Just a stoplight away from the Pentagon and tucked in the trees off of I-395, sit the seven neighborhoods that make up the community of Fairlington. The connection between military families stationed at the Pentagon, Fort Meyer or other Military District of Washington facilities remains as strong today as it did in the 1940’s when Fairlington was first built.

If you are considering buying a home while you are stationed at the Pentagon you might want to dust off your VA Certificate of Eligibility. If you find yourself headed to the Pentagon give me a call at 703-346-2213. We can talk about your housing needs, financing options and get your started towards buying your new home in Northern Virginia.

© Cindy Jones All Rights Reserved "Fairlington and Pentagon-A Long History in Northern Virginia"

In a way you hate to give up the "secret" of your favorite little places to sneak off for lunch or a sweet treat.  On the other hand you want others to realize that you don't have to spend a fortunate at one of the mega chain coffee stores or settle for fast food when in the same area is a great little deli and pastry shop that will satisfy your hunger with real food.

In this case the little secret spot is the Alexandria Pasty Shop and Deli in the Bradley Shopping Center on King Street.  Since I own a townhouse in the Fairlington Community just across the street it is one of the first places I tell potential tenants about and a spot where I met prospective buyers before we tour the close by neighborhoods.

The pastry shop isn't new.  In fact it has been around for 20 years but the location is unassuming as compared to either Shirlington or Old Town Alexandria both just a few miles away.  The big decision when you walk in the door is whether you should be good and go the right and order real food or just give in to the urge to go left to the pastry side of the store and buy yourself a treat. 



The Alexandria Pastry Shop offers a great selection of daily specials that include London Broil Salad, Eggplant Parmesan Roll-ups, Veggie Lasagna or Quiche to name a few.  There is also a set selection of breakfast and lunch sandwiches made to order and my favorite is the grilled chicken with avocado on a fresh croissant. 

The pastry side of the store is where it all really started and it is evident when you look at the selection available.  Cookies, cupcakes, huge brownies, fresh fruit tarts and cake slices of all varieties are displayed beautifully and calling your name.  Add to what you can buy to eat on site are the beautiful specialty cakes that you can order.  Alexandria Pastry Shop is known around the area for their wedding cakes and often when you stop in to eat you will find a future bride and groom sitting at the tasting table in the back trying to decide which flavor cake to order.

If you live in the Fairlington neighborhood or anywhere close by wander down to the Bradley Shopping Center and check out the Alexandria Pastry Shop and Deli.  If you see me there pull up a chair and lets chat about our other favorite places in the neighborhood.

No, this isn't a personal question about your belly button.  Buyers moving to Northern Virginia often see the phrase "inside" or "outside" the beltway in MLS descriptions and wonder where are these locations on the map.   For those who have lived in the Northern Virginia most of our lives we have watched "outside" the beltway on the Virginia side expand far west and south of DC.

Just as the term "slugging" started as a phrase to describe riders using counterfeit tokens, the term inside or outside the beltway started with a different meaning in our area as well.  The phrase was originally used politically to describe the fact that most of the power in the DC area was located inside the beltway where the Federal Government is located. 

The first written reference to the term is found with the Warren Commission Report about Watergate printed in 1975:  

"In the White House of Richard M. Nixon, it was said that Watergate would become serious only if it "got outside the Washington Beltway."   Guess we know how that turned out!

Neighborhoods in Arlington, Alexandria, Falls Church and McLean are some examples of neighborhoods inside the beltway in Northern Virginia.  Neighborhoods inside the beltway used to lean towards smaller older homes on tree lined lots however there has been a boom of condo developments inside the beltway.  With the metro and buses within walking distance, many of the newer neighborhoods quickly gained popularity with buyers wanting to ditch their car for their daily commute.

Outside the beltway has expanded significantly over the past 10 years and some might say that it extends all the way to the Shenandoah Valley where you can find commuter lots for van pools to DC.   The selection of neighborhoods outside the beltway is generally more diverse if for no other reason than the space constraints of trying to squeeze homes within a smaller geographic area has been removed.  There has been significant new home development outside the beltway in recent years in the western part of Fairfax County, Prince William County and Loudoun County.  

So another mystery of local terminology is revealed.  If you want to know more about living either inside or outside the beltway give a native of the area a call.  I've got a few other localisms I can clue you into as well!

Just a stoplight away from the Pentagon and tucked in the trees off of I-395, sit the seven neighborhoods that make up the community of Fairlington.  The connection between military families stationed at the Pentagon, Fort Meyer or other Military District of Washington facilities remains as strong today as it did in the 1940’s when Fairlington was first built.

If you are considering buying a home while you are stationed at the Pentagon you might want to dust off your VA Certificate of Eligibility. If you find yourself headed to the Pentagon give me a call at 703-346-2213. We can talk about your housing needs, financing options and get your started towards buying your new home in Northern Virginia.

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It doesn’t matter how famous you might be in US history if you can’t pay your bills the government is going to confiscate your land. And this is what happened to none other than Robert E. Lee and his wife during the civil war. General Lee was unable to keep up with the taxes on the Custis-Lee estate and abandoned the property while fighting in the civil war. The land was purchased at auction by the US Government and divided into 200 acres for Arlington National Cemetery and 256 acres for a site originally called Fort Whipple. After the war the name of the post was changed to Fort Myer to honor the first general of the US Signal Corps Albert J. Myer.

So if the information that the land that comprises the Fort Myer came to the US by tax confiscation isn’t enough history it is also the site of the first military aircraft flight by Orville Wright and the site of the first military aircraft fatality. On the second flight attempt Orville Wright was injured and Lt. Selfridge was killed. So much for the fame of Kitty Hawk!

Just as the Marine Corps Barracks-DC is home to the ceremonial units for the Marine Corps, Fort Myer is home to the US Army School of Music and The Old Guard the army’s ceremonial unit. When driving through Fort Myer you will find the stables for the horses and caisson used for both military and Presidential funerals. The most famous horse remembered from the Old Guard in Black Jack the riderless horse seen in the funerals of presidents John F. Kennedy, Herbert Hoover and Lyndon Johnson.

Fort Myers has two beautiful churches on post. The most recognized is the Old Post Chapel used for private ceremonies and the second is a newer church that is used for regularly services. Both churches have private gates that open onto Arlington Cemetery.

Many of the buildings and brick homes on Fort Myer are listed on the historic register and the 26 Victorian-style homes known as "Generals' Row" were built 75 years ago. if you drive to the back gate of Fort Myer you can take in incredible view over Arlington Cemetery and the Washington monument. For those in the know and with the right pass it is a fantastic place to take in Washington’s fireworks.

In 2005 some of Henderson Hall management functions moved to Fort Myer establishing Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall. If you are stationed at either the Navy Annex or Henderson Hall you can get on to Fort Myer during the week through the back gates.

Many military personnel coming into Fort Meyer find Fairlington and Park Fairfax are great places to call home. With the proximity to Shirlington and Clarendon finding a place to take in a movie, grab a bite to eat or shop, Fort Meyerr is in a strategic location.

If you find yourself with PCS orders to Fort Myer, Military District of Washington, Fort Belvoir, Pentagon or any of the other military locations around Northern Virginia give me a call.

Related Posts for Military Relocation to Northern Virginia
Quantico Marine Base-Housing with a History
Marine Barracks DC
Welcome to the Pentagon
Is A Move to Fort Belvoir in Your Future?
Military Relocation to Northern Virginia
Military Relocation to Northern Virginia-Moving with your Pets

©2008 Cindy Jones. All Rights Reserved

All original photos taken at Fort Myer in January 2008 by Cindy Jones
Fireworks photo from IStock.

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As an Associate Broker with RE/MAX Allegiance in Northern Virginia and native of the area I can assist you whether you are buying, selling or renting a home anywhere in Northern Virginia. For more information about the area or my services you can check VaRealEstateTalk or my Northern Virginia website.

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A few years ago a leaking hot water heater took a chunk out of my coveted book collection.  Then another move made me realize that hauling around boxes of books was not very practical and added a lot to the moving bill.  So after years of avoiding the public library it seemed like a good idea to check out how they might have changed.  In the Northern Virginia area we are lucky to have a huge selection of libraries to choose from including a new state of the art library that opened recently in Shirlington.

As soon as you walk in the door you realize this is not a place were you are going to find rows of those pesky card catalogs but instead a sleek state of the art computerized facility. Offering 26 PC stations, total wireless access if you bring your own laptop, a 75 person meeting room with Smart Board and check out with a library card with built in RFD chip.  There are comfortable chairs scattered throughout the library and you are allowed to bring in a cup of java!

This $225 million dollar facility replaces the old "temporary" library which was flooded in 2006.  The building was built following "green" building principles including recycled-content carpeting, low VOC paints, a reflective roof and energy efficient systems.  Arlington County is in the process of applying for LEED certification from the Green Building Council.   Originally conceived as a one story building the project grew when the Signature Theater learned that it would need a new home as well.  Known for taking risks with adaptations of overlooked theater products, the Signature Theater has won acclaim with 54 Helen Hayes Awards over the last 20 years.

With community art on display, an LED architectural light show which can you can see as soon as you enter Shirlington Village and a mosaic fountain designed by Martha Jackson-Jarvis a local sculpter you will see how this library is one step above ordinary.

 So if you have been avoiding the library because of the fear of the dreaded SHHHHH then you need to take another look at what is happening in your local library.  The new one in Shirlington gives you a great opportunity to avoid heavy lifting the next time you need to move.