Journeyed into Old Town with Leanne thius morning. She was off to work while we were intent on further exploration.
We first called in on the AAA (US equivalent of our RAC of WA), to get some maps of the areas we will be travelling through next month. They were extremely friendly and although they didn't really know how to treat us, we were given the maps of Pennsylvania, Ohio and Kentucky that we think will be needed. Similar maps are available as you cross each State border, at the State Welcome Centres, but I need some up to date maps to do some planning. It is my understanding that the RAC of WA has a reciprocal arrangement with the AAA, so that members of one are treated like members of the other, but I've never had to refer the AAA employees to it - they fill our every wish regardless.
Halfway down the main street (King Street) we passed the Hard Times Cafe, which for all the years we have been invading Alexandria, has sported a horse mannequin outside its establishment. It's a great advertisement for the place and as I say, has been a fixture for a long time. Someone must have sweet talked the City Hall folks, because this horse and its prime mover take up a fair bit of very rare car parking space.
We then walked into Old Town prpoer and called in on a number of shops, particularly the second hand ones, but there was little to attract us. Lunched at Subway and then headed on down towards the Potomac and the Torpedo Factory. This establishment produced torpedos for the US Navy over most of the 20th century and I think I read that they manufactured over 9000 during WW2. The Factory was turned over to the City of Alexandria near the end of the century and has been transformed into an artists' colony. A wide variety of these types practice their art in this location and some of the produce is more than a little interesting.
One of the photos in the Torpedo Factory which caught my eye.
There was no caption on the photo, so I've no idea where this old church was, but it reminded me of some I had seen in Texas around San Antonio.
We crossed paths a number of times with a tourist party of Muslims including one "woman" (who knows what they are) in a (full face) niqab.
While we were slowly exiting the Factory, we noticed a fireman dressed in a T shirt emblazoned on the rear with an Alexandria Fire Dept logo and pants with a Superman type utility belt and a pistol. What kind of fires do these folk have to fight that they need to be equipped with a firearm ?
Dropped in on Leanne at the end of her working day and we then drove to the Alexandria Lowes store ( another hardware outlet) to see if we could get some pop up sprinklers, but were advised they didn't have them and we would have to go to Lowes at Woodbridge - which we will do tomorrow.
