are any of you members of Gold's Gym? If so, do you have recomendations on which ones in the area are well maintained and not too crowded? I'm going to be working a lot in the Springfield area, and there are gyms in Arlington (2), Annandale, Falls Church (2), Alexandria, Lorton, and Woodbridge.

I think the ones in Lorton and Woodbridge would probably be the easiest to drive to, but I also know they are in areas that don't have a lot of restaurants or other things to do outside of the hotel.

Also, do you have any recommendations on restaurants to try out in the area, particularly a place to get a good blue crab sandwich? Everyone tells me to go to Alexandria, but they never tell me where.

2/14/2010 4:30:12 PM

At this time, it is important to remove the remaining green leaves from the Hellebores, as they are subject to "black spot". When cutting, take care not to cut the new bloom stems. Remove the leaves entirely from the garden area to prevent the "black spot" from spreading to new growth. Not only will you have removed the possibility of disease, the new blooms will be much easier to see and enjoy.

2/14/2010 4:33:39 PM

No. And no. Anything else?

2/14/2010 4:58:04 PM

I thought this thread was about

2/14/2010 4:59:23 PM

I thought this thread was about the wildcats.

2/14/2010 5:02:02 PM

I've been to the Gold's in Tysons and Ballston. Both are pretty good and big.

For crabs, go to the Quarterdeck in Arlington (Clarendon, i think?). But wait till it's in season.

2/14/2010 5:02:36 PM

Quote :

"But wait till it's in season."

+1

Generally starts in May and goes through October.

2/14/2010 5:07:00 PM

wow, Quarterdeck has an all-you-can eat blue crab meal. That sounds like a challenge. I'll have to check it out then.

I know several good places to go for blue crab when I'm in Southern Maryland and Annapolis, but now I got to find some good spots on the west side of the Potomac.

2/14/2010 5:24:49 PM

Arlington is where I used to work out. I liked it.

Tysons isn't bad and there are some decent places around here to eat. The tysons one is about 2 minutes from my apartment

2/14/2010 5:31:50 PM

I usually stay in the hotels directly overlooking the Mixing Bowl in Springfield, so I'm guessing Annandale and Arlington would be the easiest ones to get to in the afternoon (7-8PM).

2/14/2010 5:42:50 PM

I also thought the thread was about

2/14/2010 5:45:15 PM

Where are you working? I mean it depends on what time of day you're going too

2/14/2010 5:46:24 PM

I work at Fort Belvoir, both the old base and the new NGA building they're putting in. I can take back roads all the way to the hotels at Springfield any time of day without traffic being much of an issue, but getting on the insterstate or the beltline is usually horrible anytime between 3-6PM. I tend to work late if possible to avoid some of it.

I have another client that occasionally involves me driving over to the Waldorf, MD and Indian Beach area, which is one of the reasons I prefer staying close to the mixing bowl as opposed to Woodbridge.

2/14/2010 7:26:30 PM

Right.

Well Annandale mightbe easier to get to - tysons would be closer than Arlington for sure.

There are all sorts of back ways to get from the mixing bowl to tysons too

2/14/2010 7:31:14 PM

Uncle Julio's.

Big Bowl.

2/14/2010 7:33:09 PM

1 vote for Hoodbridge

2/14/2010 7:35:00 PM

eventually I'll figure out how to drive out the back of the NGA site without getting shot at, and I'm sure I'll find a lot more shortcuts to use.

2/14/2010 7:41:36 PM

The general rule of thumb in Northern VA is that if you find a shortcut, it's most likely that you're the millionth person to do so.


Not tryin to be an ass at all, just saying, with Highway and Main Route traffic the way it is, most people find a way to jam up the byways too.

2/14/2010 7:43:25 PM

I've found plenty of shortcuts that work better than taking I-95 and I-495. Maybe it's just me, but I don't seem to encounter the same level of wreckless stupidity with drivers on the local roads as I do on the interstates around DC and NOVA.

[Edited on February 14, 2010 at 7:53 PM. Reason : unfortunately, there's only one way to cross the Potomac, but it's vastly improved ]

2/14/2010 7:51:32 PM

There are a ton of different ways to take into the city!

And yea there are less idiots - but possibly just as much traffic

2/14/2010 7:54:58 PM

oops, I meant for driving over to Southern Maryland. Since they've finished the Woodrow Wilson Bridge, it's not a bad drive.

2/14/2010 7:57:37 PM

Oh yea. Once they finish up the rest of 495 - it'll be a much smoother ride.


But that'll happen sometime in my grandchildren's lifetime

2/14/2010 7:59:20 PM

by the time they finish it, the population will have tripled and traffic will still crawl along.

2/14/2010 8:24:09 PM

Yea that's kinda true

2/14/2010 8:35:02 PM

I thought this thread was about

2/14/2010 8:49:10 PM