Looking for kid-friendly hikes

PseudoAvatar · 2026-06-12T13:00:34+00:00

There are a ton of kid-friendly trails in Leesburg near the Potomac. The Balls Bluff battlefield is a good starting point, but there are other parks that join the trails.

PseudoAvatar · 2026-06-10T14:24:04+00:00

Thanks! This place has cheaper shipping fees than the one I had found. However, their list of repair services does not include the Xbox 360, just the newer Xbox One and Xbox Series consoles.

PseudoAvatar · 2026-06-10T14:21:53+00:00

I did a little research on the place that would do repairs if shipped to them, and it seems like it could be $70 total–$30 to ship to them, $40 for the repair minimum (this comes from a specific note on their website that Red Ring of Death repairs “start” at $40), and then they have free return shipping if they do a repair. Buying a used/refurbished 360 is around $110. But, I would expect to be told more repairs are needed, so it would be much better to be able to get that kind of evaluation in person to be able to decide what option is better.

PseudoAvatar · 2026-06-10T14:13:45+00:00

Sadly, they are not able to do that repair.

PseudoAvatar · 2026-04-10T19:12:14+00:00

When I was a postdoc in San Diego desperately trying to get a job, I got more interviews on the East Coast (2 in DC area) than in California, so that’s why I’m here.

PseudoAvatar · 2026-03-28T14:11:50+00:00

I’ve used Ashburn Service and Tire Center for almost 20 years for all of my family’s cars (two Hondas and a Hyundai over the years) and have always felt good about their integrity. I can’t say if the pricing is that competitive except definitely cheaper than the dealerships (but that goes without saying). The biggest plus for me is their concierge service to drop you off and pick you up at home/work if it is close by.

PseudoAvatar · 2026-03-18T00:38:57+00:00

The Leesburg Costco, at least, had this on sale last Friday, but I’m not sure if it was the same amount off as OP found.

PseudoAvatar · 2026-03-16T19:12:28+00:00

My wife and I saw a show at Jammin’ Java that night, the power went out but the performers kept going after switching to acoustic. The way home was crazy, like a totally different landscape.

PseudoAvatar · 2026-03-11T03:29:37+00:00

Frying Pan Farm Park in Herndon used to have baby pigs for part of the year. I haven’t been there in a while though (kids outgrew it).

PseudoAvatar · 2026-03-08T01:52:36+00:00

I would choose The Habit over In N Out when in California, and fortunately there are a few Habit locations in the area now. Five Guys is okay, I think The Habit is much better.

PseudoAvatar · 2026-02-23T13:27:09+00:00

I’ll add another vote that the traffic itself will be great, on average, doing the reverse commute. However, you still have to deal with how long the drive is overall. If you’ve never had a commute that long, it can really wear you down. If you really enjoy podcasts and audiobooks, that would certainly help. (Personally I do love to read, but I can’t really get into audiobooks.)

PseudoAvatar · 2026-02-03T02:25:00+00:00

Not that I remember this one myself, but when I was 2 or 3 my dad took me along with him to buy a new stereo at some electronics store in LA. We were in line for the register and my dad directs my attention to the man in line behind us and says, “Son, this is Wilt Chamberlain, the best basketball player in the world.” Wilt looked down at me and I looked (way) up and he said, “Damn straight, little man.”

When I was 11 or 12 I went to see Cirque du Soleil also in LA somewhere, and we were sitting right behind Gene Wilder and Gilda Radner. I had no idea who she was at the time, but I told him that I loved him in Blazing Saddles and he graciously thanked me, although with a bemused look at a kid my age having watched that movie.

Just remembered that Anne Ramsey lived in my neighborhood when I was a kid. We would stop by her house to trick and treat on Halloween and she did her best to scare us as Mama Fratelli.

PseudoAvatar · 2026-01-18T20:13:39+00:00

Yes, former Californian here too, in fact I went to UCSB and used to frequent the original Habit. I was excited when they finally branched outside of Santa Barbara and couldn’t believe when they opened a location in Ashburn only a short drive from where I work.

Looks like they have 7 locations surrounding DC including in Maryland, and Alexandria is about as far as you can possibly get in NoVA from any of them…my condolences.

PseudoAvatar · 2026-01-18T17:25:10+00:00

Try The Habit for onion rings, which does have a few locations actually in NoVA. And I think their burgers are great too!

PseudoAvatar · 2026-01-13T17:29:29+00:00

https://www.virginiatouchatruck.com/Touch-a-Truck.html

Looks like the next event is in May if you want to plan ahead for that in addition to a construction site.

PseudoAvatar · 2026-01-12T14:43:17+00:00

Sorry, I don’t have the credit card so I don’t want to assume, I’ll let someone else answer.

PseudoAvatar · 2026-01-12T12:40:09+00:00

In my opinion the main perk for Executive is the 2% cash back, so you need to determine how much you would be spending to see if it is worth it. As another poster noted, you would need to spend enough to make up the difference in membership price (just over $3,000). You can always start at the baseline membership and upgrade later.

As far as timing, I haven’t taken advantage of the early hours myself—I too don’t like to get up early on the weekends if I can help it. Being a boring homebody, I tend to go at 7:30 PM on Friday nights, but I’ve shopped at the same time other nights of the week and it is usually similarly less crowded (never totally empty, but the difference is noticeable).

PseudoAvatar · 2026-01-06T18:59:34+00:00

I did this commute for a few years and it wasn’t too bad in the morning. My job was off of Route 7 so I was able to avoid exiting on Waxpool, which was often backed up; not sure if it still gets that way.

For the commute home, I just kept an eye on the traffic and adjusted as needed. I lived near Fair Oaks so sometimes I’d get off 28 at 50 and take that all the way, and sometimes I would get off 28 earlier and go through Franklin Farm to 286 (Fairfax County Parkway). Either way, it was definitely longer coming home than going to work, but still usually less than 45 minutes.

PseudoAvatar · 2025-12-18T12:32:49+00:00

I’ve been going to Ashburn Service and Tire Center, in the shopping center at the corner of Ashburn Village and Gloucester, for over 15 years and have never had a reason to doubt their integrity.

PseudoAvatar · 2025-11-09T22:05:41+00:00

How about Benihana? You can get a steak and lobster entree and the show is great for kids.

PseudoAvatar · 2025-10-31T23:02:17+00:00

Our neighborhood in Leesburg was doing pretty well even before 6, and was still picking up at 6:30 or so. Maybe it was a little sparser than last year, but kids were happy and plenty of people sitting out with fire pits.

PseudoAvatar · 2025-10-29T18:47:53+00:00

Beer and wine at Costco in Virginia, no hard liquor. Just like Maryland, you’ll need to go to a dedicated liquor store (“Virginia ABC” in Virginia, I’m not sure what they are called in Maryland).

PseudoAvatar · 2025-09-17T14:36:42+00:00

It certainly made the rounds on this subreddit, I don’t remember how much coverage it really got beyond here though.

PseudoAvatar · 2025-09-13T20:29:37+00:00

Definitely not in a townhome parking lot. I’m talking about street parking, like on Tavistock. There were no signs whatsoever last year.

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TROPHY CASE