Old Town Alexandria VA - Historic District - King and Washington Streets is the Hub
(Pictured Above - Union Street Pub) lit up at night...One of Old Town's popular watering holes and restaurants...a little off the beaten path... King Street is the main "retail" street. It's where most of the stores, restaurants and hotels are located.Old Town Alexandria VA is easy get to--- and easy to get around in -- because Alexandria VA is so small.The main intersection is King Street and Washington Street. How easy is that!
King Street is also where the Metro Train is located, so I want you to consider it "home base".It runs West to East, from The King Street Metro Station to the Potomac River. King Street is where you'll find most of the tourist foot-traffic.(Our Street that is nearest to The Potomac River, by the way, is called "Union Street.") Washington Street, which intersects with Union, runs North to South.Washington Street is a wide street, and some of the coolest stores are located on Washington Street, tucked away from the hustle and bustle.Washington Street becomes "The Parkway" --- George Washington Memorial Parkway to be specific.
Washington Street runs from National Airport to Mt. Vernon (George Washington's Estate and Gardens).Washington Street also continues North past the Airport, but you don't need to know that, unless you want to go to Great Falls Park, or you want to drive into Washington DC.Washington Street South, ends at the Mt. Vernon Estate and Gardens. The Historic District keeps its historic charm because home and business owners are forbidden to change the architecture of their buildings.The rules in Old Town Alexandria are not very strict, compared to other historic areas.Our rules are regulated mostly by common sense. It is "voluntary" compliance. What I mean by this...is that people who live in the historic district, do so, because they love the colonial charm. And residents want to keep it "charming". The City of Alexandria does not dictate what style of street lamp or door hardware to use, but they do strictly enforce architectural conformance. You're not allowed to change the shape or appearance of a building and windows. For that offense, you'd get into BIG trouble... Some people think the city dictates the colors of paint used for the homes. Not quite true. City code suggests that in colonial and historic times - vitually all colors were used, except purple. Occasionally a "purple" shutter, front door, or even painted townhouse occurs because a purple-loving-home-owner can't control the urge... What I've seen, is that the "authorities" turn a blind-eye to the blemish...knowing that in the future, the color purple will be replaced by a color more authentic. Right now, besides purple, I can think of an "aqua" house in old town, which sticks out rather prominently. Apparently it's perfectly legal...and neighbors have to accept that each homeowner has a right to express their preferences.
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