Springfield Town Center!!! The opportunity arises! (Alexandria, Franconia: live, restaurant, shoppers)

[misterturtle]

Originally Posted by airjay75

As a relative newcomer to the Springfield area having just moved to the area in 2012 and having bought our house in 2013, I just don't get the negative view that some people have of the Springfield area.

Because it hasn't been completely sanitized and homogenized thus doesn't fit in with the rest of the NoVA suburbs. I find Springfield to be pretty nice and one of the only places in NoVA with even an iota of character or authenticity remaining. As a relative newcomer to NoVA as well (from the Boston area) I find people's perception around here of what's considered to be 'nice' incredibly shallow, snobby and largely disconnected with the real world. I can't count the number of times I've heard the word 'ghetto' callously thrown around to describe places like Springfield, parts of Alexandria or as a gross generalization of MD as a whole. People here are definitely lacking in perspective; if something doesn't fit into their mold perfectly it'll usually be written off hence the immense number of chains and cookie cutter housing developments that dominate the region. I can understand why it is like this -- after all most of the people here work either directly or indirectly for the government which certainly isn't a culture that encourages creative, out-of-box thinking.

[jillabean]

Originally Posted by airjay75

As a relative newcomer to the Springfield area having just moved to the area in 2012 and having bought our house in 2013, I just don't get the negative view that some people have of the Springfield area. Moving here from some of the inner ring suburbs of Philadelphia, believe it or not, our first impression of many of the areas near or close to Springfield was that it felt newer and less congested than where we previously lived. Sure, there are some older strip malls and some older neighborhoods, but compared to what we were used to, it seemed quite nice - more diverse than what we experienced in Pennsylania, but newer. And, combined with the fact that there was a Metro station here, we just thought it seemed like a great location. When we started looking to buy our house, we thought about going to areas along the Orange Line because we wanted to be close to a Metro line, but our money went a good deal further in the Springfield area, so we decided to stay. Not only that, but a lot of the areas around the Orange Line felt more congested to us and actually a little bit older - a little more like the suburbs of Philadelphia. We're probably a little unique for a young married couple with no kids in that we were looking for more of a quiet suburban area, but we have found Springfield to be quite nice in many respects and really don't regret buying where we bought.

And, to me, the Springfield Town Center, to be successful, just needs to pull in people like us. There are plenty of young and middle-aged families with healthy 6-figure incomes in the Springfield area, and none of the other major shopping centers in the area are very conveniently located for us. Yes, we do a lot of our shopping online, but I'm more likely to go to a brick and mortar store if it is close and easy to get to. I shop often at stores near the Springfield mall - Target, Petsmart, Home Depot, JC Penney, DSW, etc. It doesn't feel unsafe or grungy, it feels convenient and close.

I am newish to Springfield too and I love it. I am close to just about anything in this area (takes me 15 minutes to get to work) and the area isn't "bad"... diverse, but but "bad."

And what I highlighted is my point too. There is nothing close by shopping center-wise (or even movie theater and big gym wise). I hate going all the way to Fair Oaks or Tysons and such... or all the way to Alexandria or Fairfax just to see a movie. Now I don't have to since what's offered at these other places (in general) comes with the Springfield Town Center, so I am looking forward to it.

[pcity]

Originally Posted by misterturtle

Because it hasn't been completely sanitized and homogenized thus doesn't fit in with the rest of the NoVA suburbs. I find Springfield to be pretty nice and one of the only places in NoVA with even an iota of character or authenticity remaining. As a relative newcomer to NoVA as well (from the Boston area) I find people's perception around here of what's considered to be 'nice' incredibly shallow, snobby and largely disconnected with the real world. I can't count the number of times I've heard the word 'ghetto' callously thrown around to describe places like Springfield, parts of Alexandria or as a gross generalization of MD as a whole. People here are definitely lacking in perspective; if something doesn't fit into their mold perfectly it'll usually be written off hence the immense number of chains and cookie cutter housing developments that dominate the region. I can understand why it is like this -- after all most of the people here work either directly or indirectly for the government which certainly isn't a culture that encourages creative, out-of-box thinking.

Except that a lot of people who live in Springfield also work for the government. Sure, there's some snobbery from people who put down Springfield, but connecting it to some sort of larger issue with government workers, or NoVA in general, is misplaced.

Every area has it's "considered-ghetto-but-not-really-ghetto" areas. Example: In the Philly suburbs, there are still people who brag about how long it's been since they went to the city of Philadelphia, as if the whole city were some sort of wasteland. It's not strictly a NoVA thing.

[ameridreamNoT]

Springfield, VA = Philadelphia #2.

[jillabean]

Originally Posted by ameridreamNoT

Springfield, VA = Philadelphia #2.

I could go for this... as long as someone at the Springfield Town Center starts selling "real" cheesesteaks and real water ice

[savoiadilucania]

Originally Posted by airjay75

Personally, I'm hoping for some nicer sit down restaurants. I'm fine with chains, but chains that are a step above your Fridays, Chilis, Applebee's, etc. I think Cheesecake Factory and Texas de Brazil would be great. I believe Maggianos is already leased. I could go for a Ruth's Chris, Morton's, or Capital Grille too. I also like Seasons 52. In my opinion, the Springfield area is greatly lacking in the "nicer" restaurant category. About the only one I can think of that I would put in that category in the entire area is Mike's American Grill and, even there, I simply don't end up going because if you call ahead for seating on Friday or Saturday night, there is typically a 2.5 hour wait. That tells me the demand is definitely there in the area for nicer restaurants.

What? You're talking about a mall with that identifies its anchor stores as Target and JC Penney!

[yamota]

correction, it's "tar-jay"

[Joke Insurance]

Does anyone remember Coffee Cavern?

[irisheyes13]

Originally Posted by airjay75

I could see a second Great American Restaurant in the area. I like Mike's a lot, but that place is always so incredibly busy. The last few times I have called ahead to get my name on the list for seating, the wait was 2.5 hours. Even on week nights, I've encountered hour wait times and a packed parking lot. Makes me think a second GAR restaurant in the area could also do well without taking away Mike's business.

We enjoy Mikes and agree that another GAR could do well in the area but if you venture just a bit past the mall, we have found Walker's Grill to be a nice change (particularly since they got a new chef a year or so) and have enjoyed a few meals at Osteria Marzano. We have heard good things about Maggiano's so are looking forward to that opening in the mall.


Walker's Grille- Contemporary American Cuisine- 6909 Metro Park Drive, Alexandria, Va


Springfield Restaurants VA - Old Town Alexandria Restaurants | Osteria Marzano

[tgbwc]

Originally Posted by irisheyes13

We enjoy Mikes and agree that another GAR could do well in the area but if you venture just a bit past the mall, we have found Walker's Grill to be a nice change (particularly since they got a new chef a year or so) and have enjoyed a few meals at Osteria Marzano. We have heard good things about Maggiano's so are looking forward to that opening in the mall.


Walker's Grille- Contemporary American Cuisine- 6909 Metro Park Drive, Alexandria, Va


Springfield Restaurants VA - Old Town Alexandria Restaurants | Osteria Marzano

I'll second your review of Walker's Grille. We've been there a few times now and have enjoyed dinner on their patio. We like Mike's, but their menu is limited (been there, have eaten that) and we found Walker's to be a nice alternative.