Apartment Showcase Blog

Sharing Is Caring (for Plants) at a Fairfax Community Garden Plot

Filed under: Alexandria, Va.,Annandale, Va.,McLean, Va.,Reston, Va.,Vienna, Va. — Scott D @ 11:23 am on April 27, 2012
Community Gardening Plot

Dirty deeds: Whether you're growing raspberries or rhubarb, the rules say you must maintain your plot from May 1 to November 15. (RDPixelShop via Flickr)

Earlier this month, we highlighted Green Spring Gardens in Alexandria.

While researching that post, I found out a little bit about the Community Garden Plots provided by the Fairfax County Park Authority (while it’s on the Green Spring Gardens page, Green Spring Gardens itself does not have a plot, which I found odd).

One of the drawbacks about renting an apartment is the lack of a yard, which many suburbanites who move into apartments greatly miss. My father is a master gardener, and I had a friend who owned a landscaping business, so I’m somewhat familiar with … well, I’m familiar with them loving to grow things. Don’t trust me to do anything but water plants.

I will say one thing: If any of us can grow our own food, only good things can come of it. Wow, I know, really profound. Shut up.

[ Related: Balconies in Bloom: Gardening for Apartment Renters ]

The community plots program features 10 garden plots to choose from in nine locations, with sites in Reston, Alexandria, McLean, Vienna and Annandale, which sports an impressive four plots for your gardening pleasure.

There are more than 650 plots rented on an annual basis. Most of the plots are 30’ by 20’, though 18 plots at the Grist Mill location in Alexandria are 20’ by 10’. Large plots go for $65, smaller ones for $60.

There are Garden Plot Rules and Guidelines to follow. You can’t just bring in your souped-up John Deere and start plowing any old way you feel. Urban gardeners must maintain a sense of decorum. In fact, there are plenty of rules the gardening renter has to follow.

[ Related: Dumbarton Oaks a Center of Learning, Landscaping in Georgetown ]

There are also some eligibility requirements that are covered in that link as well, chief among them: You have to be a county resident.

You’re gonna hate me, but there is a catch here. There’s a waiting list. Why am I blogging about it now? Well, how else are you gonna find out about it? You never know when a plot will become available, and if you stick around long enough, one will. Whether a plot becomes available this year or not, if you’re interested, contact the site.

And if I can encourage you to garden a little (here’s a list of D.C.-area gardening plots, and here’s a similar program in Montgomery County), wherever you are, I think I’ve done a good thing.

Weed on, my friends.

Northern Virginia’s Animal Allies Rescue Group Is the Cat’s Meow

Filed under: Alexandria, Va.,Annandale, Va.,Arlington, Va.,Centreville, Va.,Dumfries, Va.,Fairfax, Va.,Falls Church, Va.,Gainesville, Va.,Herndon, Va.,Lorton, Va.,Manassas Park, Va.,Manassas, Va.,McLean, Va.,Oakton, Va.,Reston, Va.,Springfield, Va.,Triangle, Va.,Vienna, Va.,Woodbridge, Va. — Scott D @ 10:47 am on July 21, 2011
Animal Allies

Staring contest: Animal Allies seems to have a particular affection for felines, but the group offers dogs for adoption, too. (dungodung via Flickr)

Today, we’re gonna talk about an organization that’s near and dear to me, or, sniff, sniff, OK, an organization that bequeathed me Minx, a six-pound ball of gray fur and attitude.

I’m talking about Animal Allies.

Minx – or Minxies, as she’s commonly known – is a half-Tonkinese kitty who everyone mistakes as a Russian Blue. But I knew that wasn’t true early on.

How? Well, besides the fact that the friendly lady at Animal Allies told me Minx was half-Tonka, she meows in Tonkinese (mother) and regular kitty (hit-and-run dad) but not in Russian.

Yes, she’s beautiful, and no, you can’t touch her, even if you’re a cat person. Get out of here. I’m the only one.

[ Related: Woodley Park: Lions, Tigers and Bears! Oh, My! ]

We’re a misanthropic pair, Minx and I. No one else will have us, so we’re stuck together, bearers of three languages and a miserable fortune. But we’re still here, and we have rights, too.

Animal Allies is “a nonprofit, all-volunteer organization dedicated to the rescue of homeless and abandoned animals.” Founded in 1984, Animal Allies is spread out all over Northern Virginia.

These people really care about cats and will work to find them a home. Believe me, they stayed on me until I adopted Minx. Like I said, for whatever reason, I’m the only person that cat’s ever seemed to like. Lucky me.

How about you? Living and working in the Washington, D.C., area can be stressful enough to break anyone. Wouldn’t you want to come home to a furry, purring pal? Sometimes it feels like a pet is the only true friend one can have. Just check out some of these cuties.

As you can see on their listings, the folks at Animal Allies make sure you know what you’re getting. Does the kitty in question like other cats? Dogs? Kids? Does it have health issues? Has it been declawed?

[ Related: Alexandria Leaves Dog Owners Howling With Delight ]

Each animal is also checked for diseases and spayed or neutered (if they’re too young, you’ll need to have them spayed or neutered at the appropriate time as a condition of adoption). There is an adoption fee of course, but your money goes right back into rescuing animals.

Another good thing about Animal Allies is that it’s a no-kill shelter, so you can feel good about that.

The organization provides other ways for you to help cats as well, including opportunities to foster a cat, act as an adoption show coordinator, or donate funds or time.

If you’re an apartment renter in Northern Virginia – or anywhere in the metro area, really – get on the site and find yourself a lifelong friend.

Big, Bad Wolf Trap Brings Music to the Vienna Masses

Filed under: Vienna, Va. — Scott D @ 11:16 am on July 1, 2011
Wolf Trap

Splendor in the grass: A view from the lawn that envelopes the Filene Center, Wolf Trap's main venue. Covered seating is available closer to the stage. (@jbtaylor via Flickr)

There is undoubtedly a lot of intergenerational debate about what constitutes a good band. The father may like Led Zeppelin; the son, Death Cab for Cutie; the mom may favor the Beatles; the daughter, Arcade Fire.

It could go on forever, this fighting over the ears and hearts of the listener via the radio dial. “Are we there yet?” “Shut up, back there!” “Mom, tell Steven to stop hitting me?!”

Oh, the fun of familial relations.

But guess what? There’s one band that everyone can love, and they’ve got a kitschy ’60s TV show to convince you: The Monkees.

The faux simians recently performed at the venerable Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts in Vienna.

[ Related: Vienna Combines the Comfort of Suburbia With the Charm of a Small Town ]

Sure, the Monkees began life as a prefab cash-in on the popularity of the Beatles, but as television shows go, it was one of the funnier ones I’ve seen. “The Monkees” was true slapstick and featured solid performances, particularly by the multitalented Micky Dolenz, who looks so goofy that he’s probably funny even when he’s not trying to be.


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Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts
1645 Trap Rd.
Vienna, VA 22182

And yes, while they didn’t play their instruments at first (or weren’t allowed to on recordings at least; they did sing all their tunes), they did later on and managed a pretty good job of creating both pure and avant-pop; they even wrote some good songs themselves.

Check out this bio from AllMusic.com, or better yet, pick up this two-CD set from Rhino: “The Best of the Monkees.”

But back to Wolf Trap…

Most people have likely heard of Wolf Trap, a public/private partnership between the foundation itself and the U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service. It’s much more than a concert venue, though.

Billing itself as “America’s National Park for the Performing Arts,” Wolf Trap does indeed offer two ways to view a concert or theatrical production, at both the indoor/outdoor Filene Center, which seats 6,800 patrons, and the smaller Barns, two adjacent 18th-century barns that were taken from their home in upstate New York and rebuilt at Wolf Trap; the Barns seat 382 people.

[ Related: Strathmore Offers the Arts in Full for North Bethesda Renters ]

Wolf Trap also offers educational opportunities for all ages, whether you’re a young shaver or adult, a neophyte or someone well-versed in your particular art. Types of classes include dance, African drumming, guitar, piano and voice lessons. The tots get less demanding (but probably more fun) classes of their own.

Wolf Trap’s July lineup reads like a who’s who in music: Dolly Parton, Huey Lewis and the News, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Emmylou Harris, k.d. lang. Names don’t get much bigger than this.

Apartment renters in Vienna and surrounding environs sure have a lot to be thankful for, not the least of which includes this national treasure.

Come on out one weekend and share a fun day with family listening to some great music. If you decide not to, we’ll send you on the Last Train to Clarksville sans return ticket!

Vienna Combines the Comfort of Suburbia With the Charm of a Small Town

Filed under: Vienna, Va. — Scott D @ 2:21 pm on October 26, 2010
Opera

Variety show: Vienna's Wolf Trap offers a range of entertainment throughout the season, including music from around the world, comedy, performance art and even opera.

As of July 1, 2009, Vienna, Va., had 15,215 residents. The town is 15 miles away from downtown Washington, D.C., by car. But luckily, you have options. Vienna has one WMATA Metrorail stop in the town proper, Dunn Loring-Merrifield on the Orange Line.

Curiously, about four miles down I-66, you run into the Vienna/Fairfax-GMU station, also on the Orange Line. It’s officially in Fairfax, but who cares? If you’re renting in Vienna, the station is right there for you to take advantage of when you cruise into the city for work or play, or just because you like riding the rails.

It doesn’t get too much more suburban than Vienna, but the burg does try to maintain a small-town feel.

  • For one thing, Vienna has the Windover Heights Historic District. Residents of the historic district and Historic Vienna, Inc., sponsor Walk on the Hill, a spring garden tour held on the last Sunday afternoon in April. It’s one of five annual town events.
  • There are quite a few historic sites in Vienna, like the Freeman Store and Museum, which was built in 1859. Operated by Historic Vienna, Inc., the old-time general store is open Wednesday through Sunday, from 12 p.m.-4 p.m. It’s closed in January.
  • Another gem is Centennial Park, which is home to W&OD Caboose #503, donated by the Norfolk Southern Corporation because of the town’s history with railroads. And the town does have plenty of history, dating all the way back to the mid 1700s, when Colonel Charles Broadwater, a colonial soldier and public servant who is believed to be the first settler in town, built his home here in 1754.

Getting back to the present, there are plenty of parks in Vienna where you can play numerous sports (softball, soccer, football, lighted tennis), walk on trails, picnic, the works. They even have a park for kids (Branch Road Tot Lot). Even Bowser is given a place to frolic at Vienna Dog Park. The town also sports a community center, which facilitates many events and houses Club Phoenix, a teen center. Finally, Vienna is bisected by the Washington & Old Dominion Regional Park, a 45-mile-long, 100-foot-wide paved trail for bikers, walkers, runners and skaters. There is also a 32-mile, adjacent gravel trail for horseback riding.

Music fans need no introduction to Wolf Trap, but I’ll give you one anyway. With the full name of Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts, Wolf Trap is “America’s National Park for the Performing Arts,” and it plays host to a variety of live acts (music, musicals and opera) each year at two venues. Located in Vienna, Wolf Trap is a public/private partnership between the foundation itself and the U.S. Department of Interior. (On the town’s Web site, Vienna claims that Wolf Trap is outside the town’s limits. But since Wolf Trap uses a Vienna address, I’m saying it’s in Vienna … even if I’m wrong.)

While there aren’t any major malls in Vienna, there’s quite a wide variety of stores and smaller shopping venues along Maple Avenue, with the requisite grocery stores like Giant and trendy Whole Foods. Of course, the people in Vienna probably like it that way.

Similarly, they probably like the fact that there are several large-scale shopping venues nearby: You’re between Tysons Corner Center and its upscale sister Tysons Galleria in McLean, and Fair Oaks Mall in Fairfax. Both are short car rides away. So, if you want to live the suburban, Northern Virginian life, Vienna is certainly a suitable archetype.

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