Scenes from a (Pre-Hurricane) Walk in Alexandria

One of my favorite things this summer has been walking from my apartment down to Old Town Alexandria.  It’s just so cute down there, and there’s even an awesome waterfront that’s perfect for reading a good book. 

Since I have nothing else to occupy my time right now, I’ve been spending a lot of time down there.  So I thought you might enjoy seeing snapshots from my walk to and from the waterfront!  It’s all the little everyday things that caught my attention, so you can get a feel for the whole journey.  There are probably more pictures than you actually care to see, but I’m feeling reckless so I’m posting them all. Also, I literally have nothing else to do.

I know this picture isn’t very exciting, but I’ve decided that if I were going to buy a building in Old Town I would buy this one, no question.  It’s bright blue!  A gelato shop just opened in it.

Fun fact: George Washington brought produce from Mount Vernon to this square.  There’s still a farmers market there today.  It has delicious peaches.

There are a lot of hibiscus here, which seems kind of weird to me in Virginia.  But I still like it, so I won’t complain.

One of my goals in life is to see a movie in this theater.  It was built in 1914, with a theater and a dance floor.

The best bookstore here.  It’s really hard to not give them all of my money every time I walk by.

I walk by the Masonic temple 70 times a day.

And a bonus section!  Answers to questions you might have right now:

1. Hurricane status = It just looks  like a normal rainy day for Oregon right now.  The wind is barely starting to pick up.  Kaitlin just texted me and said her power went out in Richmond already though!  I have a box of Lucky Charms, a chocolate doom cupcake from Baked & Wired and a stack of library books, so I’m ready for anything.
2. Tuesday’s earthquake = I was on the way to the library in Old Town when it hit.  It was entertaining.  Except then they closed everything, which was annoying.
3. What I’m doing with my life = I don’t know.  Still in DC, doing a lot of sleeping, reading and Netflixing.  And wandering Old Town.

*song = Mumford and Sons’ The Cave.  Excellent storm music.

And Then There Were More Fireworks…

So, in case you haven’t picked up on this fact, Old Town Alexandria is super cute. 

Here is another piece of supporting evidence: the Saturday after the 4th of July was Alexandria’s birthday celebration.  It featured the Alexandria Symphony playing on the waterfront while fireworks went off and we ate free cupcakes.  I went with Emily, one of the other Wyden interns, and it was absolutely perfect.

*song = Bohemian Like You by the Dandy Warhols.