Alexandria, VA
My first solo trip
Originally written on November 19th, 2019.
About Alexandria, VA
Founded in 1749, Alexandria was a tobacco trading post and because of its unique location along the Potomac river, it was one of the busiest ports in America. Upon arrival at night, I was immediately drawn by the colonial style brick houses, walkable streets, and a variety of boutique shops and restaurants. Quaint is the word I would use — this is exactly what I envisioned a historic New England town would look like! Alexandria has a rich history as a supply center during Civil War, home to founding fathers, and abundance of architecture from 18th to 19th century. A fun fact that I learned — Alexandria was suppose to be a corner of a “square” shaped D.C. but became part of Northern Virginia, separated by the Potomac.
Google Photos Folder for This Trip
Day 1: The Outdoors
Fall is my favorite season and in my recollection, New England’s fall is full of warm, vibrant colors. Since the weather was nice, I decided to go on an expedition.
George Washington’s Mount Vernon
Mount Vernon is George Washington’s home. It is located right by the river with a great view. The mansion itself has 21 rooms, of which 9 were guests rooms. After presidency, Washington was very popular and his estate recorded 677 overnight stays from guests all over. There are various other smaller houses or areas surrounding the mansion including, kitchen, spinning house, salt house, gardener’s house, blacksmith shop, smokehouse, stable, wash room, fruit and vegetable garden, servants’ hall, and slave quarters. Around the exit, there is an educational center with plenty of information on early American history.
Mount Vernon Trail
Being very ambitious, I decided to walk from the Mount Vernon end all the way back to my hotel. I really loved this trail because part of it is hidden in the woods, part of it gets the river view, and part of it has a residential view of cute houses — you really can have it all. It is also a meandering paved trail along the parkway, so you may feel like you are racing with the cars. Along the way, there were a lot of bikers, runners, and walkers like me. It took me 3 hours, around 17km, to get back!
Day 2: Old Town Alexandria
After much exercise from yesterday, I was ready to explore the old town area. Sunday has a condensed schedule with many places open after 12, so I had to really optimize my route and hit as many places as possible. I would highly encourage getting Key to the City Museum Pass, $15 includes 9 historic Alexandria sites. However, some places were closed during Sundays.
Carlyle House Historic Park
12:00PM, this is my favorite for the whole trip! The tour guide was so knowledgable, thorough. I learned so much about this house and its historical context. This Georgian Palladian manor stone house was built in 1753 by a wealthy Scottish merchant and city co-founder John Carlyle. This house was in a very poor condition and a hotel structure was in front and completely blocked it. During the Civil War, combined with the hotel, it was used as an infirmary. This house was forgotten and continued to decay. In the 1970s, the hotel was taken down because people recognized the historical value of the house and restored it. Additionally, much information about John was lost and was later learnt by reading the correspondences between his brother, in England, and him.
John Carlyle was a smart guy. He married well. His first wife, Sarah Fairfax, bequeathed 5M acres of land in Northern VA (pretty much the whole size of VA) and this eventually became his. The walls had square wallpaper in yellow and green. Paper back then were heavily taxed by the crown and because it was an expensive commodity, paper wallpaper was a symbol of wealth. Green was very pricy and the color came from arsenic. The floors were covered by oil cloth. John’s daughter Sarah played the spinet, which is a harpsichord and a smaller version of piano. It was considered a women’s instrument because you keep your arms closer to your body when playing and is more ladylike. I also learned that during the 18th century, kitchen was built outside of the main house for 3 reasons: fire hazards, upper class don’t want clothes to smell like meat, and enslaved people were responsible for cooking.
John had 11 children in total but only 3 lived to their teenage years. Both of his wives died from child brith. I was completely astound when hearing this because your chances of surviving to adulthood seems quite small. And as a women back then, you are tasked to deliver heirs but this can really put your life in the greatest risk possible! People also didn’t have access to take shower or bath everyday, and all they got were small basins with some water. To not smell other people’s odor, people infused handkerchiefs in perfumes and wipe in front of their nose areas to cover the smell.
Gadsby’s Tavern Museum
1:15PM, businessman John Wise built this two-building complex: the 1785 Georgian-style City Tavern and the 1792 Federal style City hotel famous for its great ballroom. Ideally situated on the main stage coach route between Boston and Williamsburg, the tavern became an important political and social center, which George Washington and Tomas Jefferson frequented.
Food were more expensive than lodging — around 50 cents (present day $10) for food to 20 cents for lodging. Often times, many people cramp into one room and there were no fireplace or other heating during winter. Fish, oysters, brussel sprouts, carrots, and mushrooms were on the menu. Alcohol was part of daily life and consumed every meal. Mixed drinks include punch, toddy, flip, and grog. A gallon of whisky was $1. In the picture, the white cylindrical dish on the table is sugar, which were very expensive. The restaurant is still in business and I would love to come back here and try the food someday!
Apothecary Museum
1:45PM, this family-run pharmacy, Stabler and Leadbeater, operated since 1792. In 1933, it filed for bankruptcy and reopened in 2007 as a museum. During that time, you do not need a prescription and the staff could fix you something for your symptoms. Medicine were sold in syrup, powder, and pill forms. Painkillers were around 50% alcohol — just lots of alcohol to knock you out. Blue mass, which can be identified as their signature bottles, are poisonous and contained mercury. The grooves on the bottles reminds you this by texture. People also believed that by letting “old and stale” blood out, you can feel better so there were many bloodletting devices for sale. You can also find perfume, shoe polish, and paint here. There are quite some weird treatments and ingredients! The upper floors were used for storage and had trapped doors/elevator system to lift heavy items upstairs.
Lee-Fendall House
3PM, built in 1785 and up to 1969, this house had people residing inside. Each owner left his or her marks on this building. This house is made out of wood, has a brick base to provide better insulation and prevent rats with no structural purpose. Bathrooms with running water were later added in the early 1900s. This house had an enslaved quarter which is marked by narrow staircases and smaller rooms. As the family expanded, more conjoining units were built. This house has a huge backyard that were occupied by smaller units such as blacksmith’s shop, kitchen etc. but those were later taken out as a result of the popularity of “pleasure garden” in England.
Christ Church
3:45PM, all Presidents came here, except for Trump (Obama went to another African American church around the area).
Torpedo Factory
5PM, this is the perfect place to find THE artwork you are looking forever to put into your new home. A torpedo factory during WWII, it is now a home to 80+ artists’ studios and galleries. You can find things from jewelry and sculpture to contemporary art and fine glass. I really wish I could have more time exploring this place!
Street Views
This quaint town is perfect for weekend getaways! The road with cobblestone blocks is called Captain’s Row. It got its name from Captain John Harper, a successful overseas trader. The blue house is a spite house. Now a private residence, it is just 7 feet wide, 325 square feet, and is the skinniest historic house in America built in 1830 to keep loiterers out of the adjacent alley.
Trip dates: 11/15/2019 to 11/18/2019
