Photo Tour: Reston Town Center & Lake Anne. Warning, lotsa photos. (real estate, condo)

[That4car]

Appears to be dog friendly... I am moving up that way soon and looking forward to visiting soon.

[Caladium]

Originally Posted by That4car

Appears to be dog friendly... I am moving up that way soon and looking forward to visiting soon.

Very dog friendly here. It's funny, people are cutting back on expenses for themselves but they still find a few dollars to pamper their pooches. When the weather turns cold you'll see peopl in last year's clothes and the dogs sporting all sorts of fancy new sweaters.

Speaking about earlier versions of RTC, I remember the sandwiches at Bread & Chocolates. Too bad that place went out of business. And I can remember when there was only one parking garage.

[normie]

Trail from Town Center to Lake Anne

Next to Barnes & Noble is a pedestrian tunnel leading underneath Reston Parkway. On the other side a 1.4 mile trail leads to Lake Anne Plaza.



From the moment you start down this trail, you'll feel like you've entered a different world. You leave the vibrant energy of RTC behind and enter a leafy, green oasis. Things move much slower in Lake Anne, and there's an artsy, "older" feeling to the area. You get a sensation that you've gone back a few decades in time.

There are plenty of trail markers along the way. They have small maps of the trail system as well as the distance to various destinations.

The trail has lights, trash cans, and benches along the way.




Side trails lead to apartments and condos, or join with other trails.


The trail goes by these condos, which were designed by renowned architect Clothiel Smith and were featured in Life Magazine when they were built in the early 1960s.

When you see the tunnel under North Shore Road, you know you're almost to the Plaza.

There are several small sculptures in the underpass as well as benches. Looks like a good place to stay dry if you get caught in a sudden rain storm and you're waiting for a friend.

This is another sculpture I like. There are 5-6 of these sculptures scattered along the trail, especially closer to the lake.

The small curved bridge is a short cut to the shopping plaza.


You start seeing herons as you get closer to the lake.


Kayaks and other boats tied up along the waterfront townhouses.

You've arrived at the lake. Turn left at the bridge to go to the shopping plaza. Turn right to go to the Waterview Cluster.


Tomorrow I'll post photos of Lake Anne & the Plaza.

[JfromReston]

Great shots on the trail from RTC to Lake Anne - especially the heron!

[normie]

Originally Posted by JfromReston

Great shots on the trail from RTC to Lake Anne - especially the heron!

Thanks! Boy, there were herons all over the place on Saturday. Maybe they flew in for the Oktoberfest.

Here's another heron I saw on that walk. I wasn't going to use this shot since it doesn't add much information about Lake Anne (and I have a ton of other lake shots). But gotta admit the herons are cute.

[normie]

Lake Anne Plaza


The plaza is built in the shape of a "J". This shows the curve of the J. The lower level has shops, restaurants, and a museum. The upper level is condos. If you look closely you can also see a large contemporary art fountain that kids love to play in.






Farmers Market is on Saturdays during the summer and fall.




Live music can be found at the coffee shop and (like this photo) sometimes you'll just see a musician playing out in the plaza. The book store also has bluegrass and folk "jams." The plaza usually has free concerts in the summer and a few music festivals throughout the year.


There are several sculptures around the plaza.

[normie]

This is the cap of the "J". To the right you can see a sliver of the Baptist church. On Easter, the pastor gives a sunrise service from the tall platform rising from top of the church.
















The store by the water is a pharmacy, post office, and outdoor cafe. It's been there forever. If you love mom & pop stores, you'll love this place. Good sandwiches, too.

[normie]

The path connecting the Plaza to the Bridge.

We are now leaving the Plaza to tour the residential areas along Lake Anne, including Waterview Cluster, which you can see across the water.






The walk leading back to the bridge goes by several gardens.

The Monet Bridge

You can walk around Lake Anne in either direction, but today I've chosen to double back to the bridge and then start my walk around the lake. Why? Well to be honest I wanted to get a few more shots of the bridge. I really like this little bridge. What can I say, I like to hang out on it, do some people-watching, and look at the boats on the sunny days when people are out on the lake. BTW, it's listed as one of the 25 Best Places to Kiss in Virginia and I totally agree!






And now we will continue on a walk around the residential section of Lake Anne. It's a pretty walk that mostly follows the waterline, although there is one section where you can't see the lake as much. For the majority of this walk, however, you can easily see views like this.

More photos tomorrow...

[SteelCityRising]

Originally Posted by That4car

Appears to be dog friendly... I am moving up that way soon and looking forward to visiting soon.

Everyone and their brother-in-law owns a dog in Reston. In my cluster of apartments alone the gentleman next-door owns two dogs, the woman upstairs owns two dogs, and the couple above her also owns a dog. If I lounge around on my living room couch I am pretty much guaranteed to see some dog-walkers pass me by outside my patio every half-hour (along with old farts trying to do donuts with their golf carts at Hidden Creek). I, too, am considering adopting a Siberian husky next year when my finances permit. Hopefully he (or she) will help to ease my loneliness.

[Caladium]

Originally Posted by ScranBarre

Everyone and their brother-in-law owns a dog in Reston. In my cluster of apartments alone the gentleman next-door owns two dogs, the woman upstairs owns two dogs, and the couple above her also owns a dog. If I lounge around on my living room couch I am pretty much guaranteed to see some dog-walkers pass me by outside my patio every half-hour (along with old farts trying to do donuts with their golf carts at Hidden Creek). I, too, am considering adopting a Siberian husky next year when my finances permit. Hopefully he (or she) will help to ease my loneliness.

www.Petharbor.com Animal Search: ADOPTABLE

When the time comes for getting your dog, check out the newest arrivals at the animal shelter at this link. I've seen a few really nice huskies come through.