Out and About in Falls Church, VA

Sign Board at Sweet Water Cafe

Falls Church is off of the orange line metro station, with stops in East and West Falls Church.  It is possible to get from the heart of downtown DC to Falls Church via metro in about 30 to 45 minutes, depending on the train schedule.

When we first moved to the area a few months back I went for a trek from our apartment to the Falls' Church city center, which was a good 3.5 mile hike from doorstop to doorstop.  Watching the fall leaves literally pour off the trees into the neighborhood lawns of citizens helpless to the inevitable mess, and exploring the musty antique shops, 19th century churches, and local restaurants were the highlight of the trip.  Plus, with hills and heavy walking, I was able to have the 'just-stretched and am now sore' feeling the next morning that made me think I had actually accomplished something important.  That, or my huffing and puffing confirms that I am officially out of shape.  (My ego is sticking to 'having accomplished something important.')

Great Falls Hike on a Winter Day

We went into two antique/local artist shops that had a variety of random knick-knacks.  The dust-filled antique shop on the main road had all sorts of stuff, from Waterford glass, 1950s paraphernalia, and Santos (Catholic religious icons) to 1970s paintings, African masks, and coin collections.  The other shop was off a side street and had more locally produced art items (including claywork, painting, and crafts) and several art studios upstairs.  I like to go into community run stores to see what local flavors are selling.  Falls Church also has a Venezuelan restaurant (connected to a Motor Lodge) that I have been told has surprisingly good food.  The downtown itself is safe and a number of families were trekking about on Sunday afternoon with kids in tow and babies perched atop happily smiling fathers.

What we were ultimately drawn to in Falls Church was an offbeat Clare and Don's Beach Shack restaurant that served up Florida Kitsch and California Casual with a remarkable sense of comfort.  Inside the Beach Shack, walls are laden with individually painted and inscribed flip-flops, brightly colored wall hangings, beach sayings, and absolutely no sense of irony (even as we took off our winter coats to sit in a raffia-palm rooftop).  This type of mom and pop shop is my kind of place.  I was reminded of growing up in Laguna Beach and San Clemente, California: it relayed that effortless, affordable, surf-style--that sand-between-your-toes and still-in-your-hair laid back kind of vibe.  It's weird how such an environment suddenly makes me feel 'home.'  I actually forgot I was in Virginia until I stepped back onto the cool, crisp streets.  The fish and chips at the Beach Shack were good and the chopped salad I had was nicely finished (read: I polished me plate, argh).  We're planning on going back for trivia on Wednesday night before we leave for India.

And so the Cupcake said, with her big brown eyes, please don't eat me!!!  Nevertheless, a tasty endeavor of chocolate induced guilt awaits you at the Falls Church Greek deli...

In the main part of downtown, the Mad Fox is an upper mid-range restaurant and brewing company that has friendly service, locally brewed adult beverages, and snacks such as Frickles (fried pickles) and Dutch-Indian style meat poppers.  If you step outside of the main center of Falls Church, the Dogfish Head Ale House on 6220 Leesburg Pike is an amazing brewpub with a number of beers on tap to pick from, including seasonal ales like Punkin' and Raison d'Etre (reason-to-be) as well as high gravity beers up to 15%!  At 9 bucks I thought the six-serve sampler (or 'flight') of Dogfish Head beers was well worth the investment.  We sat and caught up with an old friend there for nearly four hours.

Am I feelin' lucky?  Oh yeah.

Other sites of interest in the area include Castro's Bakery, Mexican restaurants near Safeway, Pho and more Pho, and Peruvian, Lebanese, and Afghani foodstops ... let the eating commence!  Eden Center, a Vietnamese shopping center with restaurants, markets, and Chinese medicinal herbs, had a fantastic Chinese New Year celebration including traditional dragons, firecrackers, drums, and gongs.  Apparently the year of the Dragon is propitious for having babies, so the expected increase in childbirth this year among communities recognizing the astral calendar is marked to go up 15%!


                    We are definitely exploring
                      our local surroundings!    

                              Catch up soon!