I found a cruise that originates at Alexandria on a tour guide book that the hotel clerk gave me. David had suggested doing the cruise on Sunday because there would be too many tourists in DC on weekends. It was after 2pm when I got to the Alexandria waterfront. I found a garage only a half block from the ticket booth.
I got my ticket and had about an hour left before the boat got there. For a short while, I watched a group of entertainers dressed in 19th century costumes teaching tourists how to square dance. Then I went into the Torpedo Factory next door.
The Torpedo Factory really used to be a torpedo factory. They even had a couple of torpedoes lying around. ;) But now, it houses a large group of artist studios, where artists create and sell their work. The entrance from the wharf side brings you in through the back of the building. There are two intersecting hallways that form a cross. The front-to-back is the shorter one. One end of the long hallway had a semi-circular staircase, whose bannister had panels made of sculptures and other art. There are three floors (I only got to see the bottom two) and each room housed one or more artists. There were the traditional painters and sculptors. There was a place that made dreamy fabric art and beadings. There was a potter who made vases that looked like women's dresses. But the best I saw were ceramic tile works shaped and decorated like kimonos. Next to them was a book describing how the artist made it. However, at around $4,000 each, they were out of my price range. ;)
When I got out, I saw a crowd around the gazebo, so I went over to check it out. There was a woman balancing on a stretched rope (low on the ground, of course) and juggling knives and lit torches and other tricks. She introduced herself as the "amazing and beautiful Signora Bella".
Soon the Matthew Hayes ferry arrived and a group of us hopped on.
Well, the boat trip wasn't that impressive. We were so far from the shore that it was difficult to take pictures of anything. The most interesting part was watching two imposing government helicopters as they flew overhead. The Lincoln Memorial from the water is an amazing view, however.
Forty-five minutes later, we were at Georgetown. The Georgetown wharf was packed full of people, probably hundreds. There were outdoor restaurants and cafes with tables outdoors and they were all packed full. You'd think there was a festival going on.
I walked out to K Street and beyond, and found the building with the gold dome that David and I passed by as we were driving through Georgetown. I took a picture of that and turned down that street.
I saw a TourMobile bus at the same corner but decided against it since it was already 4:30pm. I kept walking, looking at the restaurants after I remembered I hadn't had lunch yet. There were a lot of expensive Italian and French restaurants, as well as burger joints and bars. Then I found a tent sign that offered crepes and bubble tea and pointed down a side street. I like crepes and I *love* bubble tea, so I went down that street. This was a street of tiny but charming old brick houses packed against each other. The cafe was one of those houses. Well, as the sign suggested, the menu was a strange mix of French (crepes) and Thai (satay and curry), and wherever bubble tea originated. I had the impression the bubble tea came from China. But the combination works.
I had the chicken satay crepe with mango-flavored bubble tea. And, oh, my, the chicken satay crepe was incredibly wonderful! The satay was the perfect blend of flavor and spice, the chicken was moist, and the crepe was perfectly made. And the bubble tea was very refreshing.
After that, I continued down the street and came upon a bridge. I stopped and took pictures of what initially looked like a dam. Then I realized, it was a lock. I followed the creek downstream and found more locks. I saw a few people sitting on benches, enjoying the nice day. There were three people having lunches by the creek. Joggers. Walkers. But generally a very quiet area. The locks ended near a minor freeway. I continued up to that minor freeway and a short block later, there was an exit to the right with a tunnel. A car turned into that exit so I knew that it went through. I followed, feeling a bit nervous. But it was a short tunnel and I saw that it lead back to K Street. As I was walking through the tunnel, a police car came to the intersection just after the tunnel and backed up into the tunnel. I guess, it was where they park to catch errant motorists.
A block or two down, I crossed K Street and headed towards the water. I was close to the wharf. After lingering around the boat house taking pictures, I headed towards the ticket booth for the cruise and traded in my ticket for an earlier return trip. Then I sat on the pier until the boat arrived.
The return trip was more relaxing since I wasn't trying to take pictures anymore. There was a noisy crowd of people on the boat, but it was generally a more relaxing trip.
Back at the wharf in Alexandria, I followed a group into the food court and got a gyro with baklava to go. Great service and good food. Yummmmm.
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