subject: Hotel Stays In Tysons Corner And Other Edge Cities [print this page] I just learned a new term todayI just learned a new term today. "Edge City." I am supposed to travel to one in a few days, and I want to know what to expect. Despite the title of "Edge City", it's not the name of the hero's hometown in the latest Science Fiction movie. Supposedly, it is the opposite of a "bedroom community." I was familiar with that term, but never really thought about what it meant. I supposed, with the word bedroom in it, I just associated it with a "sleepy little town." However, it really means a suburb where people live, but most people commute to another city to work, so there aren't a whole lot of businesses and stores there, just a lot of neighborhoods.
An edge city is just the opposite, not a whole lot of people actually live there, but many people commute into the city every day for work. As you can imagine, it contains a lot fewer neighborhoods and a lot more shopping malls and the like. There are actually other names for these kinds of cities, as well, like suburban business districts, suburban cores, minicities, technoburbs, service cities, urban villages, suburban downtowns, urban subcenters, etc.
The "edge city" that I am travelling to is Tysons Corner in Virginia. I am excited as I have never been to Virginia before, but I'm not sure what to expect because of the type of town it is. I guess the first thing I should find out about are Tysons Corner hotels. There seem to be quite a variety of hotels there, ranging from 2 star budget hotels for the cash conscious traveler, to a 4 and a half star Ritz-Carlton.
So, now that I have found a place to stay, what else is there to do? Well, Tysons Corner Center is the largest shopping center in the Washington D.C. area. It boasts more than 300 department and specialty stores, including chains like Nordstrom, Bloomingdale's, and Crate and Barrel. I guess I'd better make sure I bring along an extra credit card.
Once I'm done shopping, other area attractions include national parks and scenic trails, historical sites, even a theater, along with the traditional entertainment venues like movie theaters, bars, and a community center.
Wow, at first I wasn't sure what I would do when I got there, thinking that I might end up spending my entire 3 day visit hanging out by the Tysons Corner Hotel pool, but now it looks like I might have to extend my visit just to have time to do everything I want to. I'm definitely going to find more "edge cities" to visit in the future.
