“Fairfax ... it's [mostly] clean ... it really does have a bunch of stuff for out-of-towners; food, some nightlife, museums ... two Starbucks. You can't go wrong, right?”
Darn tootin Mark Fournier. You can’t go wrong with this town. It is my belief that you can find whatever you want somewhere in Fairfax. Every town has the basics such as sports fields, movie theatres, and restaurants. However it’s the abundance and variety of these things that make this town special.
I’m a swimmer. I’ve been to so many pools in this area that I can’t believe that there aren’t more swimmers out there. There is more to Fairfax than just pools. Every elementary school is set up with soccer fields; they have games there every Saturday during the fall and spring. Van Dyke has great open fields good for picnics, ultimate Frisbee, fireworks on July Fourth, and even movies are played there on some nights. If there is something you want to do, you can find somewhere to do it.
Before last year I had never played Frisbee golf and then I found out that there was a Frisbee golf course not far away. Anything you can imagine can be done here.
Of course on those rainy days you might want to spend some time indoors watching a movie.
If you want to see a blockbuster-type movie there are theaters spread out throughout the county that show these movies. If you don’t mind waiting a couple of months after a release of a movie to see it, you can find theaters that show the same movie at a cheaper rate. Of course if you are not into blockbuster-type movies and you want something with more substance there is the Cinema Arts theater in Fair City Mall. This one is a personal favorite of mine because it shows many artsy type films that don’t get a lot of advertisement along with the ones that do. Before you hit the movies you might want to get a bite to eat first.
Fairfax is filled with restaurants. It’s not just Italian, Chinese, and American food either. There is a restaurant in downtown Fairfax that serves Indian food, there is a Thai restaurant on Rt. 29, and there is a Spanish restaurant near Fair City Mall that serves great chicken. If you don’t want exotic food and want something a little faster there are always the fast food restaurants. Whatever you are in the mood for you can find it in Fairfax.
One of the greatest things about Fairfax is the diversity of it. There are so many people from all over the country and world. With them they bring their cultures and traditions here. This diversity shows all around the town. You are given such a variety of things that I find it hard to imagine anyone feeling left out. When I asked Michael Alvino, a friend, what he loved most about Fairfax, he said, “The diversity. I love diversity.” I think he hit it right on the button what this town is all about.
Stephen Tongelidis is a 2002 graduate of Lake Braddock High School.