By
Jason Walther
Washington D.C. has a good mix of eclectic stores and large
shopping centers. We'll cover both types in this section. Union
Station falls in the latter category. Hundreds of visitors arrive and depart at
Union Station by train, bus, or Metro (red line), and commerce here has developed
to fulfill a wide variety of needs. Union Station has over
100 places to eat, drink and shop. The food court is standard mall fare, but the
variety of fashion, entertainment, and accessory shops makes the Station's offerings
well-rounded. Some nearby hotels: Holiday Inn On The Hill, Hotel George, Washington
Court Hotel On The Hill, and Hyatt Regency Washington On The Hill. "On The
Hill" refers to Capitol Hill; Union Station is close to the U.S. Capitol
and approximately a 20 min. walk to Eastern Market (blue line). Eastern
Market is a wonderful place to be on Saturday mornings, Every Saturday, from 9:00
A.M. to 2:00 P.M. , an open-air market draws a few hundred people who browse the
offerings of local merchants and artists. One can find local produce, hand-crafted
pottery, jewelry, and many other wares. Back to a big shopping
center. Georgetown 's premiere shopping center is Georgetown Park (3222 M Street,
NW), a 4-story Victorian-style building that contains almost 100 stores, such
as FAO Schwartz, Ann Taylor, and The Polo Store. There are also many non-chain
stores in the area, like Bartleby's Books, the clothing store Fit to a Tee, and
the Old Print Gallery. Georgetown also has an abundant number
of art galleries to please art aficionados and window shoppers. If you are looking
to stay in Georgetown , The Latham Hotel, The Four Seasons, and Hotel Monticello
of Georgetown are a few of the hotels available. Outside
the city, Old Town Alexandria has a long line of quaint and unusual shops, over
200 in total. The area is particularly well-known for its wide section of antique
shops, art galleries, and restaurants. Old Town Alexandria is on the Yellow and
Blue lines, and parking can be found after driving around for a few minutes. From
the Metro, walk south on King Street and you'll reach the shopping district in
minutes. Stores run all the way to the waterfront (15 min. walk end to end) and
a few blocks wide. One of the highlights is The Torpedo
Gallery, a warehouse by the waterfront that is half art gallery, half store. Along
with exhibitions of sculptures and paintings, some artists have claimed rooms
where they both sell and work on their creations. The artists in general are happy
to chat with customers and recommend pieces. Next-->>
| 
