed back home to laundry, holiday decorating and an attempted nap.

On our way out of town, we passed the square where a weekly farmers’ market is held year ’round and the holiday tree was up but not decorated yet. We drove by Captain’s Row, a beautiful tree-lined cobblestone street with lots of leaves falling to the ground. We also decided to stop by the Spite House on Queen Street.

Interesting trivia about the Spite House:

• America’s skinniest home is a two-story townhouse in Old Town, Alexandria .
• Called the “Hollensbury Spite House,” it’s just 7 feet wide and 25 feet deep.
• The original owner built the home in 1830 because he was annoyed by loud alley loiterers.

It was another great day, out and about near our Virginia home!