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One Tank Trips: Exploring Old Town, Alexandria & Richmond, VA!
We know you all are feeling the pain of very expensive gasoline, and we are too! We also have families who pine for travel to far off exotic places, but the economics of such travel aren’t in tune with the reality of our wallets – we need quality travel close to home!
With that, Automotive Rhythms launches a new series of reports called “One Tank Trips,” based on reaching the destination on one tank of fuel from our Silver Spring, Maryland headquarters. For our first in the series, we headed just south to neighboring Virginia, a State rich in history, with great amusement areas and a big city full of friendly surprises!
I teamed up with my road warrior daughter, 16 year old Eden, and our chariot, a 2008 Honda Accord Coupe, to take the journey. After contacting the Tamra Talmadge-Anderson of Virginia Visitor’s Bureau in Richmond, she put us in touch with Laura Overstreet of the Alexandria Visitor’s Association, and Laura Beck and Katherine O’Donnell of the Richmond Visitor’s Bureau, and we were set with an exciting and informative itinerary.
Our first stop was in Old Town Alexandria, a mere 30 minutes from AR headquarters, which will soon celebrate its 260th anniversary. Many original structures are still standing, and some sections of original cobblestone streets are still laid. Walking through the picturesque area is like truly taking a step back in time. You can almost see the daily commerce taking place in this vital port town, you can smell the air wafting with the scents of the day, food from markets, flowers from tilled gardens, and yes the sweat and tears of African Americans who toiled as slaves during Alexandria’s early years.
To find out more about the history and plight of blacks in Alexandria, we visited the Alexandria Black History Museum (ABHM) at 902 Wythe Street. There, we were greeted by Director Louis Hicks who took us on a step-by-step journey of blacks throughout the Town’s history. The building that today houses the ABHM was constructed in 1940 as the Robert Robinson Library, the African American community’s first library.
Detailed, moving displays portray the “Middle Passage” of slaves from Africa, life for those living in slavery, life after slavery, and the civil rights struggles of the 50s and 60s that continue to this day.
Be sure to allot several hours at this museum, and several hours to visit other historic sites, such as the Freedmen’s Cemetery, the Watson Reading Room (adjacent to the ABHM). The Alexandria African American Heritage Park, Market Square (a former slave auction site) and many others.
And there are myriad other historical sites to visit in Old Town including the Fort Ward Museum and Historic Site, the Friendship Firehouse, the Old Presbyterian Meeting House and the George Washington Masonic National Memorial, a towering structure at the head of King Street that overlooks the grandeur of this superb travel destination.
And of course, there are fun things to do in Old Town as well. Into art? Then visit The Torpedo Factory, a building constructed in 1918 to manufacture torpedoes, and now home to more than 84 working artist’s studios, six galleries and educational facilities. Want to learn how things are patented and trademarked? The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Museum has a fascinating display on the history of the process. For the kids, there are scavenger hunts, skate parks, bicycle tours and more to keep the interest of your young ones piqued.
And we must eat! For dinner, Landini Brothers at 115 King Street (Old Town’s main drag) is a must! Housed in an historic building, you feel like you are dining in the 1700s. The food is superbly and freshly prepared with Italian specialties highly recommended.
After our overnight stay at the comfortable Crowne Plaza Old Town at 901 North Fairfax Street, we were ready for day two in Old Town! We visited with Joe Youcha of the Alexandria Seaport Foundation (ASF), whose motto is “Doing Big Things with Small Boats.” Through the building and use of wooden boats, the ASF helps young people turn their lives around and provides families, community groups and schools educational, social and recreational experiences. We viewed several wooden boats under construction by talented teens, who often use the skills gathered to enter other construction professions.
After visiting the ASF, we toured the many boutiques and galleries along King Street. If you don’t like to walk or want to access Old Town by the Metro subway system, there is a free Trolley that runs the full length of King Street. One shop we were mightily impressed with was M&M Fine Art and Antiques. What impressed us the most were the great prices for the well executed pieces the shop features! Owner Michael Ross showed us around and really made us feel at home. They’re located at 1001 King Street. Old Town has myriad other merchants who will make you feel equally welcome.
While at the far end of King Street, we stopped in the Westin Hotel for lunch at the Jameison Grille and a tour of the impressive guest rooms. In the entry foyer is an enormous wooden clock built by James Borden from a Benjamin Banneker design! Thanks to Eleanor Brown and Bruce Sorenson of the Westin and his team for a fun tour!
Later that day, we headed back to the docks of Old Town, to take the Water Taxi to National Harbor, a brand new riverfront “town” on the Maryland side of the Potomac River. For $14 roundtrip, you can take the taxi and visit the many shops, restaurants and hotels at National Harbor. We visited the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center, the East Coast’s largest combined hotel and convention center. And the Gaylord is spectacular! It features a soaring 18 story atrium with a rooftop private lounge for hotel guests, 470,000 feet of flexible function space, and 2,000 guest rooms and 108 guest suites.
Inside the atrium, it’s like a bit of Old Town was transported across the Potomac, as two replicas of Colonial era shops and farmhouses serve as focal points. An indoor water fountain performs on the hour in a symphony of 37 water jets that shoot water 50 feet high to special music. Thousands of live plants, four featured restaurants and abundant shopping are additional Gaylord highlights. Thanks to Amie Gorrell of the Gaylord for a great tour. Will be sure to spend more time at the Gaylord when our One Tank Trips take us around Maryland!
Since everything in Old Town is within walking distance of a free shuttle ride away, we still had a nearly full tank when we headed further south to Richmond, about 90 minutes from Old Town.
Eden and I didn’t quite know what to expect from Richmond, as it is often called the “Heart of the Confederacy.” With such devotion around some parts of the South to what was an act of treason against the U.S. Government, we wondered what we could learn on our travels. The answer is “way more than we ever expected.”
The first thing that strikes you about Richmond is the people. Everywhere we went, shopping, riding public transportation, walking in historic districts like Shockoe Bottom, everyone was sooo nice! Sorry Maryland, you are my home State, but I sometimes feel like an alien at home. Not so in Richmond.
We checked into the Doubletree Hotel at 301 West Franklin near Virginia Commonwealth University, an area with beautiful restored homes and a revitalized Broad Street downtown area now bustling with trendy galleries, restaurants and nightspots. Hotel General Manager John Cario and his staff were pleasant and very professional.
After lunch at “Comfort” on Broad Street, Eden and I headed out to the Virginia Capitol in downtown Richmond. Beautifully manicured grounds and statues and displays chronicling Richmond and Virginia history can be found here. And the Governor’s Mansion abuts the Capitol grounds, an historic residence in this city founded in 1607.
1607! So much about this city is about history, so the next morning, after breakfast at Perly’s Diner, we headed to the Richmond Visitor’s Center, a repository on everything you ever wanted to know about Richmond and also Virginia. Here, helpful folks will help you layout an itinerary to keep young and old happy while vacationing.
Laura Beck of the Richmond Visitor’s Bureau set our morning itinerary with a tour that forever changed my view of the City. Twice each day from the Visitor’s Center, Segway of Richmond hosts Segway guided tours of Richmond. Don’t know what a Segway is? It’s one of those two wheeled, robot looking contraptions you see security riding at airports and local shopping malls. We were on new, second generation Segways that were incredibly easy to learn how to ride. Lean forward to go forward, lean back to slow or stop, and lean left or right to turn. After a five minute demonstration by Buck Ward and Ales McArthur of Segway of Richmond, we were on our way!
To say the tour was incredible would be an understatement. I’ve been to 49 countries, and have seen and done many special things in my lifetime, but this experience allowed us to get up close and personal with Richmond. I’d spent a few years visiting the City in the early 80s, and really got a chance to see how it’s grown over the last 25 years. The tour costs just $65, and last for 2.5 hours. Alex explained the Richmond view on the Civil War that at least let me know how the Confederacy views it, and why there are so many memorials to it in Richmond. Eden and I felt like a part of history, as we retraced the steps of great Americans, including President Abraham Lincoln. This tour is a must do! And you don’t have to be a youngster to enjoy it. Our ride partners were older and had as much fun as we did. The tour not only visits historic sites, but also takes you through the revitalized Shockoe Bottom historic district, now a major entertainment and retail hub. You can contact Buck and Alex at www.segwayofrichmond.biz.
After the ride, we headed to “Bottoms Up” Pizza in Shockoe Bottom for a great deep dish treat. Later, we took a Canal Boat ride, also in Shockoe Bottom. The Canal area recently underwent a $52 million restoration and our tour in a canal boat along the 1.25 mile route exposed us to more history about Richmond, including history on historic floods that have hit the City over time. If you don’t like boat rides, you can also walk the Canal route.
Later that evening, we visited Carytown, another historic and trendy area of the City that boasts fine shops, galleries and restaurants. We enjoyed fine French cuisine at the Can Can Brassiere (3210 W. Cary Street), including our favorite French Onion Soup.
Richmond is a day’s drive from half of the U.S. population, and is a vibrant hub for the State. NASCAR Racing is here; King’s Dominion amusement park, Virginia Beach, and Williamsburg’s Colonial District are very close by. There are many walking tours in Richmond as well. You can contact the Richmond History Center at www.richmondhistorycenter.com for more details. If you are into extreme outdoor sports, then you should know that Richmond is the only U.S. city to offer Class IV whitewater rafting!
From the Byrd Theater, to the Edgar Allen Poe Museum, to statues honoring tennis legend Arthur Ashe (a Richmond native), there is something for everyone in Richmond!
We very much enjoyed our stay in Old Town and in Richmond. There is so much to do in both places! Thanks to the fuel sipping nature of our Honda Accord, we got home and still had a half tank of fuel! On our next visit to this beautiful State, we’ll head to Charlottesville, Virginia Wine Country, visit Rappahannock and see what else this gem among fifty states has to offer!
For more on Old Town, visit: www.visitAlexandriava.com & www.Thefunsideofthepotomac.com
For more on Richmond, visit: www.visit.Richmond.com
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