Moving to Northern Northern Virginia is pretty scary if you came from a smaller city or from a rural area. It took some adjustment to get used to the sometimes insane pace of life. Honestly it took three years before we really felt like this was home. Now I can't imagine living anywhere else.
I consider Northern Northern Virginia anything north of I-66 between Middleburg, VA and Washington, DC.
Herndon is a great place with lots to do. They had a festival all last weekend. There is now a large Latino population of illegal immigrants; however, they are some of the nicest folks you will ever meet. They really have given Herndon an new character and often help keep everything from looking like Reston. You will hear a lot of folks complaining about them but that's just because they're used to complaining to complain. (There are lot's of whiners around here. This is probably due to close proximity to the Nation's capital.)
From Herndon, you are really close to the Reston Town Center (RTC) and I urge you to check that out. Take the Dulles Toll Road or Elden Street in Herdon to Reston Parkway to get there. Reston was one of the first planned communities in the country. The RTC is an outdoor mixed use area. The Town Center features shopping, a movie theatre, restaurants and an outdoor pavilion. There are free concerts there once or twice a week from Memorial Day til' Labor Day. Almost every weekend they have some kind of festival going on. The place is an outdoor shopping centre that really gives the feel of an urban "small town". I grew up in a small town so Reston gives me a little taste of that feel when I need it.
The grand daddy of malls in No-NoVA is just down the toll road in Tyson's Corner. There are actually two malls there: Tyson's Corner Shopping Center and The Tyson's Galleria (aka Tyson's 2). I can't afford anything other than the food at the Galleria (think Saks 5th Avenue), but Tyson's Corner has just about any shop you can think of. The only gripe I can think of is the crowds on the weekends.
Just up Rt. 28 from Herndon you will find the intersection of Rt. 28 and Rt. 7 (aka Leesburg Pike). At that interchange is another shopping area. The Dulles Town Center (an indoor mall), Wal-Mart, and lots of other stores in strip malls. There are a number of places to eat lining the ring around the mall. Directly across Rt. 7 from the Dulles Town Center is Countryside Marketplace with a Borders and another Movie Theatre. There are plans (really big plans) for the Rt. 28/Rt. 7 interchange in the next 2-3 years where another town center similar to Reston Town Center with pedestrian trails and a river walk is being built. Next to it, Loudoun One will be another similar mixed-use area with townhouses, office buildings and street level shopping. I think it will be finished in 2008.
Half-way between Dulles Town Center and Herndon is this interchange for the Ashburn community. Tucked away at that interchange is a Wegman's. Wegman's is a gourmet grocery store. You have to see it to believe it. We can't afford to shop there that often but for fresh food it is as close to a farmer's market you will get. They are also building a new Target Super Center there.
Speaking of which: If you are into farmers markets, there is one on Rt. 7 going East from Rt. 28. It is half-way between Dulles Town Center and Tyson's Corner.
If your family will be using the toll-road a lot, I recommend getting a Smart Tag radio device for your car so that you just drive through the toll plaza instead of having to scramble for change getting on and off the toll-road. The Smart Tag office is in Reston. There is a VDOT office in Sterling Park if you need to get your vehicles registered and get your driver's licenses. I recommend going on a Tuesday during the second week of the month to avoid the crowds. (Tip came from a VDOT clerk.)
For other fun things to do there is the Washington and Old Dominion bike trail (W&OD). The W&OD is 45 miles of paved trail for walking, running, bicycling and skating and 32 miles of adjacent gravel trail for horseback riding. Built on the roadbed of the former Washington & Old Dominion Railroad, the multi-use W&OD Trail runs through the urban heartland and countryside of Northern Virginia. The W&OD Trail runs from Shirlington near I-395 to Purcellville in Loudoun County. You can actually catch the W&OD in Loudoun and ride it all the way to Ballston where you can catch a Metro Rail train into DC. The W&OD is maintained by the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority (NVRPA).
The NVRPA maintains most all of the non-Federal parks in the area including Algonkian Regional Park along the Potomac River just north of Rt.7 in Potomac Falls. I like hanging out at Algonkian for picnicing, swimming hiking, or playing a round of golf. A large athletic complex at the entrance to the park includes four of five monster playgrounds for the family's yard apes are rugrats.
If climbing is your thing, get your practice in at Sport Rock in Sterling. Tell them Devin sent you to thoroughly confuse them. (They don't know me.) Once you have your confidence up, head over to Great Falls Park to try-out what you have learned. Sport Rock has guided climbs to Great Falls Park and over to the mountains in West Virginia (2 hours away).
To get to Washington DC from Herndon, your easiest bet is parking the car at the Herdon-Monroe Park and Ride and taking a Fairfax County Connector bus to the West Falls Church Metro Rail station. From there take the Orange line into DC. Be sure to stop along the way at the Ballston (Ballston Commons Mall), the Clarendon (lots of good food and shopping) or the Courthouse (movie theater and shops) stops. If you are going to Georgetown in DC, take the Orange line to the Rosslyn Metro station. From Rosslyn, walk across the Key Bridge or take the Georgetown Shuttle Bus (runs every 15 minutes or so). I recommend the walk as it gives you a beautiful view of the river, Georgetown University and the Watergate Hotel at the river bend. You can also access the Theodore Roosevelt Island along the George Washington Memorial Parkway below the bridge from steps on the Virginia side.
There is so much to do here that you could spend everyday doing something different. Outdoor or indoor, there is always something to do.
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