Disney Vacation Club Developer Points

The next big thing

It was night, and behind us 18-story glass atrium lit and shone like a steel gigantic moon. It was July 3, and my old college friend John and I was about to join a group of boaters Occoquan, VA; the end of a national Harbor Marina wharf to watch the Hotel and Convention Center Gaylord first fireworks show in July. But first she wanted to take some pictures. As usual. John used his camera underwater, she had packed for our trip up the river Potomac, because it had not been sure whether this kind of veil involve as many failover and is wetting the Sunfish sailing in college she had the last time I had been on a sailboat together. I understood. We tipped a lot.

But John did not understand. I do not want not on the changeover. She got that now. No, she did not understand was the idea of National Harbor, where she had difficulty put in perspective, despite the fact that we now had here since the end of June

"I mean it's cool in a crazy alternate universe kind of passage, but I still do not get it. What it really is and why he is here? "

Major issues Indeed. How to explain?

We were standing on the platform that John turned from the river to take pictures of thousands of spectators who had gathered along the coast in anticipation of National Harbor fireworks. Finally, she stopped and took a brochure from his pocket and began to read off his facts and figures. "National Harbor is built on 300 acres, including six hotels and nearly 20 buildings," she said. "When he finished, he has 7.3 million square feet of mixed-use community space, 4,000 hotel rooms, 2,500 housing units, 500,000 square feet of area of Class A office (whatever that is), 1 million square feet of shops, restaurants and entertainment spaces and 10,000 parking spaces. "

"Yes," I said, "it will be bigger than the Mall of America, the largest shopping mall. "
"So it's supposed to be a center giant shopping mall? "
"Uh, I do not think so."

We walked slowly towards the end of the dock, the lights on moon atrium changed from white to red.

"I think it's supposed to be a kind of multi-purpose, where you can spend your holidays together or use as a base to visit Washington, DC, which is a kind of super-destination. Or you can sidetrips in Alexandria or Mount Vernon by boat. In At least I think that's the idea. "I tried a bit of history. National Harbor developer Milton Peterson has not been the first to think that this old gravel pit Smoots Bay in the shadow of the Woodrow Wilson Bridge and Beltway would be the perfect place for something really big. In the 1970s and 1980s there were several major projects for the property that ultimately failed. One of them was called the Bay of Americas and another PortAmerica. "This is great sounding too, like National Harbor," I said. "But this is the one that came through, not that he did not take an act of Congress. "(In 1999, Congress passed a law which exempted the National Harbor Federal Review and the environment protected against lawsuits if there is no reason to believe any trial had taken place.)

We welcomed our new Occoquan-friends we'd met earlier in the day when they had cast in their fourth appointment on weekends in July at National Harbor, and looked City of Alexandria fireworks arc silently into the dark sky through the jet stream. I reminded John that the boulevards lined with trees and specially commissioned works of public art, hotels, restaurants, shops, taxis, tour boats, of bass charters, works of art, a kiosk and even fortune-teller, were all designed to give visitors plenty to see and do. "There are a few more things and they are just bigger than we are accustomed to, at least here. Hey, you live in Orlando, you must be used This kind of thing. "

"This is a point," she admitted.

"Take these people Occoquan," I went on. "They well understood. "They had told me earlier that they had made the trip to National Harbor four or five times already." They can get in their boats and spend an hour or two to come upstream, pull their pants, pull out their chairs and they relax. barbecue, shop, listen to a band calypso, walk their dog and go to sleep soundly in their own bed. When the weekend over, they pull in their docklines and go home. "

"We used to anchor in the river for the fireworks," volunteered Alan Gross, who was sitting on the edge of the group with his German shepherd Schatzi and had heard our conversation. "But then we had to return to Occoquan in the dark with all this traffic. It was crazy! Is so much better! "

The first rocket shot into the air a barge in the river and exploded in a shower of color above our heads. Behind us, the atrium Gaylord changed from red to blue.

Jean and I had arrived at National Harbor on a ray of sunshine Saturday afternoon at the end of June on board Snippe, my Albin Vega 27. After one week of the Potomac zigzag lazily against a persistent headwind (are there others?), We finally relaxed Snippe the main channel and Potomac National Harbor Marina. We were happy to do.

We had spent the previous night at Smallwood State Park on Mattawoman Creek, where we ran smack into a hornet's nest in mid-tournament fishing bottom-eyed men with steel and teeth, and three things head to the bass, and quickly grab a big catch. They had no patience for those yachts. We, however, I just wanted to leave Creek and control in the marina. The problem is that we have become so taken not to run aground in the narrow channel in the park that we have fallen into the clutches of the hydra with several heads of marine vegetation lies just beneath the surface. It took us quickly. If there was no heroic action with a gaff, a paddle and a Swiss Army multi-tool, we felt we would soon have been swallowed up to join other unfortunate stray. Once released, we docked, as previous instructions by phone, then had off because we do could not arrive at the office from the wharf. (There was a locked door at the end of the dock.) We brought near the office where we were assigned a slip where we could not dock because it was shallow enough to land a bass boat. We have chosen a form more empty and it brought back again. This leaflet naturally turned to belong to the Seatow Guy, we re-anchored and re-re-reduced across a sailboat sank at the dock. This was not an inspiring evening.

The stretch of the Potomac above Mattawoman is full of things to see. First is the entry off Occoquan Bay on Virginia's side, with beautiful Mason Neck National Wildlife Refuge on the north bank of the bay, and then for a good long thought George Mason Manor Gunston, on a cliff looking down on Gunston Cove and the Potomac. The river narrows here for a size-friendly, and the chain moves tirelessly from one bank to another.

Soon we had our first view of Mount Vernon, the most familiar of American homes, as we crowded the canal to give a boat tour of three storeys in height with a wide berth to the channel as busy Mount Vernon. John was delighted, as it may well be, but I stubbornly insisted that she pays less attention to landscapes and spotting floating logs and other debris that often litter the piece of river. Shortly after, Fort Washington dominated us on the shore of Maryland, and then finally we could see the Woodrow Wilson Bridge and beyond, the Washington Monument, a show that never fails to overwhelm me.

Between the cliffs and Indian Queen Rose, the channel belly up shore of Maryland. Here? It was just Snippe and yet another great tour boat, each of us enjoys a moment too intimate Markers placed in red and green, and so close to shore that we could almost touch the red earth and maple. But soon we had to follow through towards the middle of the river, where he lines up for the trip through the center span of the Woodrow Wilson Bridge. Not that we went as far as the bridge. But I need to talk about the chain, because it was here about the time you reach the middle of the river and as you turn off South Point-to-say National Harbor is suddenly, without prelude, just there, like Xanadu or the Emerald City. Just to make you feel either Kublai Khan or Dorothy I 'm not sure. Anyway, it's straight out of a fairy tale.

"Good God," cried John of the bow, "What is it?

"National Harbor is, of course, little fool." "And what you are particularly crying over, no doubt, is the Gaylord Hotel and Convention Center, which is three times the size of everything else. "I had been to National Harbor with friends in the spring and he was therefore able to be annoyingly blasé about the whole thing. But in reality we can not deny that it is a stunner.

A moment later, however, something else had caught his attention. "Look at that enormous sail!"

"You speak of course of the mainsail eight storey semi-transparent glass that adorns the top of the port side in front of the Westin Hotel.

She looked dark and abandoned the twins for his camera. Click OK.

"John", I called ahead, " what is our next marker? "Click OK. OK.

"Sheesh," I said (or words to that effect), "find the next marker! "

I sympathized with the desire of John to take pictures because the approach to National Harbor Water certainly is on the dirt road for an impressive sight. But Smoots Bay is shallow and our maps, but rather new, are not new enough to show the new entrance markers marina. And suddenly, we have also seen us rolling in the wake of a batch of very large powerboats. Did I mention that it was a Saturday afternoon? Click OK. Click OK.

"John, stop it!"

She sighed and put his camera away, and then scanned Bay. "It … Red, she said, pointing to a marker next to South Point.

I made a sharp turn to starboard and immediately asked the next marker, which proved to be two markers, one red and one green, just beyond. We continued to follow the markers as they skirted the coast until we reached the dock outermost, which is also the fuel dock. There we began to look of our assigned slip: B17. A number about because the shift was almost big enough to hold a B-17 bomber. I roughly calculated that would also have eight of my Albin Vega 27, if you raft up two deep. I do not mean that we felt a little space-no space could be more welcoming, I mean that National Harbor is just the kind of place where you have to keep readjusting your sense of proportion.

Click OK. Click OK. John was again. But this time I do not mind, because we were committed to our newsletter and had already been greeted by friendly revelers on the boat next to ours. So I left her and went to HarborMaster Eric Bradley. I found in his office / kiosk on the quay outside, skillfully juggling with a full fuel-ups and the award slips for boats of research few hours or overnight parking. A small battalion of servants Wharf moved efficiently between A, B and C docks, making it fast a steady stream the arrival of vessels.

"Wait until the fourth weekend in July! ? Bradley said when I noticed on congestion. "We will be completely full, and we expect three yachts of more than one hundred feet on the north side of the main wharf. "

Before coming to Washington to open National Harbor Marina, Bradley was Dockmaster Landing in Annapolis on Back Creek in Annapolis. "It's a different game boats," he said. "[In Annapolis] we were mainly transient and sailing up and down the East Coast. Here, we have motor boats mainly large, most of which never go south of the U.S. 301 bridges. They are right happy here. "

Much part of the marina is devoted to slipholders year, they had about 60 percent occupancy by mid-summer, but a number of generous slips are set aside for transient boaters, both nights and times. "We are increasingly boating and yacht clubs hold their go here. "The particular groups plan their events around special programs provided by the National Harbor almost every weekend, as tastings and a beef and Suds Festival, or seasonal events such as Oktoberfest and repeating Christmas Market, which runs the weekend of Thanksgiving until Christmas.

"I thought it would be a great place to come around Christmas, I said. "Do you stay open all winter?"

"We take boats on Pier C in winter, because we have a lot of ice pushed to against the river, but we keep the marina open throughout the year. "Eric explained that there is a breakwater under Dock C to protect docks within at least some of the wind chop that accumulates in water exposed to Smoots Bay, especially during the winter.

At this point in our conversation, three boats from idling and on the dock, waiting their turn, I walked back to B dock, wondering if idly John had exhausted its battery from the device yet. Click OK. Probably not.

"Shower" was all she said. I held the key to electronic facilities of slipholders and smiled. We plunged into the cabin for a couple of towels reasonably dry and fairly clean clothes and went looking for the showers.

"Whoa, what is it?" John suddenly stopped and looked at a Little Beach, just left of the main wharf, where a giant figure, legs and hands stung dramatically on the sand. Above, below and around parts Volkswagen-size body, dozens of children eagerly scrambled, along with dozens of parents took pictures with the same enthusiasm. Click OK. John also.

"It's The Awakening," I said, trying not to sound too boring. "For twenty years he was at Hains Point there is another side of the Woodrow Wilson Bridge in the middle of the Potomac, and practically zillions of people came to see him. "I had vaguely in the direction Washington and East Potomac Park, five miles upstream. "But someone in his wisdom, decided that he did not agree to the park's image, he has been offered for sale, and Petersen, National Harbor developer, he bought and built a track for it out of. "

When I finally got John moving again, we've been through a court, which seemed to if it doubled as a small stage, and turned right at the first street we came to, National Plaza. There, just across the street from the Westin Hotel and next to Olympia News, was the entry Office of HarborMaster marina and toilets, laundry and showers. Showers!

As I emerged a little later, I met John and Betty Lockard Arlington, Virginia, who keep their Irish Ayes boat at the marina. The Lockard had their record last May and ship in June "We love it!" they enthused. "The only problem is that we need to remember to make a reservation at a restaurant if we want dinner when we are here on the weekend."

Hmm, good thought. As we waved goodbye, I took out my cell phone.

All clean, it is time to explore all American Oz walk. The first thing we did was head of the Spanish Steps.

"Spanish steps? Jean asked.

"Yeah, the Spanish, I replied." Probably because they lead to the American Way, National Harbor, Main Street, which, I went quickly because I could see this made no sense ", is based on a main shopping street in Barcelona called Las Ramblas, which seems Petersen and fell in love with and wanted to copy here. So I continued, "like many southern European cities, it a boulevard, shaded by a canopy of plane trees. This makes it a cool, shady refuge in the hot summer sun and bright and warm in winter, when trees are traditionally cut back almost to his heels.

"I know, I saw a lot of European boulevards, she replied a little coldly," I grew up in France, remember. "

"Oh, yeah."

"And the Spanish are in Rome, not Spain."

"Oh, yeah."

Fortunately, at that time we had reached the steps, which are flanked by two large square mosaics in the walls on each side. Both mosaics are from Washington, DC native Cheryl Foster and depict Maryland, especially those who have made a living on the water.

At the top of the stairs is the gazebo. "A place that has a view, I parroted. This is a great lookout platform overlooks the beach with the giant awakes, and beyond the marina, the Potomac, and finally to Alexandria on the opposite shore. A "view" by a standard. But John was not admiring the view. Her head was down and meanders this way and that as the lookout, Maryland to study artist Steven Weitzman 1600 square foot map, which depicts the history of American debut of the Chesapeake Bay. The play, Chesapeake Journey Fotera is made of a kind of concrete structure, such as terrazzo, as Weitzman developed for public art.

"Enough that, "I said finally," Let's go shopping!

And so we did, wandering on one side of each street a half-dozen National Harbor, then another, sometimes cut from the streets by the cunning little pedestrian crossings. On the Street Waterfront, we dragged through art and Whino fossils. The National Plaza, we sampled gelato in Aromi d'Italia. And the American Way we traveled Surprise and Govinda Gallery, and won an espresso Mayorga Coffee Roasters and continued up the street until the shops, restaurants, hotels and residence buildings has to come up signs and fenced dog walking area. We looked hopefully the newsstand fortuneteller, but it was empty. I guess they did not know we had. The plane had a few years to go before making a canopy over the street, but the center is already Boulevard riddled with various arrangements of stones brought from New England and shape and sometimes polished. The effect is a bit like ancient fountains southern Europe, which often anchor their old main streets.

Before our walk to the American Way has ended, we passed the site of the future house of the National Museum of Childhood. This 150,000 square foot, Cesar Pelli designed building is scheduled to open in 2013. It is within walking distance another project: a Disney hotel. Just before our arrival at National Harbor, Disney announced it had bought a plot of 15 acres to end of the American Way, where the company plans to build a resort hotel with 300 rooms at a date yet to be named.

Oh yes, all this, and we never even got to the Hotel and Convention Center Gaylord. So we did, and spent another few hours lazy amazed what you can do with 2,000 rooms and nearly half a million square feet of convention space. We have learned that you could theoretically use the conference room of 800 meters long to store all of the Washington Monument, if you laid on its side. And we were able to answer the question: What can you do with a cavernous 18-story atrium? Apart from the obvious answer is to enjoy the view, you can actually build a chockablock small colonial town with shops and restaurants, including a sports bar with video wall 30 feet high. You also run a small stream through the courtyard and gardens to the front of the building. And you can build fountains in that shoot 65 feet into the air and dancing to music from 7 to 10 pm each evening.

Phew! God thank you, it was time for dinner. John and I been able to summon just enough energy to take our Way Out of the atrium and gardens. Then we walked along the Harborwalk and back in "town". We found Rosa Mexicano Restaurant Waterfront street, and fortunately collapsed into chairs on the terrace overlooking the marina. We have seen Snippe, who looked a little lost in his huge sheet, surrounded by a phalanx of motor boats big-boy style.

Several beers cold, a couple of tortilla soup and mole dishes later, we zombie-returning the boat and fell into our bunks. But not before John had taken just a few photos National Harbor at night, viewed from the front of a small sailboat over-B17. It was a beautiful sight. . . and very large. . . and perhaps a bit strange.

"Maybe tomorrow everything fall into perspective."

"Of course. Good night, John. "

About the Author

By Jody Schroath, Senior Editor for Chesapeake Bay Magazine. For more great articles and photos on boating, sailing, fishing, and cruising, visit http://www.ChesapeakeBoating.net

Timeshare – Timeshares Expert




Primo Vacations | Travel Discounts |Travel Income Opportunity

June 7th, 2010 in Travel and Vacations

Leave a comment

Your comment