If you really want to step back into time and do some shopping at the same time, then Union Station should be your stop. Just three stops from Chancellor's Row at the Brookland/CUA Metro station on the red line, Union Station is a masterpiece of design that has served countless travelers over the years. Before airplanes became popular, it was trains that moved the masses throughout the country and Union Station was built in 1908 to serve as a gateway to the nation's capital. Back in 1908, The station covered more ground than any other building in the U.S. and was the biggest train station in the world.

Are you an early bird? Every Saturday morning vendors from all around the region set up shop (or table) at the Alexandria Farmers Market. Although it officially starts at 5AM, some have their wares out even earlier. This last Saturday I arrived at 7AM to find the courtyard full of vendors, the sun working its way up through the trees and a light breeze welcoming me. Laid out across many tables were vegetables of all shapes, sizes and colors, freshly made muffins, flowers, trinkets and antiques waiting to be purchased. In a squared off area were the cooked breads from Bonjour Bakery. They were amazing and I couldn't help but have a cranberry muffin. Yes, it was tasty and the experience of shopping with birds flying overhead and the sun coming up made it even better. Three steps away was a fresh squeezed orange juice vendor where I washed down my muffin in several large gulps.

On a walk down King Street, an inviting storefront beckoned us to come in for a closer look. Of course there are many shops in Old Town with charisma but it was my green thumb that was tugged and inside I went. Knotting Hill Gardens provides “award winning’ landscaping and garden planning services, but inside they had the kind of items that could certainly find their way onto a front step or on to a table. Knotting Hill Gardens is a narrow shop but the shelves are layered with items that could pass for antiques but in actuality are just designed with a sense of times past. Stone figurines, miniature planters, earthen vases, candles, blocks of soap and of course flowering plants in a variety of pottery designs occupy the display areas.