Are you fond of the afterlife?Ghost tour guide
Have you always been curious about the time after this life and what really happens? Do you crave interesting anecdotes and stories about ghosts? If any of these was answered with a positive, I have an activity that I think may be interesting for you. In Old Town Alexandria, Virginia you can, on a nightly basis, schedule a fun evening outing on Alexandria's Original Ghost and Graveyard Tour.
I had the opportunity to experience the tour about a month ago. It was especially interesting for me, because I was so very new to the area and anything I could learn would help me. I didn't know Old Town at all and to see it close up and in the dark was fun. One aspect that simply is impossible to enjoy about old towns like this one during the day, is simply the lighting, or lack there of. The streets and sidewalks have a different feel to them with the sun long since over the horizon. With the authentic gas lamps adorning the streets, flames dancing continuously, lighting the walkways, our tour was a visual cornucopia of days gone by.
When I decided to go on the tour, I had no idea what to expect. I only knew that the idea of ghosts and the afterlife makes me smile and immediately gets me interested. We, my cousin's son Aubrey and I, arrived on the street at the starting point of the tour just as two tour groups were gathering. The streets were pretty packed anyway, but the addition of the tours told me that this place was 'alive' and I liked it.
We all split up into groups of about twenty and headed off, following our guide, who was decked out in authentic colonial garments. What I learned right away is that this was going to be a casual stroll around the streets taking in stories about the area and its past. We listened as we carefully walked the sidewalks of cobblestone to the tour guide and he regaled us with stories of past commoners, the elite and lovers' misfortunes in their last moments alive. He also gave interesting facts about the area and some of the buildings that were currently unoccupied, giving some detail as to why this may be the case.
Old Town Alexandria, VA
We didn't go in any of the buildings or businesses that he spoke of on the tour, but did end in a graveyard with yet another surprising story that the tour guide experienced. This story drove home to us, not only how much he believed in what he was doing, but also that the tour itself was worth the time. Want to hear his story? Call and set up your own ghost tour. You won't be disappointed:
703-519-1749, or email [email protected]
An interesting trend that I have noticed here in the Alexandria, Virginia area, since recently moving here, is the existence of walls along the roadsides. These walls that I refer to are the thick greenery keeping the details of what lie on the other side a secret. I've seen this used in a couple of other places in this country, that I recall and it's a telling feature. It either says to me that there's something beautiful on the other side or just someone who wants a bit of seclusion.
I completely understand the desire for these barriers and they actually possess a bit of beauty themselves, if they are maintained properly. They can be either appealing visually or otherwise. No matter what they look like, their function to conceal what is on their backside, is usually achieved.
In the Ladue and Town and Country neighborhoods of St. Louis county, these adorn many a road side. The chateaus just beyond are a visual treat and only minimal amounts of what is actually on the other side is revealed, peeking over the tops of the hedge or tree wall. These dividers are also used in between property lines on the side yards to create a permanent barrier.
Here in Alexandria, I have seen not only the thick dark and light green hedges used as these walls, but also many different types of trees. Another use for barriers here is that of a flowering shrub. The difference of color between these, truly bring out personality in what could be otherwise very dull and not too creative visually, but still very much effective. The effectiveness of this landscape addition, truly is the most important aspect of it. But, knowing that there are so many different options when it comes to selecting this type of wall, makes this kind of fun.
Are you worried that you'll never have the privacy that you long for soon enough? Are you thinking - it'll take 30 years to get what they have? Well, that's just not true. Some of these landscape additions will grow as fast as 3-8 feet high - each year. The growth in width will vary depending upon selected type. This speedy growth includes such plantings as dense hedges, colorful shrubs and trees that aren't all trunk, but those that will provide actual wall-like privacy all the way to ground level.
Are you ready to add this type of feature to the edge of your property or anywhere else in the yard? Did you know you can order this right now as you sit there on your couch in your pajamas? If even you are just a bit curious, here is the address to a site chocked full of ideas and solutions:
www.fast-growing-trees.com/willowhybrid.htm
What does Playoff Time Feel Like?
I am a huge baseball fan and I love rooting for my team, The St. Louis Cardinals win or lose. I count down the days until Opening Day every off season and absolutely love the tradition involved with the scene at Busch Stadium every year on Opening Day, watching the Clydesdale's and motorcade of players. This time of year, however, is quite different than any other in the world of sports.
Fan expression of opinion (2006)
Hockey and football are well underway and the playoffs just started for major league baseball. It is quite an awesome feeling I get when my team clinches the division championship, which has happened three years in a row now. The feeling after winning a World Series and going downtown to watch the parade in the streets of St. Louis can't be beat by anything. But, the ride itself is special. The 162 game marathon with it's nuances is entertaining, to say the least. I don't say this just to throw out phony alternative feelings to the high I get being a fan of my team, but the road to the playoffs is genuinely thrilling.
The highs and lows that are thrown at us as fans of the game are at times almost too much to swallow. The feeling that is thrust upon us when our favorite player is helped off the field because he just crashed into the wall and hurt himself, maybe severely is not something that can be manufactured. These guys that I root for I will never know as friends, but they sure feel like it after all these years.
K Michael Nesbitt at the game
I have the shirts, bobble heads and ticket stubs to display proudly proving, yeah - when we lost in 2004, I was there. The extreme emotional swings that this ride takes me on is what it's all about. Knowing that somewhere out there in this vast world there is another fan thinking just as much about their team hoping they beat us tonight it - well - awesome! I love seeing all the opposing teams shirts, jerseys and pennants with all of their different color schemes. I don't hate the other teams at all. I used to have those feelings towards the opposite teams and their fans, but years ago I figured it all out.
Without the other teams, we simply wouldn't have the sport and more importantly my team. The importance of fans and their support can never be fully appreciated. Fan support in baseball is directly related to the success of the franchise and vice versa. It is also directly related to the level of effort at times of the home team. Crowd support at home and quality upper management of the team's funds make a team either successful or otherwise. I am extremely lucky and happy at the same time that I have an ownership group in charge of my team that is so tirelessly in tune with improving this team. Year in, year out, the squad is ready to go.
This season is a perfect example of how things can go with the right amount of support from a fan base and ownership group. The crowds that packed Busch Stadium this season and enjoyed many an evening at Ball Park Village, just over the left field wall, have put this franchise, once again, in a great position financially for next season. Options that otherwise wouldn't exist simply have become normal for this team. If we need to make a big splash to acquire a free agent, if he has proven himself worthy, we can. If we need some help from down on the farm, we have youth ready to come up and contribute to the big league squad. This point is well appreciated when I see a season like this past one go by. The amount of severe and repeat injuries to key players this season was unbelievable. What's more unbelievable is the success that we enjoyed in the standings, despite this. Wonderful control of the day to day operations of the team by the ownership group has allowed this to happen. What's more, we still have a chance to win. The players who took the spots of integral regulars in the lineup, make this franchise the success that it has been for years. Because of this, the team is poised to be just as successful for years to come.
All of this, the ownership preparation and fan support is focused on getting to today, the playoffs and a battle with a divisional foe looking to change their history - forever. Tonight is game four of the NLDS and the Cardinals have their backs against the wall, a familiar spot for us. If we get past tonight successfully, game five at Busch will be tense for sure. If the opposition wins out this evening, I will tip my cap and congratulate them. This game is one constant in my life and I'm happy to embrace it as I have. The love of the game was given to me by my parents at an early age and it's not going away any time soon. Are you playoff ready?
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.
New Alexandria House
Olde Belhaven is near Old Town Alexandria VA
Olde Belhaven Towne in Alexandria
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.
WaterfrontDid 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 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
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
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.
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Here in Alexandria, I have seen not only the thick dark and light green hedges used as these walls, but also many different types of trees. Another use for barriers here is that of a flowering shrub. The difference of color between these, truly bring out personality in what could be otherwise very dull and not too creative visually, but still very much effective. The effectiveness of this landscape addition, truly is the most important aspect of it. But, knowing that there are so many different options when it comes to selecting this type of wall, makes this kind of fun.
Are you worried that you'll never have the privacy that you long for soon enough? Are you thinking - it'll take 30 years to get what they have? Well, that's just not true. Some of these landscape additions will grow as fast as 3-8 feet high - each year. The growth in width will vary depending upon selected type. This speedy growth includes such plantings as dense hedges, colorful shrubs and trees that aren't all trunk, but those that will provide actual wall-like privacy all the way to ground level.
Are you ready to add this type of feature to the edge of your property or anywhere else in the yard? Did you know you can order this right now as you sit there on your couch in your pajamas? If even you are just a bit curious, here is the address to a site chocked full of ideas and solutions:
www.fast-growing-trees.com/willowhybrid.htm
Alexandria also has many condos for sale. We've taken the time to sort these by price as well. Check Alexandria condos for sale to find condos sorted by price.
Here in Alexandria, I have seen not only the thick dark and light green hedges used as these walls, but also many different types of trees. Another use for barriers here is that of a flowering shrub. The difference of color between these, truly bring out personality in what could be otherwise very dull and not too creative visually, but still very much effective. The effectiveness of this landscape addition, truly is the most important aspect of it. But, knowing that there are so many different options when it comes to selecting this type of wall, makes this kind of fun.
Are you worried that you'll never have the privacy that you long for soon enough? Are you thinking - it'll take 30 years to get what they have? Well, that's just not true. Some of these landscape additions will grow as fast as 3-8 feet high - each year. The growth in width will vary depending upon selected type. This speedy growth includes such plantings as dense hedges, colorful shrubs and trees that aren't all trunk, but those that will provide actual wall-like privacy all the way to ground level.
Are you ready to add this type of feature to the edge of your property or anywhere else in the yard? Did you know you can order this right now as you sit there on your couch in your pajamas? If even you are just a bit curious, here is the address to a site chocked full of ideas and solutions:
www.fast-growing-trees.com/willowhybrid.htm
