The "Alexandria, VA: Part 3 - The Holiday Boat Parade of Lights" Story

It was an ordinary day. We were heading back into Old Town Alexandria for the "Holiday Boat Parade of Lights" after a short rest in room 107 at the Red Roof Inn. The "We" is Carol and I as well as our friends Jerry and Sue. Spent the late morning and early afternoon at a Scottish Parade and a great meal at the Fish Market followed by some shopping and walking the streets of Old Town. We needed to warm up and check-in at our motel so we decided to call it quits about 3:30 PM. After check-in we watched an hour of football and then prepared ourselves for the cold evening in Old Town. Knew we were going to be outside along the banks of the Potomac River so we put the winter clothes back on again. Found a place to park about two blocks from the waterfront for only $5 for the evening. We parked and were at the waterfront shortly after dusk and decided to grab a quick meal inside the food court which fronts the river. Alexandria's harbor lights up when more than 50 illuminated boats cruise the Potomac River at the historic waterfront. The parade of boats begins shortly after dusk at the Marina at the foot of Cameron Street, behind the Torpedo Factory (more on this place in Part 4). Up to the second floor food court we traveled and found that only two of the vendors were open in the evening. We grabbed a table by the windows overlooking the water and I headed to get something to eat. One stand had Oriental food so I headed to the burger place. Took about 10 minutes before I was waited on and ordered a burger combo and a BBQ combo. I paid and was given a number and told to stand in the line on the other side to pick up my meal. No problem, I thought. In the meantime Jerry and Sue found their way to the back of the order line. The food court was packed by now and with only two stands open, the vendors were ill prepared to handle the customers. I waited over half an hour for my food and by that time Jerry and Sue had just given their order. The I hustled back to the table and saw the parade had already started. Carol and I ate as we watched some of the parade of boats. After we finished I went outside to take a few photos. The wind was picking up and the boats were moving fast, so it extremely hard to take any photos. After a short time I went back in and saw that Jerry and Sue still had not returned with their food. The parade was just about over when they came to the table to eat their burgers. Luckily for all of us, the parade of boats went around a second time and we got to see them while we were outside, right next to the waterfront. Spectacular show!! We walked through Old Town and enjoyed the light show as we found our way back to the car. And, cold as can be! Tomorrow will be a final chance to explore this beautiful city. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy. PS - Sorry about the boat photos since it was really windy and needless to say, low light. The Old Town photos are better!