Will's Blog

The Torpedo Factory Art Center is presenting several themed galleries through the month of March. Now is the time to get to Old Town before month's end!

Black White and a Little Bit of Color

Printmakers Inc. will have a special exhibit with examples of prints that use black and white and a little bit of color. This exhibit is open daily from 03/01/2009 to  04/30/2009.

Looking Back, Looking Ahead

Do you appreciate black and white photography? Prominent Montgomery County photographer Karen Keating explores the visual poetry of everyday life through compelling black and white images. Travels to Europe, Africa, Honduras, Bulgaria, and Cuba have clearly sharpened her vision, allowing her to discover the extraordinary in the quiet moments of everyday life. There will be a reception for the photographer on Sunday, March 8, from 4 to 6 pm. The exhibit is open from March 3rd to April 4th.

Annual Kiln Club Show

This month the Torpedo Factory is hosting the annual show of works by members of the Kiln Club. The show is hosted by Twylene Moyer, editor of Sculpture magazine. The reception is held on Second Thursday Art Night, March 12, from 6pm to 9pm. The show will be open daily from March 9 through April 5.

Old Town is a great neighborhood.

The Torpedo Factory is just one of the reasons that Old Town is such a wonderful place to live. If you're searching for a condo for sale in Old Town here are a few suggestions.

• Alexandria House --- spacious, airy condos with enormous balconies and sweeping views of Old Town
• Bearings South --- cute, brick garden style homes on the South End of Old Town
• Carlyle Towers --- sleek, modern and convenient to King St. Metro and Old Town
• Chatham Square --- stately, nicely appointed, townhouses with garages in Old Town
• Carlyle Square --- elegant, modern and convenient condominiums
• The Duke at Old Town --- under construction in Old Town
• Porto Vecchio --- at the water's edge on the Potomac between Belle Haven Marina and Old Town
• Port Royal --- affordably priced with a condo fee that includes all utilities in the heart of Old Town
• Prescott --- colonial styled condominiums in Old Town
• Royalton --- sparkling gems atop Whole Foods in Old Town Alexandria
• Torpedo Factory --- stylish condos near the waterfront and King St.

If you'd like to search for homes or townhouses in and around Old Town, check here.

Friday April 3rd, several members of the Alexandria Fun with Friends group will be in attendance along with a friendly crowd of regulars at Studio One. The host welcomes everyone and plays a variety of dances: rumba's, waltzes, foxtrots and swing dances are common here.

The dance floor is quite large and you'll have plenty of opportunities to dance with new partners. The regulars and are members are open and welcoming but no dance instruction is offered here. Those looking for a pick-up scene will be disappointed. It's not that you can't meet and make friends here---you most definitely can. But, this is not a place to find "the hook-up". Those looking for a wholesome active outing with friendly easy-going people will have a great time.

The host and attendees chip in for a potluck of snacks, desserts and nibblings along with some soft drinks. The cover charge is only $5. There is no extra charge for drinks or food. Attendees are encouraged (but not required) to bring a drink or snack.

The place is not metro accessible and is located in the Shopping Center off Rt. 1 behind Chevy's and Ruby Tuesdays. The entrance itself is between Bed Bath and Beyond and the Discount Superstore. Enter at the corner and proceed to the second floor.

We'll see you there!

RSVP and more details here.

Eclipse at Center Park is located on the southern end of Crystal City in the National Gateway office/residential/commercial complex. 

Many units overlook the Potomac and Arlington or Alexandria.

	The Eclipse is well served by buses and very close to Crystal City metro and the shops of Crystal City. Harris Teeter serves the community with a grocery store on the first floor of the building.
The club room is a great place to hang out or play a game of billiards. Watch a movie in our theater room or just relax in the owner's lounge. There is a pool and fitness center on-site.
The Eclipse is near many shops at Potomac Yard and Pentagon City Mall.

Here are some search tools if you're in the market for a condominium in Crystal City:

• Crystal City --- condos, houses and townhouses for sale in Crystal City
• Bella Vista --- spacious condos with balconies and views of the city
• Crystal Gateway --- gateway condominiums in Crystal City
• Eclipse at Center Park --- new condos on the southern end of Crystal City
• The Representative --- on the Ridge overlooking Crystal City
• Waterford House --- on Crystal Drive with easy access to Arlington and DC

Crystal City is the paragon of convenience. Crystal City has an abundance of shops and eateries. Crystal City has more than 200 shops. Everything from apparel and electronics to jewelry and gifts to newsstands and convenience items are found here.

Many of these shops are located underground between Crystal Drive 15th and 23rd Streets. The shops of Crystal City are just five minutes from downtown Washington, Old Alexandria, and right off the Metro Yellow/Blue line at the Crystal City station.

Some of the reasons that people choose to live in Crystal City is for these shops, but people also love the easy access to metro and proximity to Washington DC. To search listings in Crystal City you might find the following links helpful.

• Crystal City --- condos, houses and townhouses for sale in Crystal City
• Bella Vista --- spacious condos with balconies and views of the city
• The Representative --- on the Ridge overlooking Crystal City
• Waterford House --- on Crystal Drive with easy access to Arlington and DC
• Crystal Gateway --- gateway condominiums in Crystal City

I love the neighborhoods around Fort Hunt ... that's why I live in this area.  It offers that nice mix of small town feel, easy access to the city, metro and shopping with great schools and community atmosphere.  So, I've collected a few property search tools for those who might be looking to buy near Fort Hunt Road. This list isn't exhaustive, but it does give you an idea of what you can find in the area.

• Arcturus --- fine homes on the waterfront between Mount Vernon and Alexandria
• Belle Haven --- a prestigious neighborhood near Old Town Alexandria
• Belle View --- cute condos in New Alexandria
• Bucknell Manor and Bucknell Hieghts --- cape cods and townhouses
• Hollin Hall --- Hollin Hall, Hollindale and other homes near Collingwood in Fairfax County south of Alexandria
• Hollin Hills --- The future of housing yesterday ... distinctly modern vintage homes in a lush forest
• Mason Hill --- single family homes near Paul Spring and Fort Hunt
• River Towers --- condos south of Alexandria near Fort Hunt Road surrounded by parks
• Stratford Landing --- a quiet community near Mount Vernon
• Villamay, Westgrove and Marlan Heights --- overlooking the Potomac and GW Parkway south of Alexandria
• Waynewood --- small town feel with an easy commute to Alexandria, DC, Pentagon, Fort Belvoir and more

Where is a great place to live? — A searchable database with information about area sales and rentals

Everyone loves freedom.  People like to be able to make their own choices. People don't like bosses, or schedules or obligations.  Freedom from responsibility is a great freedom as well.

Everyone loves security.  People like to know that they have enough food. People like to know that they have a place to live. People like to know that things are taken care of. People don't like the insecurity of nasty surprises.

But, here's the rub: the more freedom you have, the less security to you have and the more security you have the less freedom you have. In government, in our professional lives, in our personal lives we all make that trade off between freedom and security.  Do you want a paycheck?  That probably means you have obligations. 

At one extreme the homeless man has total freedom. He is free from responsibility, but he has total freedom from obligations of any kind. 

So the question is: do convicts seek out the security of prison because they fear the dangers of freedom?  A man in prison is well-assured of the basic needs of life. In exchange, the convict has given away his freedom for security. 

For myself, I like the freedom and the exhilaration that comes with the fear and risk that one bears when you are in business for yourself. I like the security of marriage in exchange for the obligations of marriage. How much power do  you want your government to have? How much freedom do you want in your life? How much security do you need?

Kingstowne is a massive 22,000 acre subdivision---a planned community of nearly 5400 residences. The Northern Virginia region is home to many planned communities, Reston and Dale City come to mind quickly. Reston work well, but in my humble opinion, Kingstowne, the newest of the planned communities in this area, seemed to get things right. Kingstowne has a nice mixture of condos, townhouses and single family homes, with multiple entry points through broad rolling boulevards.

Kingstowne is so large, that many of the nearby subdivisions are now referred by many as being in Kingstowne. Yes, Kingstowne in many was has become its own little town. Never mind that nearby subdivisions like Island Creek and Manchester Lakes aren't officially in Kingstowne, many people still refer to the general area near Springfield and Franconia in Fairfax County, Virginia as Kingstowne.

One of the reasons that Kingstowne works so well is because of his position in the area's transportation network. For example, because Kingstowne is located just outside the Capital Beltway (I-495) and has easy access to the Springfield Mixing Bowl, the enormous junction of Interstates 95, 395, and 495, Kingstowne provides its residents a good commute to major employment centers like the Pentagon, Washington DC, Tysons Corner, Arlington and Alexandria. Via back-roads, Kingstowne is very easly connected to Fort Belvoir.

The residents of Kingstowne can also reach downtown via the Metro's Blue Line at the Springfield-Franconia Metro or the Van Dorn Metro.  Springfield-Franconia station is closer to Kingstowne and offers plenty of parking. Van Dorn Metro is closer to town and offers a "kiss and ride".

Despite being in a major metropolitan area, Kingstowne maintains a small town feel. Kingstowne Towne Centre has shops, grocers, restaurants, banks and fast food---in other words: all the conveniences of modern life. Nearby Springfield Mall serves most needs.  Kingstowne is a great place to live.

Click Kingstowne to see what's for sale in and around Kingtowne.

Fetch is a pet store in Old Town Alexandria that sells gourmet doggy-treats and other high quality gourmet goodies. I thought it would be fun to take my dog Foxy on a field trip to Fetch and the bakery that makes these gourmet doggie biscuits.

Foxy was eager to leave River Towers on her big adventure, even if she didn't know where she was going.

So we jumped in the car and took her around the corner to Old Town Alexandria VA.

Once we were in Old Town, Foxy decided to read the doggie-newspaper. One can learn a lot from a green patch on a brick-sidewalk.

Then it was off to Fetch and to see Marion.

Foxy is Marion's adopted grandbaby. Marion always greets Foxy with a big hug and lots of kisses.Foxy loves the cookies at Fetch, but she was soon distracted ... she saw trouble coming.

Yep. Trouble at least that's what Foxy calls that adorable Jack Russell Terrier named Magnum. Magnum wanted to play, but Foxy didn't like sharing Marion's attention. Foxy's not on the man-hunt and had no interest in Magnum.

So we left town and headed to Beltsville, where they bake the Zanadu cookies sold in Fetch and Chateau Animaux.

The art work at the bakery was wonderful, but Foxy wanted to see where the action took place.

She toured the bakery and found that everything is human grade, made with great loving care. Here's the cookie cutter.

She grabbed a green tea and cookie and they put her to work, bagging and labelling cookies.

These are the scariest economic times that I can remember.

The President of the United States is attempting to instill confidence by telling us to act quickly or we face certain doom. The Congress is saddling the nation with mountains of debt called "investment" and drafting a spending bill with another 9,000 earmarks. Meanwhile, despite the distraction of a sideshow fight between Presidential advisors and a radio talk show host, the stock market is tumbling. I have friends that have lost hundreds of thousands of dollars of value in the stock market.

Who knows when and where it will all end up?

What if this is 1931? 

What if our country is facing 10 years of depression followed by five years of war?

Does that mean you shouldn't buy a house?

Would it be wise for a buyer to postpone the purchase until this mess is ended?

In these scary times even the most brazen buyer must pause before signing that dotted line. Even the most stalwart optimist has to feel a little wobbly right now.

But ... life goes on.

Even during the Great Depression, even during a World War II---life goes on.

Life goes on.

I assure you: during the Great Depression mothers birthed children. Even in the worst crisis, people need new homes and land new jobs.

Whether it's after the Depression, the Recession of the '70's or after the U.S. Civil War, young adults leave home and take up their own space. Retirees are downsizing today.

For one reason or another at this exact moment people want or need to buy homes right now.

If you're one of those people who need a home, you can take advantage of the turmoil to secure a bargain. Or you can postpone your life's needs for 10 to 15 years. I submit that postponing your life is not only foolish, it's impractical. 

For example, if you need to buy an extra bedroom for junior you can't wait until the economy is right for junior. In 15 years junior won't be living with you anymore. He'll be a young adult with a chip on his shoulder because he slept in the living room for the last 15 years.

The fundamental questions.

If you find yourself in a position where you are considering purchasing a home, you have to come back to the fundamental questions that many buyers didn't consider for the past five years.

1. Can you afford it? 
   • If you can't afford it, don't buy it.
     
2. Is it the home for you? 
   • Your perfect home is for sale right now. Don't settle. 
     
3. Do you need it or want it more than it will cost you?
   • Measure your budget against the amount of happiness the home will bring you.  Would you prefer a vacation or a big screen TV or would you prefer to own this house? 

These are the fundamental questions of buying a home.

If you can afford the price, and this is the home for you, then, economy be damned, you should buy the home. Things aren't getting better soon, but life still happens.  Each breath you draw brings you closer to the last one you draw, so you might as well live your life in the manner which serves you best.

Where do you want to live?

If you pass up on the home that you want, need and can afford because you're scared by economic news, then you'll spend the next fifteen years living in regret instead of in your home.

Where do you want to live: in your home or in your regrets?