Jaybird's Jottings

Take Me Out to the Brewery

Almost from the beginning, major league baseball and beer have gone hand in hand.   Six years after the National League got its start, the flow of suds began in 1882 when the American Association initiated a ten-year challenge to the National League. Financed by brewers in St. Louis and Cincinnati, “the Beer and Whiskey League” sold beer at their nearby saloons and at the games.

The American Association failed, but beer and ballgames remained leisurely partners.  The latest chapter in this aspect of the national pastime is the rise of craft breweries located near big league ballparks.  Fans in Washington and San Francisco who love a good beer or two before or after a game are looking forward to the opening of a brewery located within a few blocks of their respective ballparks.   In both cases, each of these sure-to-be popular establishments will set up shop in a restored historic building and will help spotlight a burgeoning part of their city, as well as a revitalized waterfront.

Nationals fans will get the first taste when “Bluejacket” (the name is a nod to sailors), rolls out its barrels this summer.   The beer maker's home will be the Boilermaker Shops, situated about three blocks from Nationals Park. Last week The Washington Post wrote about Bluejacket’s approach to making craft beer, which will fall under six different types.  

Featuring lots of glass and brick, the renovated two-story building lies in the heart of “The Yards” section of the Capital Riverfront neighborhood.   It’s a foregone conclusion Bluejacket will become a popular Nats fans hangout before the game, and could very well remain the premier place for such activity.

Giants fans are excited about the news that Anchor Brewing will serve up their beer just south of their ballpark in the Pier 48 building.    The brewer, a San Francisco treat since 1896, will become part of the Mission Rock (which honors the rock outcropping buried below Pier 50) redevelopment project just south of the Giants ballpark.   Anchor is aiming for a 2015 opening.   Plans include a beer museum.      

In both cases, the breweries will tap into a tradition of the cities’ maritime heritage.   Bluejacket sits about halfway between Nationals Park and the Navy Yard.    In its heyday, the yard was the Navy’s largest shipbuilding and shipfitting facility.   In addition to the Boilermaker Shop, workers toiled at the Lumber Shed, the Pattern-Joiner Shop and the Gun Assembly Building.    All four of these have been adapted for re-use, and will help define the waterfront neighborhood one mile south of the Capitol.

At the Boilermaker Shops, Bluejacket will be joined by Nando’s Peri-Peri restaurant, Buzz, a popular bakery with two locations in Northern Virginia, and other eating establishments.   The Pattern-Joiner Shop, just two blocks from Nationals Park, is now the 170-units Foundry Lofts, which includes Potbelly Sandwich and Kruba Thai and Sushi.   The Lumber Shed, also two blocks from the ballpark and situated along the waterfront, will feature lots of glass and a variety of restaurants.  The Gun Assembly Building, renamed Factory 202, will become a 271-unit condo.    

The Capitol Riverfront neighborhood is about halfway through its 15-year build out, with 2,800 residents, 35,000 employees, 223,000 square foot of retail, and several parks already in place.   Mixed-use projects are on tap for the block just north of the ballpark, and will likely include a watering hole or too.   Until then, Bluejacket looks to rule the roost.

Mission Rock, unveiled last April, will become part of the growing Mission Bay neighborhood south of the Giants waterfront ballpark.    If you’ve been to a Giants game, and wandered out past McCovey Cove, you stood where Mission Rock will rise up.   Like Capitol Riverfront, it will feature waterfront parks and mixed use.   The Giants, who are financing partners, are touting Mission Rock as the “heart-beat of Mission Bay.”    Giants fans have plenty of options for beer-drinking, but most are on the north side of the ballpark.   

Tailgating was a popular tradition at Candlestick Park, as well as RFK Stadium.    Those days have given way to sipping at a watering hole near the ballpark.   Bluejacket and Anchor will soon become part of this great new tradition.

Sir, permission to come aboard!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Road Trip: Charles Town and Shepherdstown

“Chaaarles Town!”

If Washingtonians heard that come-on once, they heard it a thousand times, in the first decade of this century.   And wasn’t the message tantalizing?   Fistfuls of cash, winners grinning ear to ear, about an hour away - who could resist the siren song?

Us.

But their advertising blitz planted a seed in my mind – although Charles Town is in West Virginia, it’s closer than you think.    I put it on our radar and out we went on Sunday.

Every town has a unique story or two, and Charles Town is no different.   We’re introduced to Charles Washington, the youngest full brother of George Washington, and the town’s founder.   We step where John Brown was jailed, tried, convicted, and met his maker.   We choose from over a dozen and a half historic landmarks.  We discover Ranson, a lesser-known twin to Charles Town.    And we see once again nature’s beauty.

Charles Town, population 5,250, the county seat of Jefferson and part of the Washington region and economy, is about 70 miles northwest of Alexandria.   On the drive in on Highway 9, the uphill climb dramatically ends with a drive over the Shenandoah River, and an awe-inspiring view of West Virginia’s Eastern Panhandle.   

 

Here are the highlights of our trip.

Town Founding

George Washington had five brothers and one sister (Lawrence - half, Augustine - half, Samuel, John Augustine, Charles and Betty).   Charles was born at Mount Vernon in 1738.    In 1752, he inherited some of the land Lawrence owned in what we know today as the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia.    Charles moved from Fredericksburg around 1780 and built his new home he called, “Happy Retreat.”

A half dozen years later he laid out the town (80 acres on ½ acre lots), and paid tribute to his family members by naming streets such as George, Washington, Lawrence, Samuel, and Mildred (his wife).  Virginia awarded the town official status in 1787, known first as “Charlestown.”   Liberty and Congress streets are obvious patriotic tributes, and Charles did not forget himself.

Town Square (George Street and Washington Street)

Main intersections in towns and smaller cities are a mixed bag.    The history fan learns to realize that not every corner can contain the original buildings.

Charles Town deserves some kind of an award for the intersection of George and Washington.   It’s not the names so much as all four corners have legacy and/or public buildings.   

Jefferson County Courthouse, NW corner

Ah, the County Courthouse, you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all.

Maybe, but in Charles Town, the Jefferson County Courthouse holds a big story or two.   In 1859, John Brown was tried here and convicted of treason.   Four years later, the building was destroyed by Confederate artillery. After eight years in Shepherdstown, the government returned in 1871 with a new structure.  In 1922, William Blizzard was charged with treason and murder. 

Market House/Charles Washington Hall, SW corner (first photo)

Circa 1806 a structure was built at the southwest corner.   The first floor was used as a market space and its second floor had an auditorium as well as meeting rooms.  Like many places in Charlestown, the market house was completely destroyed during the Civil War. 

It was initially replaced by a number of frame buildings.  Town fathers decided to construct a more permanent building and in 1874 Charles Washington Hall was built.  Since then the Hall has been home to the United States Post Office and to a number of restaurants and businesses.  We saw a sign for a Chinese restaurant, closed until March.    That juxtapostion seemed odd, but all those lawyers have to eat somewhere, right?

Jefferson County Jail, SE corner

The U.S. Post Office is here now, but in 1861 the county jail occupied this corner.   Brown and the six co-defendants spent time in it before and during their trial, and until they left to meet the hangman.   

During the Civil War, the jail was destroyed and was rebuilt in 1873 after the county seat returned to Charlestown.  That building was torn down in 1919 and the jail was moved to the southeast corner of George and Liberty Streets.   In 1920 the United States Post Office was constructed on the former jail site and has been there ever since.

City Hall, NE corner

In 1908 the building here was demolished and replaced by the Farmers and Merchants Deposit Bank.  The Bank of Charles Town purchased the property and moved there in the 1930's.  Today the building houses the offices of the City of Charles Town.

Jumpin Java, 109 W. Washington

We are on a serious winning streak when it comes to great coffee places on our road trip destinations.   Jumpin Java keeps that streak intact with their Black Dog Coffee.  I had the Organic Bali Blue Moon.  As we speak, I sip and relax to a great taste.   The digs for this place are a bit worn down, but very friendly folk and cozy in its own way.

Visitor’s Center

Just steps from the Courthouse on N. George Street lies the Visitors Center.  Its in an old firehouse, thus the winding steel staircase.   We walked in and were greeted by a helpful and friendly faced man who answered all our questions.   When the better half inquired about nearby Shepherdstown, he recommended The Press Room for brunch.

 

 

 

 

Shepherdstown

Shepherdstown is about twenty minutes away.   We passed through Ranson and then enjoyed the nice Sunday drive.   A thing like that is a thing of the past in the big city, so we cherished the moment.

 

The Press Room

The man was right, a fantastic restaurant at 129 W. German Street.  The newspaper font for the sign outside hinted at something special.  A tip of the hat to owners Mike & Deb Luksa, who restored what was once a harness-making shop.    In the short hallway to the restroom, you can find two framed front pages of The Independent, which ran its printing press and operations here.   The six column approach packed a lot on the front page in those days.

Next door lies The Opera House.  The two make a lovely pair.

All in all, a lovely trip.   Certainly not enough time but enchanting nevertheless.    We did see the gaming hall and hotels from the road, but we put our money into the hands of the townfolk, who showed us a good time.    Thank you Chaaarles Town!

Because It’s Cold and the Budget Sequestration News is Gloomy

With winter and stubborness holding on here in Washington, we we need warm thoughts.  This year, we are going to kick off our coverage of the Cherry Blossom Festival with a couple of items.

March 23^rd marks Japanese Culture Day at the Library of Congress. The events are being held at the Thomas Jefferson Building, the main one directly across from the Capitol.  We’re intrigued by this one.

Lecture by Ambassador John Malott
Thursday, March 28, 2013, noon to 1 p.m. 
Ambassador John Malott lectures on the history of the 1912 gift of cherry trees from the City of Tokyo to Washington. 

If you’re like me, you only know the basics, the roles played by Eliza Ruhamah Scidmore, First Lady Helen Taft, and the couple team of David Fairchild and Marian Bell.

Earlier this year, I met Diana Parsell.  She is writing a book on Scidmore, who came up with the idea to plant cherry trees in Washington.   While we wait for her book, this lecture will tidy us over.

Rob DeFeo, the long time soothsayer has retired from his annual duty of predicting the peak days.  Historian James Perry steps in.  He will announce the all-important dates in early March.

If you’re a Nats fan, the peak weekend might extend into Monday, when the home nine are scheduled to lift the lid on the season, hosting the Marlins.

Ah, comfort and warmth...

New Tenant in Historic Building in Old Town Alexandria

631 King, which occupies the northeast corner of King and N. Washington in Old Town, has a new tenant.   Bumblefish Sushi gives way to Francesca’s, a boutique with five other locations in the area.    

We’ve yet to hire a fashion editor, so we’ll leave that aspect to our friends at Old Town Boutique District.

We’re interested in the architecture and history of this building, a place that gets a lot of visibility, but little attention.    In the summer of 2010, when I was conducting my survey of commemorative markers, I spotted the historical plaque placed on its King Street side.   It only has a few words, nothing that hints at its importance to the city.  

On Friday, after I noticed the sign for the new tenant, I came home and googled “Alfriend Building.”    A piece written in the Alexandria Times, part of their “Out of the Attic” series, popped up.   As usual, a fantastic research job by the Office of Historic Alexandria.   

Intrigued, I also pulled down my copy of “A Seaport Saga, Portrait of Old Alexandria, Virginia,” and got some good info there.

The marker does this place no justice at all.   First of all, it is unique.   The article describes it as a “row-end” with a Georgian façade.   Old Town has several structures in the Georgian style, but only a few are row-ends (not sure where the others are located.)

Secondly, 631 King is the sole survivor at this intersection, perhaps the busiest in the city for both pedestrians and vehicles.   During the 1960’s urban renewal programs, and during other times, both Washington and King Street lost some crown jewels and historic buildings.   Modernization is important, but this showcase junction was hit hard, losing three of four places.  

In A Seaport Saga, co-author William Francis Smith laments the loss of the drug store that stood on the northwest corner (now Le Pain Quotedien).   On the southeast corner, now Banana Republic, an old building housed the first home of the Episcopal Theology Seminary.   Francis Scott Key was one of its founders. 

On the southwest corner, now a Cosi, a lovely three-story building graced that spot.  B.F. Price built it in 1879.    George McBurney set up shop and sold imported and domestic wines and teas, and brewed fresh coffee.    The second floor hosted “fashionable dances and festivities.”  In the 1920s, Frank Howard established Howard’s Grocery.  

The Alfriend Building has several names.    The Historic American Building Survey titles it the John Gordon Home.   The marker says erected in 1796, but Smith and Miller note it was around 1799.

The Library of Congress photo also labels it the John Gordon Home.   The photo shows four tenants - Burke and Herbert Bank, a Watch Repair, Jules Hair Stylist and Greyhound Bus Depot.

Shortly after he finished building the home, Gordon sold it to Amos Alexander.   Smith and Francis refer to it as the Amos Alexander Building.  In the photo from their book (1925, the Loeb Collection), the building is occupied by an auto part store.   A bus from the Alexandria Barcroft and Washington fleet is parked on the Washington side.

In the years to come, the deed changed hands several times before Dr. Robert South Barret, husband of the esteemed Kate Waller Barret, purchased the property in 1955.  In the same year, Lila Alfriend then bought it, and made some exterior improvements.  The HABS form notes it is believed the effort made it appear as originally constructed.

We wish the new tenants all the best.   Perhaps they would be willing to help pay for a new marker, one that reflects the rich history of this fine building.  

 

 

 

 

Visit to Bowie

Oh, Bowie, how I misjudged thee!   Visited your south side a handful of times, suburban sprawl and chain restaurants.  Little did I know you have a charming north side, dotted with historic places, parks and wetlands.

Yep, we cruised over to Bowie (“Boo-eee”) last week.   My previous visits to this bedroom community about five miles east of the Beltway were to see the AA Giants at the Bowie Baysox.   Always enjoy going there, a very nice ballpark, but otherwise, not much to write home about.

When I was planning out this trip, one of the first things I noticed about Bowie’s Old Town was its shape.   The vast majority of towns in our area are laid out in the grid system.   This part of Bowie is too, but it offers several asymmetrical twists.   Lanham-Severn Road runs on a straight line from the Beltway before making a boomerang-shaped turn that crosses the railroad tracks.   The MARC service line (the nearest stop is at Bowie State) cuts through the center of town, forming a north and south side.   The locals must love the peace and quiet provided by the no through streets.

Choosing to see the south side first, we parked at the corner of 11^th and Chestnut, the town’s small center of gravity.    Steps away are the Visitor’s Center, Railroad Museum, Old Bowie Town Grille and the Fabian House.

 

Visitor’s Center

A docent greeted us, a courteous gentleman who took the time to answer all our questions.    The welcome center presents the history of the town in a most excellent manner.   Published works for sale include, “Town of Bowie, Maryland, 1870-1960,” and “Baltimore and Potomac Railroad, The Pope’s Creek Branch.”   Available gratis is, “The Historic Town of Bowie, A Self-Guided Tour.”   

Also, when we inquired about more information on Collis Porter Huntington, the docent was kind enough to make a copy of an article by Stephen Patrick (“Huntington Section of Old Town Bowie Shares a History with the Transcontinental Railroad).”

When it comes to small towns, or large for that matter, I’m always interested in how the site was chosen.   In Virginia, the basis was often proximity to the water or an old Indian path.   Bowie’s roots were planted in a different manner.   Patrick’s article and the Pope’s Creek Branch booklet by John M. Wearmouth touch on this.   A provision in the Baltimore and Potomac Railroad Charter allowed for a spur line to Washington, as long as the distance was less than 20 miles.    The junction of the spur line to the nation’s capital and a mainline to Southern Maryland created a crossroad rail community.   Congress granted permission for such a railroad into Washington, D.C.  It opened July 2, 1872.

 

Huntington Railroad Museum

In the 1850s, the Bowie family, prominent in Maryland politics, created the Baltimore and Potomac railroad.   The line was laid down after the Civil War.   In 1870, developer Ben H. Plumb purchased the farmland and laid out the lots.   Advertising pamphlets touted the new town as “Huntington,” named after Collis Porter Huntington.    The railroad magnate had grand designs for a line from New York to Florida, then to San Diego and finally Sacramento.    Poor financial times in the 1870s wrecked his deal.   In 1883, the town asked the Maryland legislature for a name change.   They went with Bowie, named after the family.    

Trollies rolled into town starting in 1908.     MARC serviced here until 1989, when the station was dropped and Bowie State University added.   The museum opened in 1994.  

  

Shops and Eats

We saw nary a chain in these parts, and sure didn’t mind.  Next door to the welcome center, you can find some good eats at Old Town Bowie Grill.  A bit too dark on the décor, but friendly service and decent grub.   

Ice cream and a comfy parlor setting await at the Fabian House, a few steps from the main intersection.    The house was built in 1896 for the Joffe Family who operated the Joffe General Store.

Pressed for time, you could skip the other side of the tracks but that would mean missing Mama Cocoa’s Delights.   Lovers of chocolate, we didn’t.   Walking in, we spotted Tamarra Thomas behind the counter, the owner and a Bowie resident, who I had seen recently on News4.   She won the “Sweet Genius” contest on The Food Network.   

There’s a lot more to see in this part of Prince George’s County, so we really just whet our appetite.   With the chocolate melting in our mouths, we headed back to Virginia with good thoughts.   Bowie, we’re pleased to say, is much more than just a boring suburb!

 

 

The Hour of Peril

A young widow, America’s first female detective, teams with a legendary private eye to try and uncover a plot to assassinate the President of the United States.    A cauldron of his enemies vows he will never make it to Washington alive.  

Sounds like fiction, but “The Hour of Peril, The Secret Plot to Murder Lincoln” by Daniel Stashower is anything but.   He deliciously details the true story of the “Baltimore Plot” to kill President Lincoln in 1861.   After he won the election in November, Lincoln made his way to Washington on an Inaugural Train.   With stops in Indiana, Ohio, New York, Pennsylvania, and Baltimore, the tour took place February 11-23. 

There is a moment of crisis early on in this page-turner.   After discussing Lincoln and setting the stage of this most turbulent of times, the author turns away from Lincoln to Allen Pinkerton.   Stashower traces his humble beginnings as a cooper to the most famous detective in the country.   Not to worry, though.  The author will have you in his grip in no time, and moves back and forth to Lincoln and Pinkerton.

Pinkerton came from Scotland and the school of hard knocks.    He fell into the profession when some businessmen near Chicago hired him to try and hunt down counterfeiters.   With scars on his arm from two bullets giving him street cred, he built the Pinkerton National Detective Agency into an empire.   His services foreshadowed what we know today as Security Protection.

Pinkerton had the instincts for choosing the right kind of person that would make a good operative.   In 1856, he hired Kate Warne, a 22-year old widow, making her the first female private eye.    Stashower notes, “There is no precedent for Kate Warne.”   Warne was not only brilliant in her duties, she headed up Pinkerton’s recruiting drive to hire other women.   

This aspect is another early turn in the book that picks up the speed.   Pinkerton emerges around this time as a “station master” on the Underground Railroad.  About six months before he was hung in Charles Town, West Virginia, the fiery abolitionist John Brown knocked on his door with a group of hungry and tired runaway enslaved persons.    Pinkerton and his wife not only provide shelter and food, he walks onto a stage at a meeting and boldly holds out his hat for money.   $5,000 is collected and given to Brown.

At this point in the book, the reader is anxious for the pursuit.   Stashower sets things up by explaining why Pinkerton and some of those around the President so much feared Baltimore.  150 years on, we may scratch our heads and ask – Baltimore, that hostile to the President-elect?  

After all, Charm City is almost 150 miles north of Richmond, and the Ravens are in the AFC North.   In those days, however, Maryland was a slave state and Baltimore’s population was over 200,000, fourth largest.    Street gangs and unrest gave Baltimore the nickname, “Mobtown.”   The state song, written in 1861, pulls no punches on its feelings toward the President and the Union.

It wasn’t just the numbers Pinkerton feared.    Baltimore leaders peered into the future and saw an empire.   Stashower quotes Horace Greeley:

In a confederacy composed exclusively of the fifteen slave states, Baltimore would hold the position that New York enjoys in the Union, being the great ship-building, shipping importing and commercial emporium…

Baltimore supplied both the muscle and money to do harm to the President.   Many there did not support violence, but at this time, seven states had already seceded.   Fear fueled a desire for action, the worry what Lincoln might do to the South and their way of life was in the air.

The only criticism I have of this book is the absence of a map showing the two different train stations in Baltimore.    

Note:  Stashower will speak at One More Page in Falls Church this Saturday.  

 

 

 

Whatever Happened to the Washington Reporters

Washington, D.C. is a city of museums and tourists, local and federal government, politics and scandals.  Washington is also a city of reporters.  Lots and lots of reporters.   For those who study the media, this credentialed army provides a great opportunity for oral histories and insight.  Paradoxically, however, not a lot has been written about those who bring us the news.

Enter Stephen Hess.   A Senior Fellow Emeritus (not sure what that is but I bet it takes a lot of work and a long time to achieve it) at the Brookings Institution, and author of the new book, “Whatever Happened to the Washington Reporters, 1978-2012,” he spoke on Thursday night at Politics and Prose.  The Valentine’s Day audience was smaller than usual, but one got the impression we were a close-knit group of news junkies who wouldn’t miss this one for the world. 

After writing “The Washington Reporters” in 1981, Hess authored five other books on how the press operates, a series he calls “Newswork.”   Drawing on this knowledge and a career that includes Presidential advisor, the author spoke confidently and warmly.    He noted this book is the final in the Newswork series.    Assisted by his staff of research assistants, he followed up on the 450 reporters he interviewed for the 1978 book.    Searching far and wide, they made contact with 90% of the group.   283 responded.

Listening to Hess was immensely enjoyable.   As he wove in and out of analyzing the media today and the press of the past (a distinction he makes in his book), I tripped down memory lane - Bruce Morton, Ike Pappas.   In the audience were Marvin and Bernard Kalb.  

Hess deserves much credit for not falling into the “good ol’ days” trap or pandering to the audience.     Although he rightfully noted that some bloggers work without an editor, he praised this method of reporting.    Forgive me for the ageism (he was born in 1933), but I thought it rather cool when he used the term aggregators, and understood all the new technologies.

Hess noted that despite the long hours and at times, low pay, many reporters have kept their badges for 40, 50 years.   Polls reflect our low opinion of the press right now, but I’ve learned to admire and appreciate the work they do.   

I’m off to read his book, which looked great in my preview.    And for the record, let me duly note my valentine, knowing how much I love this topic, issued me a special pass to attend the event.    

 

 

Old Town Alexandria is great, but could it be even better?

Readers of this blog know how much I love Old Town Alexandria.   And it’s because of those strong feelings that we’re going to take a cue from “Greater Greater Washington,” and look at how the City can be even better.

Here then is a set of recommendations, specifically for Old Town.   Where possible, we’ll provide best practices examples.

 

A Great Independent Book Store

Given the uncertain state of the book publishing industry, this recommendation seems rather odd.   But on my visits to towns and cities in the region, I have enjoyed the fact that many of them have an excellent used book store.

Alexandria is perennially identified as a city with the most readers, so it’s a paradox that Old Town does not have a nice used book store.    The historic district does have a few, but they’re not in the same class as some great ones in places like Annapolis and Fredericksburg.

The indie bookseller has to go beyond just books, and sell coffee, and hold community events, and become a third space.    

Best practices:  "Read All Over" in Fredericksburg

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Improve Market Square

Market Square is great for events and the farmer’s market is a grand tradition that must continue.   But let’s discuss what small improvements can be made to Market Square. 

I have an idea to get the ball rolling.

How about a statue for George Washington?     And some potted plants, small landscaping improvement – something to add some flavor to this historic spot.

 

Turn 100 King into a Museum/History Store/Cultural Center

The reason I rarely complain about Old Town is the knowing I might be stepping on the foot of a friend or colleague.   But I can’t hold back any longer on this one.   The poor treatment of the Historic Alexandria Museum Store needs to be addressed.  

A couple of months ago, it was moved to the Lloyd House, then moved back.    The hours are very limited, which also frustrates visitors.   I overheard a couple the other day who wanted to buy some things but couldn’t because they were closed.

Why not put the Museum Store in the 100 King Street spot, which has suffered from the “Curse of 100 King,” which refers to the failure of restaurants at this  corner spot.

100 King, originally known as the “Corn Exchange Building,” is one of the most beautiful buildings in the City.   Every time I see it, I think about the Fredericksburg Area Museum and Cultural Center, which commands a corner position.   It’s a fabulous old building that contains collections, exhibits, programs and events.    

100 King could be the permanent home for the Alexandria Museum and History Store.   Visitors and tourists could learn about the museums in the city.   A small café could be the answer when Starbucks and Firehook’s lines get too long and chairs fill up.

Best Practices:  The Cultural Center, Fredericksburg

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pedestrian Only Areas

Used by vehicles, trucks, pedestrians and cyclists, the intersection of King and Union turns into a maelstrom in the warmer months, a disaster waiting to happen.   

On peak weekends, it needs to be blocked off.

 

 Waterfront

I wrote about the waterfront the other day.

Bottom line is that is extremely frustrating to walk along the waterfront at places like West Point and Lumley Point, knowing the roots of the city were planted there, knowing all the stories that could be told about it, and yet I wonder if I will not be around to see any of it.

Conclusion

Old Town Alexandria is a fabulous neighborhood and a wonderful place to live and visit.   It citizens and workers are warm and friendly, and when it comes to historic preservation, the City is a nationwide model. 

But as the old saying goes, one cannot rest on their laurels.    

Alexandria is great.  Let’s make it can be even better!

 

 

 

 

The Air Force Memorial

If you’re in a hurry, a wrong turn at the maze of highways and roads around the Pentagon can prove to be a real headache.    Fortunately, the better half and I were not in haste when we made a wrong turn there yesterday morning on our way to Clarendon.

Long story short, we ended up where the eastern end of Columbia Pike ends at the Pentagon.   That put us by the foot of the Air Force Memorial.    As someone who wore the blue uniform for 17 years, I was surprised we had not visited there.

Even at that point, we were still unsure where to park.   Staying on Columbia Pike, we headed up the hill towards Washington Boulevard.  There on the right, before you pass by the Navy Annex, is the small parking lot.  

Thank you serendipity and thank you to Mary, a very nice manager with the Air Force Memorial Association who invited us to the gift shop and gave us some insight into their mission.  

Here are the photos.  All I can say is this memorial really shines once you are there.    And of course, we salute all airmen, past and present!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Book Update

In his classic book, "What Color is Your Parachute?," Richard Bolles observes that finding a job is a series of "no's," followed finally by a "yes."    Having been turned down by four local publishers, I can draw the parallel.

(The working title of my book is, “A Walking Guide to Old Town Alexandria, Virginia:  Featuring Over 275 Historical Markers.”) 

Leaning towards the self-publishing route, I had a meeting yesterday with Don Hakenson, author of six books, all self-published.   Our conversation sealed the deal.    I will be joining my brother and sister as salespersons.

This development clears a mental road block.   Publishers work under the “Don’t-Call-Us-We’ll-Call-You” method.   I can understand why they have to operate that way, but it’s no fun when you’re waiting on the other end.    When the silence remains even after you follow up, the message is loud and clear.  

Satchel Paige once said, “Don’t look back, something might be gaining on you.”   I’m beginning to see the wisdom of that.    In this case, that means move on and accept the new challenge ( Heaven knows our world could use a lot more of that).

Anyway, Don was a great help, so thank you friend.   I will add that his books can be found at hmshistory.com.   His latest book is, "A Tour Guide and History of Col. John S. Mosby’s Combat Operations in Fairfax County, Virginia."    This marks Don’s sixth book related to the Civil War.   I’ve enjoyed reading “This Forgotten Land.”  It earned Don the 2001 "Nan Netherton Award," presented by the Fairfax County History Commission.