Sunday, April 28, 2013

Culture in Alexandria and Washington DC


Sampling the cultural riches of greater Washington DC

After a peaceful night on the hook in Mattawoman Creek, we arrived in historic Alexandria. Perhaps it is unfair to compare the great towns of Savannah and Charleston with Alexandria since each has unique character and beautifully preserved architecture. But, from this cruiser’s perspective, Alexandria’s old town is the near perfect stop. We docked at the foot of King Street – the main drag – directly behind the Torpedo Factory which has been repurposed as art studios and galleries for hundreds of working artists. There is an 18 mile paved trail that runs along the Potomac here with the section in downtown Alexandria including the wharf area at the end of our dock. We found folks, jogging, relaxing and walking their dogs early in the morning to late at night. One of the best features for me in this area is all the people who live here. This is not a sterile empty city, but a lively and lived in historic district.  Of course, the shopping was plentiful from big names, “Ross,” to the unique, “Lucky Knot”. (I still don’t understand that name.) La Cuisine was a tiny overstuffed kitchen store which Steve did let me enter – dear boy does like to eat. We toured the Carlyle House – the stone home of one of Alexandria’s founders and an early mover and shaker. The events and meetings in that house were turning points in the move to eventually break with England. The high-handed treatment of locals by the English army was another contributor to the growing anti-British sentiment. Many of the early residents of Alexandria were Irish and Scottish who came to the Americas to escape English oppression at home and were less than thrilled to experience second class treatment once again at the hands of Red Coat troops. In addition, the British commander,  who arrogantly dismissed the settlers’ advice and advocated they pay for their own defense, planted the seeds for the taxation that was the final straw in alienating the colonies. We also visited the tavern where George Washington dined when he stayed in his town house. This complex includes the ballroom with music loft where Jefferson celebrated his inaugural ball. While grand, the room was not large for such a prestigious event reminding us how times have changed. Besides shopping and history, Old Town has every type of cuisine known to man. We could not resist eating out more often than normal. The Lebanese lunch and Thai dinner were standouts. The Bread and Chocolate bakery deserved several visits. Who can dislike a town where warm chocolate croissants are a few blocks from the dock? And, from a cruisers perspective, the perfect place needs to include handy grocery stores. Both a Whole Foods and Trader Joes were convenient, either an easy walk through delightful streets or a ride on the free trolley.








 








 
Actually our time in Alexandria was not all devoted to tourist activities. Sadly a virus crashed our PC and we needed to find the closest Geek Squad for repairs. This was an adventure in itself. We were lucky that the local Dash bus service would take us from the end of the free trolley to the Potomac Yard shopping center and the fine geeks at Best Buy. After a little more than 24 hours they had us back up and computing with the latest anti-virus software ticking along. All it took was money.  The bus driver felt so sorry for us when we reappeared for the ride back, she let us ride free. We were spared another bus adventure by Mike Green who generously ran us out to the Best Buy to retrieve the PC and hauled our propane tank to the refill station. These extra trips took us out of the Old Town area and proved this is a great city not just for boaters.

 


Dragging ourselves away from friend like the Greens was hard, but we chugged about five miles further up the Potomac to the Washington Channel and dropped the hook. A call to the Harbor Marine Police confirmed we could stay here so we signed up for temporary membership at the Capital Yacht Club where we have access to their locked dinghy dock, showers, Wi-Fi and friendly people. There is a fish market next door with crab legs, lobster and shrimp either fresh or cooked to order – of course a number of restaurants like the famous Phillips crab house are on site and best of all, the Smithsonian museums are a short walk up the hill. Our view includes the Washington Monument, the Capital Dome and a constant stream of tour or crew boats in the channel.  We are tickled to be anchored among some of the best free culture our country has to offer. Our cultural experience included a concert by the Smithsonian Jazz Orchestra in the auditorium of the National History Museum – just a short stroll from our boat. Then, we were entertained by a free concert – at least free to us – which was in the outdoor stadium on the waterfront. While most anchorages are scenic this one – nestled between a park on one side and the heart of DC on the other is totally unique. The redevelopment plans include installing mooring balls in this area which will allow more boats to tie up in less space and keep the channel open for the tour boats.
A few pictures of our wanderings in DC gardens, monuments, and museums: