Crystal City
by Ewingjr98
Crystal City is one of numerous Arlington County urban villages that grew up around the Washington Metro. Today this neighborhood is famous for its large underground shopping center, the Reagan Washington National Airport, dozens of high-end hotels, and tons of restaurants. The only housing in the neighborhood is generally high-rise condos and apartments, but some of the areas west of Jefferson Davis highway have small, single-family homes. For recreation you can track down Gravelly Point Park and the Mount Vernon running path that runs from Rosslyn to Mount Vernon.
The vast majority of Crystal City was once part of Abingdon Plantation, a a 2,700 acre farm granted to Robert Howson in 1669 and built in the 1740s. It was home to the Alexander family (after whom Alexandria was named), as well as George Washington's stepson John Parke Custis and Nelly, his granddaughter.
Today Crystal city is home to just 16,000 people, but it is said that 60,000 people work here each day. Many of the workers are part of the federal government's workforce, with jobs in the Department of Defense, US Patent and Trademark Office, and the Department of Labor.
A fastball away from the Pentagon
by b1bob
Our vantage point from the 16th floor of the Sheraton National gave us a bird's eye view of the Washington and Arlington skyline at night and during the day. I tried the previous night, but that didn't turn out well. This turned out fairly well, though. From this perspective, I could imagine the view from here on 11 September 2001. This was the side of the Pentagon where American flight 77 hit. I hear tell an employee took a photo and the FBI confiscated it. If it were me, I would hand FBI the original and I'd keep a copy, if, for no other reason, because I could.
Meeting with friends, part 3
by b1bob
There is no shortage of restaurants in Arlington in which to meet friends. I had a spur of the moment VT meeting at Capitol Brewing Company in the Shirlington district with "Kentbein" and "richiecdisc". We had plenty of good food and they had plenty of good beer (I don't drink). We only intended for this meeting to last 2 hours because Richie needed to avoid the beltway traffic, but it ended up being 3 hours.
What a meeting!
by matcrazy1
When we (Urszula, my wife and I) visited the Arlington National Cemetery, after climbing up to the Arlington House we walked down and were looking for any bench to rest a little bit. We sat by the Asian woman who played with a small boy (her son). We were busy discussing with Urszula our next plans for that day (what more to see in Washington, DC) when the woman unexpectadly asked me, surely in English: "Excuse me, are you from Poland?". I was very, very surpriced, my Polish language can't be popular and easy recognisable among Asians in the USA, I thought.
In a few seconds, the woman explained that she lived in... Warsaw, Poland over two years where her husband worked for NATO in 1990'. That's why she could easily recognize my native language. They went to the cemetery for funeral ceremony of her father-in-law and she together with her quite active boy :-) was waiting for her husband. We were talking a few minutes when her husband came and we started to talk together about the USA and Poland and our coincidential meeting. It belongs to my foundest memories although still is a little bit strange for me, that during only 3-4 days in Arlington and among a few locals I was talking to was one Pole (more in nightlife tips) and now someone who lived in Poland. Well, wherever you are from, you have a chance to meet your native in Arlington. it's highly multicultural population here.
It's not a city but a county!
by matcrazy1
Arlington is not a city but an urban county of about 26 square miles (the smallest in Virginia) located directly across the Potomac River from Washington, DC. No incorporated towns or cities lie within Arlington's boundaries. I still don't understand exactly the difference and I have no idea why they created county instead of city of Arlington.
HISTORY
In Virginia
This small area of land west of the Potomac River originally belonged to Virginia.
In Washington, DC
At the end of 18th century, the exactly square area of 16 x 16 miles on both sides of the Potomac River (in Maryland west of and Virginia east of the river ) including area of current Arlington County was desiganated for building US capital, the Fedearal City called later Washington, DC.
Back in Virginia (part of Alexandria)
U.S. Congress returned the portion on the west bank of the Potomac River was to the Commonwealth of Virginia in 1846. This area was known as Alexandria City and Alexandria County.
Arlington County
In 1920 the Arlington County was established.
Ted Kennedy Grave
Most Sacred Shrine
Arlington Cementary
Fort CF Smith Smith
