Arlington, Virginia, lies just across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C. But it's hardly what you would call a bedroom community where its residents spend the majority of their time elsewhere--either at their jobs or participating in leisure activities.
 

Rather, Arlington is an international city upon itself, with numerous activities and places to visit, as pointed out in Barbara Noe Kennedy’s new book, 100 Things To Do In Arlington Virginia Before You Die (Reedy Press). Things to do consist of more than touring the Pentagon or Arlington National Cemetery, even if those sites are majestic in their own right.

Noe Kennedy gives Arlington a hometown feel where you can enjoy breakfast all day and all night at Bob & Edith’s Diner, get an “original half-smoke all the way at Weenie Beenie,” or secure the best spots to watch the July 4 fireworks display over D.C.

As the title and picture on the front cover indicates, the book is a bucket list for both tourists, and Arlingtonians as well, to take advantage of the potpourri of eating establishments, music and entertainment venues, sports and recreation opportunities, and cultural and historic sites available throughout the city.

Noe Kennedy, a 25-year-plus years resident of Arlington, covers the gamut of where to “hit” street festivals, such as Clarendon Day, where more than 10,000 people turn out to enjoy local cuisine, groove at live concerts on the central stage, and more. Or you can watch airplanes land at extremely close range, as if they are right above your head, at Gravelly Point Park, while viewing the scenic Potomac River.

As a longtime Arlington resident myself, I was enraptured reading about places where I have never visited, such as Skydome, the 360-degree rotating rooftop restaurant 15 stories atop the Doubletree by Hilton Hotel, astonishingly less than a 5-minute walk from where I live.

What I admire about this insider’s book is it doesn’t whitewash the less admirable parts of Arlington’s history where segregation of the Black population once ruled.

Just a word before I go—do all of the 100 things Noe Kennedy recommends here. Her book is Arlington’s newest treasure -- an outstanding must-read for all who visit or live in the Washington D.C. area.

Author Bio:

Eric Green, a Highbrow Magazine contributor, is a former newspaper reporter, U.S. congressional press aide, English-as-a-second-language teacher, and now a freelance writer in the Washington D.C. area. His articles have appeared in various newspapers and websites, including the Washington Post and Baltimore Sun.

For Highbrow Magazine

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