Old Town Alexandria

 M: Good ole Alexandria. AVA. Atown. I’ve lived in Alexandria my whole life so I come down to Old Town a lot. There’s a variety of things to do. There are tons of restaurants from fine dining to casual, tons of shopping from well-known stores to local boutiques, and a great view once you get down to the waterfront area.

R: Personally, I think Old Town is a bit overrated. If it weren’t for sentimental reasons and its proximity to my house, I don’t think I’d go there much. It’s a cute area, with a few stores but I don’t think I’d ever go there to shop. It’s the kind of place you go to browse and window shop after you go to a nearby restaurant. One of the places I’ve been to since I was a kid is “Bugsy’s Pizza”. It’s a great family place. Also, right next door is “Pop’s Old Fashioned Ice Cream Company”. I don’t think I’ve ever been to Bugsy’s without making a stop at Pop’s afterwards for my favorite, Bubblegum icecream.  
M: I’ve eaten in Old Town plenty of times. “Mai Thai” or “Pasara Thai” are good fallback places for Thai food. “Austin Grill” is pretty well known for Mexican food, but I didn’t think it was that great. “Momo Sushi” is great for sushi and plus it has my name in it. “Table Talk” is a good breakfast place. If you realllllllly feel like spending some money, head over to the “Majestic”.  It is great fine dining (Michelle Obama was there a week before I went) but it is a bit pricey, ~$120 for two.

M: Old Town is about twenty blocks long and wide. It starts at the waterfront and ends at the foot of the Masonic Temple.  From here, you can get a great view of the whole of Old Town.  

R: The Masonic Temple sports a great view of Alexandria as well as being a very old historic place. If you get a chance, go for a guided tour, they’re about $5/person. If not, you can explore for yourself, but you won’t be able to go up to the top of the building without a tour guide.