Tips for new residents in Cascades area (Manassas, Woodbridge: HOA, low crime)

[Caladium]

I got a DM from a new resident in Cascades who was hoping to get some tips for the area. He didn't specify what sort of tips, so I presume it's the usual questions we all have in a new neighborhood, like:

• Where's the best place to buy gas
• Where's a good place to get BBQ
• Which pool do you like the best
• Is it safe to walk on the sidewalks along Algonkian Parkway
• What are the signs advertising Slopfest all about

Etc. Etc.

Anyway, since so many people on this forum live in or near Cascades I thought it would make a good thread topic. You guys can come up with many more tips than I can.

Include tips on anything you think might be of interest.

[Caladium]

Here are a few I wrote for another tread last year. When I get home I'll try to come up with more things.


The bus service to WFC Metro stops right there in the Bloom parking lot. You'll see the people waiting for it, you can't miss it. Re Horizon: I don't know that school personally, but have heard positive comments about it.

As far as I know Cascades is built out, so no developments being planned. But Margery would probably know for sure. I don't know the safety of your particular neighborhood but Cascades in general is a very low crime area and we've always felt extremely safe here.

A couple of other things you might enjoy knowing: The Chinese food place in the plaza near Bloom is very good. The Italian Place has some really good dishes and some so-so ones. Worth trying out. The coffee shop is only fair, it's cute and I like the idea of supporting independent business but to be honest if you want good coffee go to Dunkin Donuts instead.

The Shell station next to Rite Aid often has the cheapest gas in the area. Go early, it gets busy. Also, go early if you're getting car inspections there.

There's a tunnel under Algonkian Parkway near LI Blvd. It takes a little while to find it, and to be honest it may be asier to just take the crosswalk. But, if you've got a stroller the tunnel can be handy.

In the spring, the 10K is a big social event, lots of fun to do. If you aren't going downtown on the 4th, Donald Trump puts on an impressive fireworks show. You can see it really well by walking down Lowes Island Blvd. to the area near Colonel Young. If you walk all the way down LI Blvd. at the very end you'll see a golf cart trail that goes up a hill. It leads to a ritzy neighborhood. Walk through it, and you'll come to Seneca Park. This is a great park for hiking trails. Also, the doggy splash is here.

Algonkian Park has all kinds of amazing things. If you have out of town visitors, consider putting them up at the cabins there. The water park there is a lot of fun but can get crowded. The playground there is huge; it's a wonderful place.

At Halloween, several of the streets go all out and are a lot of fun. Blockhouse and Saulty are two really good streets to check out. Also McGees/Colonel Young area. The Christmas lights in these areas tend to be impressive, too.

If you're a member of Cascades HOA and have a dog, a really fun thing to do is the dog swim on the weekend after they close the pools (mid September).

[GCPA]

In my 2 years' observance,

1. Drive to Woodbridge or Manassas for gas. Shell thinks just because you live in Cascades you are rich. Or, brave the looooooooooong lines at Costco.

2. Grocery shop at Wegmans. Giant thinks just because you live in Cascades you are rich.

3. Slopfest is a glorified mud wrestling event from what I can tell! Just remember seeing a couple of teenagers walking away from it last year and all the shoes left on the grounds. Guess it is some high schooler thing. Not exactly sure of its purpose. Just fun I guess. Nothing wrong with that.

4. Register with the HOA so you receive the online newsletter. Informative for the events going on around the 'hood. Think next weekend is the joint shredding event with Countryside.

5. Forget the tunnel under Algonkian at Lowes Island. It takes you about a mile out of your way.

6. Prefer Lowes over Home Depot but stay away from the shopping center on weekends. Whoever designed that center and traffic patterns needs to be shot.

7. Tons of walking trails throughout Cascades and Countryside for enjoyment.

8. Food - choices galore throughout Sterling. It is all a matter of opinion though.

[Fleur~de~lis]

Where's the best place to buy gas? - Costco and Sam's are always the cheapest in the area (love the Gas Buddy app), but the lines are shorter (usually) at Sam's.

Where's a good place to get BBQ? - Texas No good BBQ around here.

Which pool do you like the best? - the Lowes Island community pool is nice, but wish the adult swim was an hour blocked off during the day/evening instead of the last 15 mins of each hour. Volcano Falls @ Algonkian Park is really fun - my DS loves it.

Is it safe to walk on the sidewalks along Algonkian Parkway? - Assuming so - I've never walked it, but have not seen/heard any indications otherwise.

What are the signs advertising Slopfest all about? - Was wondering the same thing today, until Caladium resolved that

A few more observations...

Laundry - Dry Clean Depot off Hwy 7. MUCH cheaper than anything off Algonkian Pkwy.

Pizza - My favorite is Lucia's, but Vocelli's is good, too.

Grocery - Prefer Wegman's, but Giant is convenient & like the Shell gas discount. I rarely shop Bloom - (will never get over the Food Lion scandal), but many of my friends shop there & love it - it's at least convenient.

Auto servicing - I've had good experiences at the Goodyear Service Ctr next to Shell.

Starbucks - the only drive-thru coffee place around here is the Countryside location.

AND... the Slurpees taste better at the Cascades 7-11 rather than the location near Regal Cinema.

[Caladium]

Agreed that the tunnel under Algonkian isn't worth bothering with. It's much quicker to use the cross lights, instead. They need to make the shopping plaza side of the tunnel easier to access. A few steps on the grassy hill there would be helpful, instead of having to walk a long distance around.

The Cascades library is an incredible resource. If you need to schedule a meeting, that's a very good place to hold one. This year they instated fines for overdue books, so if you've gotten into the habit of holding onto books for a really long time be sure to renew them online and you won't get a fine.

The Cascades newsletter has a list of local kids willing to walk dogs, babysit, mow lawns, and even do a few handyman type jobs. Also, the classifieds are pretty good. I got a Scan coffee table for $75 from someone who was moving and it was worth a lot more than that when she bought it.

Adams Tree Service is the arborist used by the association. They are excellent, and if you are willing to schedule tree services for a time when they are in the neighborhood, they give a good deal. They are in Cascades 2-3 times a week since it's a huge HOA and a lot of people use them.

The Lowes Island gym gets crowded at 11 a.m. every day. By 12:30 most of those people have left and you'll have the gym to yourself.

Welcome to Cascades. We've been very happy with this HOA and think it's one of the best run HOAs around.

[dawnoftheboys]

Good tips! How about some more!