LOTRHP

Hi All,
I've never been to Alexandria and unfortunately don't know much about it, except that it could hopefully be a lovely place to visit. I will be staying in D.C. for a few days and thought Alexandria could might make a good day trip, if I had more info to go on. What do you think of Alexandria?

My Brother went there for the day but he didn't seem overly excited by it and didn't give me too much details. But our tastes sometimes differ so...

Basically, I love to go shopping--particularly jewelry crafts (not 'antiquing'), go to fun restaurants, see beautiful historic architecture, walk around charming areas...would Alexandria be a great place for a full day of all that? Is Alexandria a 'must see' when visiting D.C.?

I would be using public transportation and will be staying near Georgetown. If you do recommend then what's the best way to get to Alexandria? I'd heard there was some kind of boat service too...

Would love to hear your likes or dislikes and general impression of Alexandria. I'm looking for a fun day trip outside of D.C. so I was thinking this might be it. Really appreciate everyone's help and feedback. I look forward to hearing from you helpful Fodorites. Thank you.

beanweb24

Based on the preferences you describe, I would think Old Town Alexandria would be a great stop for you. The buildings are beautiful, and it is a fun area to stroll. You should definitely check out the Torpedo Factory art center while you are there:

www.torpedofactory.org

There are a number of good restaurants in Old Town...what types of food do you like?

Budman

Old Town Alexandria would be a great day trip. You can reach it by taking the Metro to the King Street Station. It's a 7-8 block walk to the Old Town area from there, but it's a nice leisurely stroll with shops and restaurants on both sides of the street.

I agree with beanweb24. The Torpedo Factory would be right up your alley. If you looked at a map of the area, it's a block or so up from the river.

I think it would be a great place to spend the afternoon and evening with dinner, and heading back after dinner.

wyatt92

Old Town is definitely worth the trip. Great shops and restaurants. There are some chains but a lot of independent stores which is great. There's a Cosi and a Chipotle if you want to grab something quick to eat.

LOTRHP

Thanks for the great responses. Yes, I'm definately interested in independent stores, no chains.
As far as food that I like--seafood, italian, continental, eclectic American, Brazilian, Cuban...

beanweb24

Here are a few restaurants to browse.

Landini Brothers (Italian). www.landinibrothers.com

Stardust Restaurant (modern American). http://www.stardustrestaurant.com/

Taverna Cretekou (Greek). www.tavernacretekou.com

lisatravels

Here's another vote for Old Town Alexandria - it's one of my favorite places in the greater DC area. In fact, we often stay there and take day trips into DC. There is a historical walking tour - you can pick up a map at the visitor cetner. There are many beautiful old buildings.

KathyK

We ate brunch on Easter Sunday at Vermilion which is at 1120 King St. It was very good and the service was excellent. I'm not sure what their dinner menu is like, but the website is www.vermilionrestaurant.com.

wyatt92

If you like Thai food, I recommend Mai Thai on King St. Great space and some of the best Thai food I've ever had.

rb_travelerxATyahoo

I love Alexandria and especially enjoyed my stay at the Embassy Suites. It's a great place to visit.

However, if this is your first visit to DC, you might find the things to do IN DC more than enough in only a few days visit. That said, I would definately recommend it for some nighttime activity ... and return if you find yourself bored during the day with all that DC offers.

polyester

The Old Town area of Alexandria definitely sounds like something you'd like. Lots of local shops with a sprinkling of national chains. For dining, if you like Greek/Mediterranean, 100 King is fantastic, reasonably priced and family friendly. Restaurant Eve is amazing if you want to seriously splurge. Majestic Cafe has kinda nouveau comfort food, if that makes any sense. And there's plenty more to choose from. If you're staying in Georgetown, consider taking the water taxi between there and Old Town. I think it's about $20 round-trip for adults and about half that for kids, and you get a mini history lesson on the way. You can get coupons for discounts at www.potomacriverboatco.com.

LOTRHP

Thanks again for all your enthusiastic responses in favor of Alexandria. I actually have been to DC a few times so its always nice to hear about where else to visit in the area.
I love the idea of going on historical walks, appreciate hearing about all the restaurants and other Alexandria activities, as well as transportation ideas (particularly the water taxi--would love to hear more impressions on that versus the 'ease' of the train)...

If you have any more info you care to share on all this, it's much appreciated. Thanks again!

allison04

I live here and love it. You definitely want "Old Town" Alexandria (along King street, east of the Metro station, down to the water)--maybe your brother wasn't actually in Old Town? I second the Torpedo Factory, and it's right on the river, so you can stroll around there too.

See funside.org for some info.

rb_travelerxATyahoo

There's a visitor center on King Street between City Hall and the Torpedo Factory - stop there for suggested self-guided walking tours of the city, and for guided walking tours, hosted by a costumed guide. The self-guided ones are great, and the AAA guidebook has some too.

We (3 of us) took the boat from Alexandria to GTown and ended up walking back to Dupont Circle then taking Metro back to Alexandria ... I think we had to buy round trip tix for boat, but you did NOT have to return on the same boat - they gave tickets for a later one. The dock in Alex is adjacent to the Torpedo Factory.

It was difficult giving away our return tickets .. people distrust anyone giving things away & thought there was some catch to it; we just didn't wish to see the tickets go to waste since we wouldn't be using them.

There is "DASH" bus service between King Street Metro and the city hall area. In past years a free bus on Fridays & weekends ... if offered this year it's probably noted on the website Allison04 recommended.

LOTRHP

Old town it is! Sounds really interesting. Will be sure to go to the visitor's center for the self-guided tour or get the costumed one.

In regards to the boat cruise--how long did it take you? Did they do a narrative tour? Would you do it again instead of taking the train to Alexandria?

I'll be staying in Georgetown so I guess I can go by either route. The scenic water route sounds seems to have a lot of potential.

LOTRHP

Anyone else like to share? Would love to get more input.

beanweb24

I've never done it, but I would much rather do the water taxi between Alexandria and Georgetown than the metro. Metro is really not the most convenient. Closest metro to Georgetown is Foggy Bottom (about 10 min walk from heart of Georgetown), then the King Street metro in Alexandria would require you to catch a bus to Old Town (or a long walk). Also, the water taxi would be very scenic!

LOTRHP

Great! Any more suggestions on where to eat? Cafes? Restaurants? Fun restaurants with music?

Thanks for your feedback.

beanweb24

Have you discovered www.washingtonian.com yet? They offer a TON of restaurant reviews sorted by cuisine, neighborhood, best value, etc.

What kind of music? There are some good Irish pubs and a karaoke place in Alexandria.

In DC, my favorite restaurant is in China Town/Penn Quarter area -- Zaytinya. www.zaytinya.com

LOTRHP

Hi Beanweb,
Washingtonian's helpful but it doesn't have categories like cafes','breakfast places', 'coffee houses', 'restaurants with music'.
Well I like traditional Irish music, violins (had that at an Italian place in Georgetown, wish I remembered the name...), piano that type of stuff (no rock bands or karaoke).
Any suggestions?