Belle View Shopping Center
Into Fitness?
Athletes, would-be athletes and nature lovers should head south from Old Town Alexandria.
Stretching along the Potomac River from the southern border of Old Town to Mount Vernon Estate is the Mt. Vernon bike path. Eight miles of asphalt allow locals and visitors to walk, run or bike while enjoying river views and wildlife sightings. Bald eagles, ospreys, blue heron, cormorants, egrets, ducks and geese are among waterfowl commonly spotted along this corridor, while deer, groundhog and fox sightings are frequent. Combine cardio and conservation by following a nature trail through Dyke Marsh.
Along the bike path is a fitness course and several points of access for canoes or kayaks.
Businesses in the nearby Belle View shopping center allow you to tone up at Curves or take karate lessons. Adjacent to Belle View is the Mt. Vernon Recreation Center, which provides Fairfax County residents with an indoor pool and ice rink. Farther south on Route 1 is a Gold’s Gym.
Local communities such as River Towers, Porto Vecchio and Belle View also offer their residents tennis, swimming and basketball facilities as well as their own in-house gyms.
Martha Washington Library
The Martha Washington Library is part of the Fairfax County Library System. It was built in 1969 which makes it one of the oldest libraries in the Fairfax County system. The library is situated on Fort Hunt Road near the Belle View Shopping Center, which is at the intersection of Belle View Boulevard, Beacon Hill Road and Fort Hunt.
Because it was built in 1969, the library has the modernistic architecture of the late sixties, early seventies. The most distinctive feature of this design is the “hat” on the building. There is a 6 to 10 ft. feature on the roof which is reminiscent of the old Pizza Hut buildings.
The library has an on-going booksale. The prices on these books are quite reasonable.
Patrons can enjoy reading areas inside and out of the library. Inside, as one might expect, is quite and climate controlled. Outside there are a few benches. The library abuts the Mount Vernon Rec Center and nearly surrounded by the woods of the Mt. Vernon District Park.
The meeting room at the library seats 50 people and is quite pleasant. I have enjoyed the meeting room as a member of the Alexandria Gaming Group. The staff was very accommodating, and the room was excellent.
A volunteer group called the Friends of the Martha Washington Library supports the library. New volunteers are encouraged to fill out an application. It’s a great way to help your community and make new friends at the same time.
Between now and 2010, the Martha Washington Library will be undergoing an expansion project to add 8,000 square feet to the existing structure. The new structure will be 18,000 square feet and is depicted in the model in this picture.
Belle View Shopping Center
Belle View Shopping Center
Do you like shopping where your grocer knows your name? Do you like having a video store that’s on this side of the stop light? How about a sampling of family restaurants and conveniences at your disposal?
