Alexandria, Virginia

Around the beginning of March, my wife and I took a trip to Washington D.C. it was a work trip for her. But, we decided to tack on a couple of days for ourselves. So, instead of spending money on each other for Valentines day, we used the money to go to Alexandria, Virginia. This photo essay is about Alexandria. I will do one on D.C. later on. We really loved Alexandria.

Alexandria Virginia is one of the oldest towns in the country. It is about 20 minutes from D.C., and is where a lot of history took place.  Robert E. Lee, John L. Lewis, and Jim Morrison lived in Alexandria.

Alexandria is right on the Potomac River, and has a beautiful river front. It is home to the largest working art museum in America, located inside an old torpedo factory.

Old Town Alexandria is full of history. Every where you turn there's a plaque on an old brick wall talking about who did what in this building. We ran across the home of Robert E. Lee, John L. Lewis, and Gadsby's Tavern which has served dinner since 1770, and served most of the founding fathers. The historic district is full of art museums, restaurants, and shops of all kinds. The seafood was delightful.

We went to George Washington's Mount Vernon, which was where the General has his working farm. It was a wonderful place.

This is the back of the General's house. When you arrive, you purchase a ticket to tour the house. Then, they move you through it and you end up outside here in the back yard. This porch is lined with rocking chairs that overlook the Potomac.

This is the view from the porch. The government has purchased all the land on the other side of the river, in order to ensure that the view remains exactly as Washington would have seen it.

This is Washington's Tomb. I was surprised, because compared to Lincoln's Tomb. Washington's is very modest.

After you see Washington's Tomb, you can go down another path, through this arched entry, that leads to where the enslaved people who worked the farm, were buried on a hillside. There was no marker until research was done to find where they were. It's hard to reconcile the fact that the father of our country who fought for freedom, and helped create the Constitution, had slaves and buried them in an unmarked grave, like they were old mules. But, I guess that a lot of rich powerful people have buried poor workers in unmarked graves throughout history, regardless of skin color. Why should he be any different? Some people sit in luxury, while others suffer and die to keep them there. That happens today, as much as it did back then.

This is the sculpture that is in the visitor's center where you first come in, and buy your ticket.

This is the wharf at the bottom of the hill below the house. It sits on the Potomac. Washington had a pretty good spread. He loved farming, and put every part of his land to that use. It's a pretty awesome farm.

This is the mill where the grain was threshed out. Washington spent time designing it to make sure it served his needs.

While in Alexandria, we also visited Frank Lloyd Wright's Pope-Leighey house.

We try to find Frank Lloyd Wright houses every place we travel. This one is one of my favorites.

This is the view from our hotel in the morning over the Potomac. We stayed at the Hotel Indigo, right down on the river in Old Town. The art, shops, and restaurants are all in walking distance and the river front was right behind the building. It was delightful.

Alexandria, Virginia, has something for everyone, and we will be going back if able. We like the idea of spending our money on travel instead of wasting it on getting presents for holidays. If you calculate how much you spend on presents, going out to eat, and all of that it's a pretty good chunk. Then, if you spend some time trying to figure out how to make your money stretch, it's easy to travel more.  You only live once. That pretty piece of jewelry will sit in a box, long after you are in a box. Go live life.