Well I actually made it back to Reston after an absence of two years.
It is alway interesting to visit an area after being away for a long time. You can see changes that others might not pick up.
My first initial impression was that the skyline had changed somewhat. Some buildings that had been under construction were finished.
Still Reston remains Reston. Macaroni Grille is still there, Best Buy continues to vibrate, and the Harris Teeter on Reston Parkway is pretty impressive.
I do miss the neighborhood Giant that was on North Shore, but Reston is Northern Virginia and progress will not be denied.
Considering how many tall buildings once graced Reston, I am impressed with the growing number.
Traffic remains Northern Virginia traffic with Route 28 from Interstate 66 to the Dulles Toll Road still one of the more exciting car rides in the civilized world.
We had a really good time sampling the delights of being in the big city. Considering that our fun on the Fourth of July was watching a golf cart parade, Northern Virginia seems pretty exciting.
Don't get me wrong I wouldn't trade my peaceful life on the Southern Outer Banks for a townhouse in McLean or Reston. The natural beauty of the coast is as hard to beat as the shopping in Tyson's Corner.
We managed a visit there as well as the Lake Anne Farmers' Market on Saturday morning.
I really enjoyed the farmers' market and will probably do a post on it.
Surprisingly I went to LL Bean and the Apple Store and didn't buy a thing.
I'm not sure whether that is a function my age or just not needing anything. It could be that as a real estate agent, I am more concerned with not spending money when I am making very little.
I was disappointed with the Apple Store, but that a subject for an Applepeels post. We actually had a great time and even managed to get some take out Chinese from our favorite McLean eatery, Forbidden City. They have moved since I was in town the last time.
We did manage to bring some country goodness to the city. We brought some of my exceptional homegrown coastal tomatoes that we have been enjoying since June 1.
The plate of tomatoes came from a single tomato that weighed 1.335 lbs on my daughter's digital scale.
We got some nice squishy white bread from Great Harvest in downtown Herndon.
It made for a delicious meal. It was pretty impressive to feed three people from a single tomato.
I was pleased to see that Reston's spot as a convenient place to live in a very confusing Northern Virginia world seems to be safe. Nothing has changed so much as to take away that special characteristic.
Reston's convenience, relative calmness, and safety in a very fast paced world is just as important to its character as Roanoke's natural beauty is to its character.
On another tangent I have taken on writing a blog for our real estate company. It should be lots of fun.
