Business Trip to Reston, VA (Need Advice) (Arlington, Fairfax: rental car, rental)

[liliesinbloom]

Hi everyone,

I'll be going on a business trip to Reston, VA from Sunday, Jan. 4th (from 2 p.m.) to Friday, Jan 9th (until noon) and wanted some advice on where to eat, what to visit, things to see, what to avoid, etc. I don't anticipate I'll have too much time to relax since my focus will be mainly on training for my new job so things close to the town center are best (I'm assuming visiting DC is out of the picture since traffic would make for a very long commute). I'm also 23 (not yet old enough to drive a rental car) and have to stick to riding the metro/bus/taking taxis/walking.

Thank you! Any advice/tips are welcome.

[ICS67]

First of all, where are you staying -- in Reston itself? If so, in which hotel?

If you're going to be in or near Reston Town Center (RTC), that's probably where you could most easily spend at least some of your down time, which to judge by what you've written will be only in the evening. RTC is quite safe and features any number of restaurants, some interesting shops, an ice skating rink, and a multiplex showing first-run films. You can check out all RTC has to offer at Welcome to the Reston Town Center.

But since Reston is basically suburbia, you might want to travel farther afield. Metro's newly-opened Silver Line terminates in Reston about a mile from RTC (you can take a taxi or Fairfax Connector bus to get to that terminus). If you don't want to go all the way into Washington by Metro, you could go to the Clarendon Metro stop in Arlington County, which is a major center of nightlife for 20-somethings in northern Virginia.

Have fun!

[Flamingo13]

Originally Posted by liliesinbloom

Hi everyone,

I'll be going on a business trip to Reston, VA from Sunday, Jan. 4th (from 2 p.m.) to Friday, Jan 9th (until noon) and wanted some advice on where to eat, what to visit, things to see, what to avoid, etc. I don't anticipate I'll have too much time to relax since my focus will be mainly on training for my new job so things close to the town center are best (I'm assuming visiting DC is out of the picture since traffic would make for a very long commute). I'm also 23 (not yet old enough to drive a rental car) and have to stick to riding the metro/bus/taking taxis/walking.

As far as I know, you can rent a car at 22? I could be wrong (have been before, LOL)
Thank you! Any advice/tips are welcome.

What kinds of things are you interested in? Physical, shopping, historical, etc.

[Panu16]

I assume that you will be staying within the walking distance of Reston Town Center. Here is the list of (local to DC) restaurants I recommend in Reston Town Center

Clyde's (next to the ice skating ring)
Jackson's (it is a micro-brew)
Paolo's (next to the fountain for Italian)
The cup cake place next to Potbelly is also very good.

[spencgr]

Originally Posted by Panu16

I assume that you will be staying within the walking distance of Reston Town Center. Here is the list of (local to DC) restaurants I recommend in Reston Town Center

Clyde's (next to the ice skating ring)
Jackson's (it is a micro-brew)
Paolo's (next to the fountain for Italian)
The cup cake place next to Potbelly is also very good.

Jackson's is not a micro-brew.

[liliesinbloom]

Thanks for the replies everyone! According to HR at my new job, Expedia does require those using their rental cars to be 25 or older. Meh. :/

ICS67 - I'll be staying at the Hyatt Regency, which I believe is right in RTC (judging by Google Maps). I'm glad to hear the area is safe since this will be my first time traveling alone - it puts my mind at ease, so thanks for that. I was wondering about Silver Line, so again thanks for the info!

Flamingo13 - I was interested in checking out some easy nature trails (I'm from AZ so VA is a huge change as far as wildlife/nature stuff goes and it'd be neat to experience it). I noticed there's a lake south of Sunset Valley Dr. called Lake Thoreau. Anything cool there?

Panu16 - Thanks for the list! I'll definitely check some of those places out.

[Bigfoot424]

Originally Posted by spencgr

Jackson's is not a micro-brew.

I was wondering at this as well. I've never seen it as a micro-brew. It does have a very active bar.

[spencgr]

Originally Posted by Bigfoot424

I was wondering at this as well. I've never seen it as a micro-brew. It does have a very active bar.

Most important thing is that it doesn't brew any beer, which really is the first requirement to be a micro-brew.

[JfromReston]

Originally Posted by liliesinbloom

I was interested in checking out some easy nature trails (I'm from AZ so VA is a huge change as far as wildlife/nature stuff goes and it'd be neat to experience it). I noticed there's a lake south of Sunset Valley Dr. called Lake Thoreau. Anything cool there?

Nice nature trails around Lake Thoreau and also adjacent Lake Audubon. Great restaurant on Lake Thoreau -- Cafesano -- inexpensive italian/greek with great pizza. The Fairfax Connector bus RIBS2 will take you from RTC over to the South Lakes area. Best nature trails are in the Walker Nature Center area in the Snakeden Branch and Glade stream valleys.

Here are some photos
https://www.city-data.com/forum/north...uth-lakes.html

[Shelborne_22033]

Originally Posted by Bigfoot424

I was wondering at this as well. I've never seen it as a micro-brew. It does have a very active bar.

This place is a meat market...