1. Ritz-Carlton Tysons Corner
City: Mclean, VA
Category: Accommodations
Telephone: (703) 506-4300
Address: 1700 Tysons Boulevard
Description: As they are so apt to do, the folks behind the Ritz-Carlton chain like to make sure their moneyed customers have easy access to fashionable shopping areas. In this case it’s the attached and oh-so-exclusive Galleria at Tysons II (Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman-Marcus, etc.), in the heart of Fairfax County’s mecca of consumerism, Tysons Corner (see our Shopping chapter). As for the hotel itself, it’s typical Ritz-Carlton—fancy to the nth degree: Expect the usual grand decor, attentive service, and fine dining at Entyse, the hotel’s AAA Five Diamond Award–winning restaurant, as well as indoor pool and health club. Its location is on one of the highest points in the area—all the better for a great view of some D.C. landmarks on a clear day, because there isn’t much in the way of scenery in the immediate area, unless you count high-rise office buildings, stores, and a patchwork of busy roads. The 398 rooms feature classic English antique reproductions, marble bathrooms, safes, minibars, and all the toiletries and business amenities. In addition, there’s a business center on the premises, as well as a choice of free self-parking or valet parking. If you want to be closer to downtown D.C., check into the newly renovated Ritz-Carlton Pentagon City, attached to the Fashion Centre at Pentagon City shopping mall and offering the same amenities; 1250 South Hayes Street, Arlington (703) 415-5000.
2. The Langley School
City: Mclean, VA
Category: Education
Telephone: (703) 356-1920
Address: 1411 Balls Hill Road
Description: The state’s largest independent elementary, this coed day school for preschool through eighth-grade students prides itself on its personalized and accelerated instruction. The student/teacher ratio is seven to one. The school offers all-day kindergarten, a structured extended-day program, and summer school and day camps. Founded in 1942, Langley is set on a 10-acre campus in one of Northern Virginia’s most exclusive neighborhoods.
3. The Madeira School
City: Mclean, VA
Category: Education
Telephone: (703) 556-8200
Address: 8328 Georgetown Pike
Description: Founded in 1906, Madeira offers its 300-plus young women, grades 9 through 12, a challenging academic environment that includes advanced placement courses. The average student/faculty ratio is 8 to 1, and the average class size is 10 to 12. The school’s unique Wednesday Co-Curriculum is a required full-day program that fosters independence and leadership skills through such activities as public speaking, outdoor education, community service, and congressional and career-oriented internships. The boarding/day school’s lovely 376-acre campus, one of the largest in Metro Washington, overlooks the Potomac River and houses such facilities as a 32,000-square-foot sports center, a riding ring and stables, and an indoor, competition-size swimming pool. The school is set in McLean, close to most points in the metro area.
4. The Potomac School
City: Mclean, VA
Category: Education
Telephone: (703) 356-4101
Address: 1301 Potomac School Road
Description: This prestigious, independent, coed day school places a premium on competitive academics and extensive community service. Its 875 pupils, kindergarten through twelfth grade, benefit from a student/teacher ratio of about 8 to 1 and average class size of 16. The school takes pride in its interscholastic sports, and its teams include some of the area’s top athletes. Founded in Washington in 1904, the school moved in 1951 to its current location, an 83-acre campus in a residential section of McLean. Bus transportation is available.
5. Usa Today
City: Mclean, VA
Category: Media
Telephone: (703) 854-3400
Address: 7950 Jones Branch Drive
Description: With its extensive use of color and digest-style news coverage, “The Nation’s Newspaper” originated the look that’s become the trend in print journalism. The locally headquartered paper, which published its first edition in 1982, is sold Monday through Friday in newsboxes almost everywhere.
6. Entyse Restaurant & Lounge (Within The Ritz-Carlton Hotel)
City: Mclean, VA
Category: Nightlife
Telephone: (703) 506-4300
Address: 1700 Tysons Boulevard
Description: The Ritz-Carlton at Tysons Corner is a showplace of antiques, art, and Oriental rugs, and the Entyse Lounge is as lovely a refuge as the rest of the hotel. Tables are spaced for intimacy and the piano music is low key but high quality. The pianist here has a range from gospel to classic, but the playing is never intrusive. It is open nightly, with no cover charge.
7. George Washington Memorial Parkway
City: Mclean, VA
Category: Parks & Recreation
Telephone: (703) 289-2500
Description: In Northern Virginia, the George Washington Memorial Parkway and its adjacent Mount Vernon Trail provide spectacular riverside hiking and biking trails extending from the riverbanks opposite Theodore Roosevelt Island southward 18.5 miles to Mount Vernon. You’ll also find boating opportunities and nature preserves like Dyke Marsh on the river’s west bank, where you may spot resident waterfowl and other critters. The 7,200-acre national park area also features such historic sites as Robert E. Lee’s home, Arlington House, and Claude Moore Colonial Farm (see the Kidstuff chapter).
8. Busara
City: Mclean, VA
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (703) 356-2288
Address: 8142 Watson Street
Description: Fans of the Washington Busara (2340 Wisconsin Avenue, 202-337-2340), with its wild murals and ultramodern seating, have quickly made hits of the Virginia branches of this innovative Thai restaurant. On the menu are all the traditional Thai favorites like curries, pad Thai, or larb gai, but there are also some imaginative fusion dishes. For lunch or dinner try one of the meal-size salads or make a meal of the dough-wrapped appetizers that range from shrimp to chicken to veggies. If you order curry or one of the other sauced dishes, specify how hot you want it to be or use the chili-pepper scale on the menu as a guide. Busara serves lunch and dinner daily.
9. Tysons Galleria
City: Mclean, VA
Category: Shopping
Telephone: (703) 827-7700
Address: 2001 International Drive
Description: Just across Chain Bridge Road (Route 123) from Tysons Corner Center and adjacent to the Ritz-Carlton Hotel, this 100-store showplace is upscale to the nth degree. Its anchors include Macy’s, Saks Fifth Avenue, and Neiman Marcus. Other retailers include Betsey Johnson, Burberry, Lacoste, Hugo Boss, Elan salon and day spa, and the only Vidal Sassoon salon in the D.C. market. The restaurants here are first-rate, including the likes of Maggiano’s Little Italy, Legal Sea Foods, and P.F. Chang’s China Bistro.If the two Tysons malls don’t hold your interest, cross Highway 7 and you’ll discover a series of strip malls housing car dealers, restaurants, hotels, specialty stores, and large chain outlets such as Borders Books & Music and Marshall’s.
10. The Artisans
City: Mclean, VA
Category: Shopping
Telephone: (703) 506-0158
Address: 1368 Chain Bridge Road
Description: The artistry of American craftspeople highlights this shop in McLean. You’ll find wearable art, gifts, housewares, and jewelry—all of it unique. Candlesticks are sculptures containing glass and semiprecious stones, and brooches are striking enough to make a memorable outfit of any little black dress. Not everything here is costly, however. Polymer clay jewelry starts at $15, and you’ll also find a nice selection of hair accessories and journals.
11. Mclean Project For The Arts
City: Mclean, VA
Category: Shopping
Telephone: (703) 790-1953
Address: 1234 Ingleside Avenue
Description: MPA presents themed exhibitions of works by regional and international artists in its Emerson Gallery. The nonprofit organization also sponsors community classes for adults and children, and special events such as lectures and tours. The gallery is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday.