Area Attractions
Have you seen this truck?
March 31st, 2009 Categories: Area Attractions, Arlington Dirt
So yesterday I was meeting a fellow realtor for a bite to eat - it’s always nice to get together and share our ideas on the marketplace, what’s working, what’s not, and have a good laugh or two swapping war stories! I got there a little early (and by the way, for anyone who’s curious Ray’s Hell Burgers on Wilson Blvd in Arlington is NOT open, I repeat NOT OPEN for lunch on Mondays!) and while I was waiting, the writing on the truck caught my eye:
So I thought to myself – wow – interesting tag line indicating the developers are solid, building solid structures, and confident in their abilities.
Anyway, it was a sunny and windy day and I was wandering while I was waiting and I found myself on the other side of the truck and here’s what I saw:
Now I don’t know about you - but I had to read it twice. About this time my colleague joined me and we both said “does that say what I think it says?” Very interesting strategy and I’m still confused by it. And of course, the icing on the cake was the back:
Ok – so my pledge to you is:
99% of the time I’m early – to me on time is the new late
I’m a safe driver
I do at least what I promise and usually more
I don’t leave until the job is done
Call me today to discuss my business practices – I still can’t fathom what this guy was thinking, but it doesn’t set well with me.
Happy Tuesday!
Jennifer
Serving all of your real estate needs in Arlington, McLean and the entire Northern Virginia Region!
Contact me today for a free home valuation or buyer counseling session! And remember, spring is RIGHT around the corner!
Like what you’ve read? Subscribe here
| Discussion: No Comments »
Georgetown Cupcake Scores BIG with ME!
November 12th, 2008 Categories: Area Attractions, Arlington Dirt, Falls Church Dirt, McLean Dirt, Northern Virginia News, Northern Virginia Real Estate Dirt, Reston Dirt
I got home last night after a long day and found that my family had gone on a little adventure to surprise me with one of my favorite treats – CUPCAKES! You see, The Washington Post recently ran an article proclaiming Georgetown Cupcakes Chocolate Ganache cupcake to be the local #1 cupcake! That day they had a huge spread in the paper and my daughter and I drooled over every picture putting them all in order that we’d like to try them. I’m a baker by hobby so I can appreciate all of the work put in and also what a difference fresh, natural ingredients makes to the end product!
So, back to last night - I got home to find an adorable bright pink box with a cool brown swirly sticker on it, sitting on the kitchen counter… oh my… it was filled with the most delicious looking cupcakes you’ve ever seen – not too big, not too small, not too fancy, not too weird… perfect in every way.
I sampled the mocha (chocolate bottom w/mocha frosting and a chocolate covered espresso bean) and finally settled on the Vanilla Squared (vanilla cupcake w/vanilla frosting - what a surprise!). I enjoyed every bite.
Georgetown Cupcakes hasn’t even been open a year and yet they sell between 3,000 and 4,000 cupcakes EACH DAY! Here’s the line my family stood in JUST FOR ME:
They bought a half dozen for $15 and I can’t wait to go home today to sample some more! They are well worth the 20 minute wait in line and the $2.50. It will now be a personal goal to sample each and every one - then I can report to you MY personal favorite. So STAY TUNED..
Meanwhile, if you’d like to discuss real estate (or cupcakes) feel free to call anytime. I look forward to hearing from you.
Jennifer
Serving all of your real estate needs in Arlington, McLean and the entire Northern Virginia Region!
Contact me today for a free home valuation or buyer counseling session! Fall is here!
Like what you’ve read? Subscribe here
| Discussion: No Comments »
Top TEN Reasons Northern Virginia is the BEST place on Earth - Day 2
November 3rd, 2008 Categories: Alexandria Dirt, Area Attractions, Arlington Dirt, Falls Church Dirt, McLean Dirt, Northern Virginia Home Buying, Northern Virginia Home Selling, Northern Virginia Real Estate Dirt, Reston Dirt
I wrote a whole post last week and my computer ate it! REALLY - and it had so many links and pictures and I was so discouraged that only now have I returned to my computer to make an attempt to re-create it.
So, without further ado, next on my list of WHY Northern Virginia is a GREAT place to live and play:
PROFESSIONAL SPORTS
Yep – Professional Sports. We’ve got it all covered!
Football: We are home to the 6–2 Washington Redskins (Hail to the Redskins!) and while I know Baltimore is 40 miles to our North, many also consider the Baltimore Ravens to be a home team as well.
Basketball: We’ve got the Washington Wizards representing our fair city in the NBA; and the super cool chicks of the WNBA, the Washington Mystics. GIRL POWER!!!
Baseball: The AMAZING Washington Nationals and their new, world class stadium. Again, with our northern neighbors, we also have the Baltimore Orioles here, which, for a long time, was our team until the Nats arrived on the scene a few years ago.
Hockey: The Washington Capitals – now THIS is cool – 
right in our own back yard for us Arlingtonians… A few years back the Caps relocated their headquarters to a newly built iceplex in the Ballston area of Arlington. It’s a beautiful facility, and you can go and watch them practice and even get out there on the ice yourself – for me, reminiscent of how I spent many a Friday night in high school, but we need not dwell on that…
Soccer: We are home to the beloved DC United – our Major League Soccer Team.
I think it’s great that we have so many great professional sports teams here and I believe just one more reason why the DC area is a great place to live. Stay tuned as I reveal more and more reasons why I love it here!
Happy Monday (on the EVE of a big Election Day!)
Jennifer
Serving all of your real estate needs in Arlington, McLean and the entire Northern Virginia Region!
Contact me today for a free home valuation or buyer counseling session! Fall is here!
Like what you’ve read? Subscribe here.
| Discussion: No Comments »
The Top 10 Reasons Northern Virginia is the BEST place on EARTH!
October 28th, 2008 Categories: Area Attractions, Local News, Northern Virginia Home Buying, Northern Virginia News, Northern Virginia Real Estate Dirt
I have had this post rolling around my head for weeks - trying to figure out the best way to put it out there… there’s so much depth behind EACH area that I think I need to publish them one at a time. I wanted to create my own list of why this area is so great for those of you who might be considering moving to the area whether it be a job, a new administration or whatever it is that might bring you here. So pull up a chair and sit for a while!
First some background… Other than the first 10 weeks of my life, which by the way, I have very little recollection of, I grew up here in Northern Virginia. Spent the first 5 years in Falls Church, then we moved to Reston. We lived there from 1st grade through 5th. Then we moved to McLean where we lived for the end of elementary school, all of middle and high school. My parents stayed in the area and I went off to Fredericksburg to the University of Mary Washington - not too far away! I then returned as a young adult, got my first place on my own, entered the job market and had a lot of fun living close to the city - oh, and did I mention having lots of fun?
After a few years, I left the area (followed a man, wouldn’t ya know) and moved to the San Francisco Bay area where we lived for 6 years, followed by a detour through the Atlanta area for 5 years and then, returned here to Northern Virginia because I believe it’s the BEST place on EARTH… So you see, I am actually highly qualified to write this post about our great community!
So now, without further ado, I offer you ONE of my TEN reasons why Northern Virginia is awesome!
PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Northern Virginia is home to some of the BEST, Top Tier public schools in the entire country. There are many places to go for quantitative information on Virginia Schools. The Virginia Department of Education website has a wealth of information on schools across the entire state. But one of my favorite sites is www.GreatSchools.net. It is the ONLY website I have ever run across that actually allows you to compare schools by test scores and also see other relevant information about the school.
According to Newsweek Magazine’s List of the Top 1,300 High Schools for 2008 article, the Northern Virginia region was home to 8 of the top 100 public high schools in the country!
There are many other reasons to love this area – so stay tuned as I bring them to you daily over the next 10 days!
Happy Tuesday!
Jennifer
Serving all of your real estate needs in Arlington, McLean and the entire Northern Virginia Region!
Contact me today for a free home valuation or buyer counseling session! Fall is here!
Like what you’ve read? Subscribe here.
| Discussion: 1 Comment »
Go NATS!
September 21st, 2008 Categories: Alexandria Dirt, Area Attractions, Arlington Dirt, Falls Church Dirt, Local Events, McLean Dirt, Northern Virginia Real Estate Dirt, Reston Dirt
OK, for 2 years now I’ve been hearing folks rave about the new Washington Nationals baseball stadium. Now I must admit, although it’s America’s favorite pastime, baseball is not my favorite sport. In fact, I would say that up until today, the few major league baseball games I’ve attended have been more about enjoying a beverage and eating as much junk food as you want (you know the rule, what you eat at the ballpark doesn’t count). But today, everything changed… I’ve become an avid fan!
As my family and I metro’d down to the new stadium, I wasn’t too sure what to expect – how I’d respond – and frankly, what I was going to eat first! We stepped off the metro, turned the corner and as we got closer to that center field gate – we were in AWE. The stadium is gorgeous – and, thanks to my cousin who’s in group ticket sales for the Nats, we had the most amazing seats we ever could have dreamed of. Here’s our view from our seats: Can you say “Home Plate?”
It was a gorgeous day – perfect temp of about 78 degrees – FANTASTIC seats – I practically forgot about hot dogs, soft pretzels, nachos, popcorn, peanuts, cracker jacks and the like… well, almost. I did enjoy a Nats dog and got the kids some snacks, too. But I was right there out of my seat when the Nats scored a home run! And the crowd went nuts!!!!! I enjoyed myself so much more than I expected to (especially since it was DURING a Redskins game!!!) and really got into the game!
All in all, it was a great afternoon, so thanks Kat for the amazing tickets! Thanks to all the Nats fans who come out game after game even though they don’t have the best record. It’s such a great experience and great family fun! There’s still time to catch a game or two before the season ends - you should think about going! If not, there’s always next year!
Here’s me - finally not embarrassed to have my picture taken at the ball park:
Oh, and I love this sign…. right down below the plexi-glass I was standing against stood the following sign:
“Please be aware of objects leaving the field” – any guesses on what sorts of objects (other than fly balls) might be leaving the field?
Happy Sunday! I hope you enjoyed your weekend and are ready to get back to business tomorrow morning!
Jennifer
Serving all of your real estate needs in Arlington, McLean and the entire Northern Virginia Region!
Contact me today for a free home valuation or buyer counseling session! Fall is here!
Like what you’ve read? Subscribe here.
| Discussion: 1 Comment »
Ladies Night at the Washington Nationals - Sounds like Fun!
July 25th, 2008 Categories: Area Attractions, Friday Fun, Local Events, Northern Virginia Real Estate Dirt
I just received an email that I thought I’d share with my readers – at many places in the blogosphere, Fridays are reserved for fun - so this seems fitting.
On Thursday, August 14th, the Washington Nationals will be hosting what I think is their 2nd annual Ladies Night. See the flyer below:
Sounds like a great opportunity (and at a sweet deal, too!) to go out and support our local baseball team with all your gal-pals - it says guys are welcome, but if it were me, I’d leave ‘em at home!
Enjoy the weekend – Happy Friday
Jennifer
Serving all of your real estate needs in Arlington, McLean and the entire Northern Virginia Region!
Contact me today for a free home valuation or buyer counseling session! Spring is HERE!
Like what you’ve read? Subscribe here.
| Discussion: No Comments »
Wildlife in Arlington Virginia
June 28th, 2008 Categories: Area Attractions, Arlington Dirt, Neighborhoods, Northern Virginia Real Estate Dirt
The other day I was driving home and as I was winding my way up a curvy road in my neighborhood - something caught my eye off to the right. At first I thought it was “lawn sculpture” — but then it moved, ever so slightly… Fortunately I had my camera in my cupholder and I pulled over, rolled down the passenger window and snap snap…
Now, for those of you that don’t know – I live in Arlington Virginia. Busy roads, dense population – the closest county to border Washington DC, our nation’s capital. And here, in a neighbor’s front yard, was a deer, peacefully eating their flowers. I stopped the car and watched her for a while and she didn’t seem to be bothered by me in the least.
It’s nice to live in a community where we do still see occasional wildlife – we have cute red foxes, too! We have a nature center down the street, tucked into a great piece of parkland – what a great resource.
If you’re thinking of taking up residence in Arlington County, please give me a call. I can share all of the wonderful resources like this and more with you!
Happy Saturday
Jennifer
Serving all of your real estate needs in Arlington, McLean and the entire Northern Virginia Region!
Contact me today for a free home valuation or buyer counseling session! No time like the present!
| Discussion: No Comments »
Arlington National Cemetery - A National Treasure and A Moving Experience
November 18th, 2007 Categories: Area Attractions, Arlington Dirt
Yesterday I had the distinct honor and pleasure of visiting Arlington National Cemetery. My grandfather, who served in Korea and in WWII is buried there, as is my grandmother who preceded him in death by almost 30 years – so we went to visit their gravesite and take in a little history, too. It is a beautiful and peaceful place – the rows so precisely laid out, the beautiful fall colors around us and it was a gorgeous day. There is so much ceremony here and I thought I would share with you some of what we saw – both with some facts and some photos. First, you will see signs like the one to the left - and it’s nice - because it keeps the chit chat down and really serves as a reminder that we’re in a cemetery to honor those who have served our country.
There are veterans buried here from every war that has involved our nation – over 290,000 servicemen and their family members have been laid to rest here
About 24 burials are conducted every weekday
When the Civil War casualties flooded the hospitals and land in and around Washington DC there was a proposal to take 200 acres of the Lee family property and dedicate it for use as a cemetery. By the end of the Civil War, over 16,000 burials had already occurred on the grounds surrounding the Lee Mansion (aka Arlington House). 
Now, the cemetery covers 624 acres.
Just below the Lee Mansion lies the grave of President John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. His grave is surrounded by Cape Cod stones and the eternal flame.
There are many other memorials that have been constructed here on the grounds of Arlington National Cemetery:
A Nurses Memorial, Spanish-American War to the present
The Mast of the USS Maine which sunk in Havana harbor in 1898 is here and marks the graves of sailors who lost their lives in that tragedy
A Memorial to the crew of the space shuttles Challenger and Columbia
An Iran Rescue Mission Memorial for servicemen killed in the hostage rescue attempt
The Tomb of Unknown Civil War Dead holds the remains of 2,111 Union Soldiers
One of the most visited sites at the cemetery, though is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers. Here a sentinel of the Third US Infantry maintains a 24 hour a day vigil over the sarcophagus of the WWI Soldier who was entombed here in 1921. There are also unknowns from WWII and Korea who lie in crypts flush with the paving.
Watching this soldier guard the tombs is a mesmerizing sight. He paces 21 paces down the mat, pauses for 21 seconds and then returns. He also maneuvers his rifle and claps his feet – it’s a reminder how rich our military is with ceremony and respect. The inscription here reads, “Here rests in honored glory an American soldier known but to God.”
One final note – a funeral conducted with full military honors is a moving experience. An honor guard accompanies the American flag-draped coffin drawn by matched horses. A band plays solemn marches while muffled drums beat the cadence for the procession. A squad fires three rifle volleys and a bugler plays “Taps.” The flag is then folded and presented to the next of kin. I have attended such a ceremony and I can tell you that it is in fact a very special experience.
Here is my daughter at the gravesite of my grandfather:
May all of those who have protected us rest in peace.
Jennifer
| Discussion: 5 Comments »
St. Michaels - A Charming Weekend Getaway
October 6th, 2007 Categories: Area Attractions, Northern Virginia Real Estate Dirt
I must admit, I rarely take a day off – maybe one here or there, but generally I’m at it 7 days a week – just ask my family! This week, I had a rare treat! A very close family friend built a home there on the water a few years ago and literally, for 3 years we’ve been trying to get a date on the calendar for me to head out to visit. I can’t believe it took 3 years, but this Thursday/Friday, the calendar cleared and out we went. Here are some great photos from the quaint town just on the other side of the Bay Bridge.
A quaint row of very old (but restored) homes.
This is the St. Michaels Gazebo
Right outside the Maritime Museum
A great shed
Another great shed – right next door to the red shed above
This is the Hooper Strait Lighthouse which was relocated here to the St. Michaels Maritime Museum
So after a day and a half with my feet up - I’m back to work!
There are many homes listed for sale there, too. If you’d like information on any of them, let me know and I will get you in touch with an excellent, local resource.
I hope you enjoyed my brief photo tour of St. Michaels. We’re so fortunate here in the Washington DC area to have such great getaways less than 2 hours away! Maybe if I ever get another few days of R&R, I’ll show you some others!
Happy Saturday
Jennifer
| Discussion: 7 Comments »
Copyright © 2007 Arlington Dirt Real Estate Blog 