Thanksgiving feels so early this year! But there is still plenty of time to plan your fun holiday weekend activities. Here are my picks for Thanksgiving weekend in Reston.
Thanksgiving Food Drive, November 1 to 20
Every year, the Reston Community Center, the Greater Reston Chamber of Commerce, and Cornerstones join [...]
Wondering when the best time to list your home is? The answer is right now. Fall is actually a great time of year to put your house on the market. It’s not really a matter of when to do it; it’s a matter of what you need to do to [...]
There is something to be said for being able to walk everywhere. That’s part of why people love living in West Market, a community across the street from Reston Town Center. In fact, West Market residents can walk to the grocery store, restaurants, the movie theater, the W&OD trail, and anything else they could need (even Target is walking distance).
One of my favorite West Market amenities is the private pond that has a walking trail around it (it’s about 1/2 mile total around the pond). You can do the loop several times, take the trail to the W&OD trail, or sit on one of the benches and read a book on a gorgeous day. It’s peaceful and lovely.
West Market was built in the late 1990’s. Five builders came together to create this architecturally diverse community. Most people first notice the rounded exteriors that are unlike anything else in Reston. Spacious common areas include a clubhouse, which includes a main hall and kitchen for meetings and gatherings, a fitness center and sauna, and an outdoor pool.
The dwelling units comprise two condo communities: The Lincoln Park community has 104 luxury, 2-story townhome style condos. Madison Park has 122 condominium units (24 of which are townhouses) within seven buildings.
West Market is a great choice for anyone wanting to live in the Reston Town Center area without actually being in Town Center.
The Hook Road neighborhood off Fairway Drive is a sweet little pocket of homes built in the 1960s. In case the road names don’t give it away, this small community backs up to the Hidden Creek Country Club golf course. Those are some very nice views from back decks.
The Hook Road homes are classic contemporary style, most with three or four bedrooms, are typically two story, and many have brick exteriors.
The homes line only one side of the street. The inner space of the horseshoe houses a baseball diamond for little league, RA tennis courts, and a basketball court provide entertainment all summer. And there is plenty of room among that green space to lay out a blanket for a family picnic.
But that may change.
Reston Association is currently assessing how the Hook Road Recreation Area could be improved, and the time for community input is now (specifically tomorrow night, October 10, and October 24). RA’s goal is to present a proposal to the RA Board of Directors early next year.
The Hook Road Recreation Area was originally developed in 1965 with tennis and basketball amenities added in 1973. Since that time, the recreation area has remained relatively unchanged.
In 2016, the RA board approved a new capital project methodology called “Full Facility Enhancements,” focuses on revitalizing facilities as a singular unit instead of replacing individual amenities. If you use the recreation area, or just want to know what the plan is, attend the meetings. You can find out the locations on the RA website. You can also sign up to for email updates about the project: Email HookRoadInfo@reston.org.
I’m still wrapping my mind around the fact that Labor Day is this weekend! But it is, and that means one of my all-time favorite events is happening. That’s the annual Jazz & Blues Festival at Lake Anne on Saturday. On Monday, head to downtown Herndon for the annual Labor Day Festival. In between, enjoy your last weekend at the [...]
I love contemporary architecture and Lake Thoreau, so it’s no surprise that Purple Beech Drive and Upper Lake Drive are two one of my favorite streets in Reston. While on opposite sides of the lake both are typical Reston single family home communities with an organic, natural feel to the wood-sided homes. In addition to lake access, the homes are also on generous, wooded plots. You feel like you’re at a resort!
As with most single-family home communities, the sizes and layouts are all different. Typically, though, they are 4-bedroom, multi-level homes. They have beautiful wooded yards, and the entire neighborhood is well landscaped and attractive. Purple Beech is a cul-de-sac and Upper Lake is a horseshoe, which means both are quiet and peaceful—great places to let your children play outside and enjoy nature.
While not all of the homes have direct lakefront access to Lake Thoreau, they do all have full lake access and privileges. Imagine paddling on the lake during the summer, or enjoying a picnic on your own floating barge (a favorite among many people who live on Reston’s lakes). A lovely 2-mile walking path circles the lake. In nice whether, lake residents make full use of it, walking to South Lakes Village Center to enjoy a meal or simply going for a run.
Terraset Elementary, Langston Hughes Middle School and South Lake High School are close by. Other nearby amenities include the Walker Nature Education Center, Reston Regional golf course, Reston Metro station (about 1 mile), Reston Town Center, pools and tennis courts.
These are the kind of streets you dream of: close to anything you want to do, but also perfect if you just want to hang out in your beautiful home.
I sometimes think that people visiting Reston may think condos and apartments are the only living options. Certainly in the Reston Town Center area where more condos are being built all the time it seems that way. But many long-time Reston residents associate Reston living with townhouses. That makes sense with close to a 140 separate townhouse clusters in Reston. Each has its own personality too.
Often when I’m working with new clients who aren’t from the area, they’ve never considered living in a townhouse. It’s a condo or single-family home. They perceive townhomes as dark and small with little privacy from neighbors. I just laugh a little. Because when they visit some of the townhome communities around here, they quickly change their minds.
Our townhome clusters are wildly varied from the comfortable and modest to over-the-top luxurious. Many are on lakes or a golf course. All have beautiful, well-kept common areas. What’s best for new homebuyers is that Reston townhomes offer a wide range of housing options for almost every price point. That means neighborhoods are often a combination of young families, singles, or couples who have downsized. It’s a wonderful, eclectic mix. And for busy professionals, there is the bonus of a lovely neighborhood that you don’t have to care for — your cluster maintains the common property.
If you’ve never considered townhome living because you’re worried about the size, the light or living in such close proximity, may I invite you to tour some Reston townhomes. In my opinion, we do it better than any other town. From the first communities built in Reston, Waterview and Hickory Clusters, to West Market built in 1998, Reston has perfected townhome living.
Art is part of the heart and soul of Reston. Since the beginning, public art was placed in the village centers, and it continues today. And the Greater Reston Arts Center and Jo Ann Rose Art Gallery at the RCC Lake Anne have places where the community has access to contemporary visual arts.
In my opinion, the art is one of the distinguishing features of Reston—among a very long list of amazing [...]
I love wandering through the original Reston communities. I’m always struck by the differences in each neighborhood, even those adjacent to each other. Wainwright Drive in the Lake Anne area is a great example. The three townhome communities couldn’t be more different, despite all sharing an excellent location near Reston Town Center and [...]
Right next to Lake Anne Plaza, is a street called Moorings Drive. I think there are a lot of people in the area who think Moorings Drive is a parking lot (it fills on Saturdays in the summer for those shopping at the [...]
