A Couple of Things to Like about New Alexandria

What's the draw for New Alexandria? New Alexandria, is nestled between the George Washington Parkway and Fort Hunt Road. Adjacent to the Belle Haven Country Club and Golf Course, this quaint little neighborhood of Alexandria, Virginia is in a great location. It is just down the street, less than a mile from Richmond Highway (US Route 1), providing easy access to the interstate. It is as well right along the edge of the Potomac River, boasting beautiful views and inviting paths for recreation and fitness. This town is also located perfectly within short driving distance of Washington DC, Old Town Alexandria, Mount Vernon and National Harbor. If sports are your thing, this is a great location in which to live. This neighborhood is within 1.5 hours driving distance of home venues for the following teams The Baltimore Ravens and Orioles, The Washington Redskins, Wizards, Capitals and Nationals and more just another hour or so further away. The location of this town also allows access within a few hours of Virginia Beach, Virginia and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to name a couple. The condominiums and homes located in New Alexandria have personality and character dripping from their multi-leveled roof lines. If you have the chance, drive down some of the streets and enjoy a visual vista of charming and elegant properties throughout. One of the wonderful things about this town is that the front and backyards of each property seems to have personalities all their own. With the mostly well-manicured lawns, flowers, flowering shrubs and magnolia trees all over the place, it is indeed a tranquil walk through the neighborhood. There happens to be no lack of visual attraction. Interesting is a good word to describe the multitude of different property layouts. Not too many of the homes look alike and this adds to the charm. As for the condos in the area, they are well-appointed inside and have character of their own on the outside. The charming townhomes facing the Belle Haven Golf Course on Belle Haven Road remind me of the view on both sides of the road walking up to Wrigley Field in Wrigleyville, Chicago. The big difference is the lack of noise, lack of traffic and thankfully, lack of misguided baseball fans here in Virginia.  

Belle Haven

in Fairfax County VA

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Things That I Appreciate Walking the Old Town Waterfront

waterfront
Waterfront
Did I enjoy spending some time walking along the waterfront? Many beautiful things are available to gawk at in Old Town Alexandria in Virginia.  This aged town in the northern part of the state of Virginia offers many inviting things to people.  Besides high-end real estate and historic, quaint streets to walk down and enjoy, it offers another wonderful thing to us - the waterfront. Old Town Alexandria just happens to not only be in a beautiful part of the country, but also right on the edge of the Potomac River.  This gives it the additional charm and desirability that so many cities and towns long for.  This aspect of Old Town draws many a visitor from all over country and all over the world.  The history of Old Town itself is enough to get people here, the waterfront may just make them stay.
Waterfront Park in Old Town
Waterfront Park on the Potomac in Old Town
Along a leisurely stroll on the Potomac I was able to smell something that I like very much - water.  The very smell of the river beckons me and makes me feel like I am in a very special place.  Water has, since the beginning of time, been a very important and vital part of any economy and way of life.  Without it, the town would be quite different and much less populated.  Besides the smell of the water, I also was able to smell greenery - trees, fragrant shrubs and the very smell that is associated with that of the earth, much more pleasant than the smell of steamy, oil soaked concrete. While strolling along the waterfront, just hearing the water sounded pleasant to me.  Whether is was sounds coming from a wake created by a sail boat happily cruising by or just the soft laps upon the rocks at the waters' edge.  Sounds of water have always been soothing to me and adding to it the visual wonders of the place made it that much better. Knowing that I think so much of the water makes it easy to understand why this place draws so many people.  This is a great place to enjoy a meal, watch the boats on the water,  view some fabulous artwork or just grab a favorite Nook book and delve into it waterside on a bench.  The atmosphere is not stuffy, so as to push you away, but just the right pleasant feel to draw you in and not let you go. Looking for a way to enjoy an evening in northern Virginia?  Stop in a the waterfront of Old Town Alexandria.  It won't let you down.

Old Town

homes and condos for sale in the Old Town area of Alexandria VA

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Did I Hate the Workday Commute on DC Metro?

Is the Orange Line during working hours worth the hassle or not?  My experience on the DC Metro is not what you would consider veteran - like, but I do have an initial thought or two as to what this would be like in my every day routine. When I rode the DC Metro Orange Line I was heading from Rosslyn to Ballston.  It was only a small portion of my overall trip that day.  This, although a short trip in the grand scale of things on the Metro, told me a lot about the trips that I would take in the future.  The work day is somewhat of a challenge on the Orange Line, but nothing out of control.
Rosslyn has lots of condominiums to chose from
Rosslyn has lots of condominiums to chose from
What I experienced in the ride was a packed car, but a quick transit.  It's getting on the car that was the challenge.  Not that there weren't cars arriving, it's just that with the time between cars was about ten minutes or more and you didn't always get on the first one.  Sometimes I looked to my left and right and saw the corridor of the rail way packed all the way down to the wall on both left and right sides.  As soon as the next car revealed a glimpse of its fuzzy yellow headlights, the surrounding people looked up from their iPhones and dashed inside to secure a spot on the car. This is in no way as packed or crazy as it is in Chicago on the L, but there is a chance you could wait for up to twenty minutes to get on the way to your destination, or maybe just the next stop on the way to yet another.  All in all, I found it to be cost effective, but a bit frustrating for a person used to traveling in a vehicle.

In {Location_Name} who sets the price?

Agents at Nesbitt Realty understand that no matter what you've been told Realtors in {Location_Name} really have no control at all over the real estate market, only the plan behind marketing. Our Realtors never determine the asking price - the seller does. We can provide Realtor advice, but the seller makes the final decision. This not only applies to the list (asking) price, but it especially applies to the selling price. By the same token, we cannot control the offer price.  We can only present the offers that are actually made.  None-the-less, if the seller does things right and takes each step by step, together we’ll set a listing price in the right area and have no problems selling your property. [Learn more about selling your property]

What is the Potomac Saying to You?

Time to Get Active? What I have noticed, which I admit didn't take a lot of thought to realize, about the Potomac River is that it is appreciated.  This appreciation doesn't just come from my seeing it and saying, "Wow, that's beautiful."  It comes from much more and here in the Alexandria are many reasons why. The closer you get to the water of the Potomac River, the more beautiful things get.  The closer you get to the water, the more expensive the homes and condos are as well, for the most part.  It is easy to see when driving along the George Washington Parkway, which opened in 1932, to understand why this is true.  The drive alone is  a serene route along lush green trees situated just in front of the blue expanse of the Potomac.Path by Potomac I don't know what it is saying to you, but when I drive along this roadway on a Saturday morning, it screams - get active.  So many things in this 2015 world bed of us to be more and more lazy.  That's just not the case with nature.  On a daily basis you can ride along the Parkway and see many people getting out doors and walking or jogging along the paths that stretch the length of the Parkway. Just as many bikers take advantage of the paths to attain their higher goals in fitness.  Seeing these people out there is a motivating thing indeed and truly makes me feel good inside.  It tells me that the country is still wanting to better themselves.  They just need a bit of help to get there and that's where the beauty of nature comes in.  I believe there is a lot to be said for jogging or riding a bike next to a beautiful river alongside lush greenery. The alternatives are boring and non imaginative, not to mention a bit dangerous.   Trying to get this workout alongside the roads surrounded by concrete and hundreds of cars on their way back from picking up the kids from the ball game and dance studio with the kids screaming in their ear only inches from your intended pathway is not what I call fun. That's what makes the path by the Potomac and it's beckoning beauty the way to go.  Take a walk or jog along the river, admire the beauty of nature and the beauty of the homes situated close by.  Doesn't this look like a wonderful place to live?

Life near the Potomac


Search for water-oriented homes in Northern VAAre you seeking a water-view or waterfront home? Try our map search below.

Water-view homes for sale in Northern VA

Waterfront homes for sale in Northern VA

All photos courtesy of Russell Poe.
Pokey
Russell "Pokey" Poe

Will Nesbitt sold another!

Find a place to live near TISCOM / Coast Guard base at Alexandria, Virginia

Updated 10/10/15 The Coast Guard Telecommunication and Information Systems Command or TISCOM sets office just near Hayfield in Fairfax County Alexandria Virginia. The Command is the Coast Guard’s lead developer of voice and data communications systems by developing modern digital communication networks and integrating computer technology in the Coast Guard’s daily routine. TISCOM provides telecommunications, electronics and information systems that support the Coast Guard. They are organized into 10 divisions :
entrance to TISCOM
Entrance at U.S. Coast Guard's TISCOM
  • Administration
  • Ceremonial Honor Guard
  • Facilities Engineering
  • Workstation Engineering
  • INFOSYS Operations
  • Information Assurance
  • Telecommunication Operations
  • Network Engineering
  • Radio Systems
  • Defense Message System or DMS.
All the 10 divisions have their own department divisions as well, carrying out various duties assigned to them. The TISCOM team of engineers,technicians and support staff focuses on solving today’s information technology problems by timely and quality service to the field. TISCOM is in Fairfax County near Alexandria VA. For those who work at TISCOM there are many communities to choose from.
USCG
This USCG station is near Hayfield in Fairfax County VA

TISCOM communities to consider

Hayfield

Hayfield is a quiet community without the hustle and bustle of traffic or noise. It is located between Newington and Franconia, just a mile away from TISCOM. Beautiful trees and landscaping offers a relaxed and laid back feeling for professionals. Although Hayfield may sound secluded, it actually is close to the city for commuters. There’s just so much to do for leisure at Hayfield. The Hilltop Driving Range is ultimately close as well as the Golf course for a relaxing game of golf. Those who wish to get more of nature can visit Huntley Meadow Park down south. And the shops at Kingstowne Towne Center cater to all shopping needs. Telegraph KinderCare for the little ones is a walk away and so are Hayfield Elementary and Hayfield Secondary. To Find Homes in Hayfield

Franconia

Southwest of Alexandria in Fairfax County, Franconia is just 3 miles away from TISCOM. Franconia has access to the metro at both the Franconia/Springfield Metro Station and the Van Dorn Metro Station. Other transpiration options would be the Metrobus, Virginia Railway Express and other local as well as regional bus line. Franconia borders Fort Belvoir and most of Kingstowne, Hayfield, Manchester Lakes and Windsor Parks.

Kingstowne

Kingstowne is a subdivision of 22,000 acres of housing including 5,400 homes shared by 3 villages – North Village, Middle Village and South Village in Franconia, Alexandria. Kingstowne definitely is a neighborhood where residents can choose from condos, townhouses and single family homes. The community itself can make use of the various amenities offered:
  • 2 Fitness Centers / Gyms / Aerobic Studio
  • 2 Swimming Pools
  • Multi Purpose Courts
  • 22 Hiking / Biking Trails
  • 3 Community Centers
  • 24 Toddler Centers / Play areas
Residents find it quite accessible to the Metro’s Blue Line at the Springfield – Franconia Metro or the Van Dorn Metro.

Huntley Meadows

Huntley Meadows Park can be found in the Lee District on the southern part in Fairfax County. Huntley Meadows is 4500 acres of natural treasure that makes forests, wetlands and flower filled meadows creates a more outdoorsy nature loved environment for residents. TISCOM is just 3 miles away from the park making the area around Huntley Meadows.

Belle Haven

Just 5 miles away from TISCOM, Belle Haven is a luxurious and prestigious neighborhood in the south of Alexandria. Belle Haven overlooks the Potomac River and the Belle Haven Country Club. A wide variety of homes can be found here such as cottages, townhouses, manors, houses and luxury homes, all within an arm reach of parks and country clubs away from the hustles and bustles of Northern Virginia.

Huntington

TISCOM is a mere 5 miles away from Huntington where various styles of homes attract people to stay. The Huntington Metro Station on the Yellow Line provides efficient commuting for residents. Hunting Creek Club and Huntington Club are good options for those on a budget who want easy access to the Metro. Jefferson Manor offers little well-built brick townhouse with easy access to the Metro.

Mount Vernon

8 miles from TISCOM, Mount Vernon is located in the southern part of Fairfax County along the Potomac and toward Old Town Alexandria. Mount Vernon's hills, streams, lakes and forest provide a beautiful landscape. Many homes have views of the Potomac River. Historical sites such as George Washington’s plantation as well as Gunston Hall and Hollin Hill. A variety of parks, restaurants and retail stores are all located nearby for residents’ convenience.

Rose Hill

This suburb is 3 miles out from TISCOM and is located close enough to DC by commute. Rose Hill has wide accessible streets with ample unrestricted parking.

Lorton & Fort Belvoir

Lorton and Fort Belvoir are 7 miles from TISCOM located in Fairfax County, south of Alexandria. Lorton is further from the culture, opportunities and activities of Northern Virginia, but cheaper than you'll find in the city.

Homes for sale in Hayfield near TISCOM