Romance in the City

Thursday, March 4th, 2010

Last month, Amazon.com named Alexandria the most romantic city in the United States. Arlington came in seventh. This is quite an honor, considering the fierce competition that we are up against: Washington, D.C., New York, the not-too-distant beach towns and, of course, South Jersey (just kidding).

Locals can boast about our area since we have a plethora of intimate restaurants and outside cafes, romantic walkways, scenic boat rides along the Potomac and numerous museums and historic sites that house hundreds of years of history. All at our fingertips.

Until recently, I worked along the Potomac in Alexandria, where, on one date, I enjoyed the amazing views of Washington, D.C., at night from my workplace balcony. On another I picnicked with a date along the Potomac off the GW Trail, where we discretely hid a bottle of vino and took in the monuments at night from afar. In other instances, we walked or biked into D.C. using the Georgetown, Rosslyn and 14th Street Bridges.  It is amazing to learn how many private, romantic areas you can find in a crowded metropolitan area.

This past weekend, I ventured outside the Beltway to the city of brotherly love, where I dined on cheesesteak after cheeseteak. I also toured historical sites and walked miles humming to Bruce Springstein’s “Streets of Philadelphia.” By the end of the weekend, what struck me most was the number of couples in Philadelphia who were walking hand-in-hand—young and old—expressing their love for each other.

We are fortunate to live in an area where romance is easy to find. But we also have the added benefit of traveling to nearby romantic getaways. 

–Katie

I want to hear from you. What city do you think symbolizes romance? In your mind, what makes a city romantic? What romantic activities have you done in Northern Virginia? Post a comment, or email me at littleredbook@northernvirginiamag.com.

Tags: Alexandria, amazon.com, Arlington, Bruce Springsteen, Dating, Katie Greenan, Little Red Book, Philadelphia, potomac river, romance, Washington D.C.