ALEXANDRIA, Va. -- With more than 100 museums and public monuments to explore, not to mention some 50 live theaters and close to a dozen parks, there's always something to do in and around our nation's capital. That's why a trip to Washington, D.C., is always so darn exhausting.

Fortunately, you don't have to travel far for a quiet respite.

In the Old Town section of this charming city just a few miles south on the Potomac River, the pace is much more laid-back. Maybe visitors are so bewitched by its picturesque waterfront and 18th- and 19th-century architecture that they instinctively slow down. Or perhaps they are just wary of injury: More than one tourist has twisted an ankle negotiating those quaint cobblestone streets and lumpy, 200-year-old brick sidewalks.

		If you go Old Town Alexandria is five miles south of Washington, D.C., off the Capital Beltway, near Reagan Washington National Airport. It is served by four Metrorail stops and also is accessible by water taxi from National Harbor, Georgetown and Mount Vernon Estate & Gardens (1-877-511-2628; www.potomacriverboatco.com). The King Street Trolley runs along King Street from the King Street metro station to North Union Street from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. Rides are free, and visitors can hop on and off as often as they like. If you'd rather drive, parking costs $5 per hour ($10 max) during the day and $7 per hour ($13 max) Fri.-Sat. from 5 p.m. to 3 a.m. More info: VisitAlexandriaVA.com or 1-866-300-6044.

But I'm guessing some of its allure has to do with the twin pleasures of shopping and eating. In Alexandria, you can do both in spades.

As befits its place on the National Register of Historic Places, Alexandria -- founded in 1749, 50 years before Washington -- encourages visitors to step into the pages of history. Along with the Carlyle and Lee- Fendall house museums, for instance, it counts among its attractions Gatsby's Tavern, where Thomas Jefferson and George Washington dined, and the Stabler-Leadbeater Apothecary Museum, a charming druggist's shop that dates to 1792 and still displays more than 8,000 early medical care items on its wooden shelves. (Martha Washington herself purchased a quart of castor oil there in 1802.)

Visitors also can choose from several history and architecture walking tours, take a sightseeing carriage or boat ride, and from March through November get their spook on with a lantern-lit ghost tour.

But after you've gotten your fill of the past, it's easy to switch gears to the present and shop, have a relaxing meal or drink -- and then shop some more.

Nearly the entire span of Alexandria's main drag of King Street, which stretches 17 blocks from the Metro to the Potomac, tempts with some form of delectable eye candy. That's more than a mile of jewelry and antiques stores, fashionable boutiques, art galleries, gourmet bakeries, restaurants and cafes to ponder. And each new stop, it seems, is just as interesting as the last.

Like many tourists, I started my shopping and eating tour of Alexandria at one of its most acclaimed sites: Torpedo Factory Art Center. Constructed in 1918 for the manufacture and storage of -- you guessed it, Navy torpedoes -- the building was converted in 1974 into artists' space. Today, it's home to more than 160 artists who work, exhibit and sell their work on site. It also includes six galleries with changing exhibits, the Alexandria Archaeology Museum and the Art League school.

The art choices are virtually endless in this vast space spread over three levels; along with ceramics, glass and sculpture studios, you'll find photography, printmaking and mixed media. Drawn to the custom jewelry displays, I ended up in Poppi (Studio 226), where jewelry designer Dawn Benedetto handcrafts exquisite but oh-so-funky rings and earrings out of sterling silver and multi-colored glass beads. Minutes later, I walked out with two pairs of her "flake" earrings for my twin daughters. In different colors, of course.

My oldest son, who lives in D.C., had suggested I kick-start my day with a cup of coffee at Grape + Bean, a chic coffeehouse/wine bar on South Royal Street, where baristas brew one cup of specialty coffee at a time on an $11,000 Clover coffeemaker. But, sadly, it didn't open until noon. So instead, I plotted my next move over a $2.45 cup of latte at Firehook Bakery and Coffee House, just across the street on South Union. From there, it was just a few yards to The Virginia Shop, where I couldn't resist buying what I hope will be a collectible souvenir: a tin Obama bobblehead pin ($6.99).

Alexandria, like most tourist cities, has its share of familiar chain retailers, including Banana Republic, Restoration Hardware and Chico's. But I was more interested in its many specialty shops. Heading up King Street, I popped into the children's store Why Not?, which sells ultra-cool togs bearing tags from the likes of Zaza Couture. Crossing King Street, I admired Obama inauguration T-shirts and White House dish towels at America!, a gift shop for political junkies, then perused the wide collection of silver cuff bracelets and earrings at Silver Parrot. Hoping to find a new specimen for my son's lighter collection, I also spent a few long minutes in The Scottish Merchant/John Crouch Tobacconist, where you can shop for imported cigars and pipes while also browsing for kilts, tartan scarves and Celtic jewelry. But no, I'd have to keep looking ... maybe 10 blocks west at the corner of South Henry, where I'd spotted Trojan Antiques on my way into town?

Hopping on the free King Street Trolley, which runs continuously from the waterfront to the metro station, we rolled past Market Square/City Hall on the right and the ultra-hip Hotel Monaco on the left -- so hip, another rider told me, that it hosts a "doggie" happy hour for pets on its indoor courtyard. I made a mental note to check out its lobby.

There are far fancier antiques stores in Alexandria than Trojan, but surely none with as much ... stuff. Some 40 dealers display their wares here, making for a store that's jam-packed with everything from porcelain and cut glass to gold, diamonds, antique coins and costume jewelry. Lots and lots of costume jewelry. But alas, no vintage lighters. I did, however, find a truly fabulous German silver collar necklace across the street at Art of Fire, a working glass studio. And for only $25!

For lunch, friends had suggested trying the crab cakes at Fish Market, a local favorite, or stopping by Scoop, which in addition to hand-dipped ice cream serves a mean BBQ pork sandwich. But I had a hankering for Cincinnati 4-way at the original Hard Times Cafe ($8.29). My husband and I had frequented this chili parlor as young marrieds when it first opened near the Metro, and I was curious to see if it had retained its cowboy charm. I wasn't disappointed.

Having washed the chili down with a pint of Hard Times' select lager, you'd think I'd be ready for a nap. But no, I was curious to check out Old Town's new boutique district, a consortium of 19 shops showcasing one-of-a-kind items and hard-to-find brands. So it was back on the trolley to North Royal Street, where a half-dozen stores are clustered. Many have names as beautiful as the things they sell: Hysteria (women's accessories), Diva (couture and designer consignment), Bellacara (skin care), Treat (a "sample sale" boutique) and Shoe Hive (really, really expensive shoes).

Feeling a bit guilty about choosing shopping over culture, I wandered over to Carlyle House, completed in 1753 by Scottish merchant John Carlyle for his bride, Sarah. But that put me in the path of the great kitchen store La Cuisine, where I found a darling pair of earrings in the shape of ice cream scoopers. Next door at Gossypia, I admired the Latin American folk art, including its many Day of the Dead dioramas.

When I told him I'd take him to dinner, my son -- who as a new college grad lives on ramen noodles and peanut butter -- angled for something trendy. A friend of my lawyer friend Patti suggested either the sophisticated Restaurant Eve or the equally upscale Vermilion. Instead, we ended up at the Art Deco Majestic Cafe, where mom picked up the tab for a fantastic meatloaf with mushroom-onion gravy ($19.95) and pork chop with braised cabbage and spiced-cider sauce ($23.50).

I was stuffed, not to mention tired, but that same friend had suggested we round out the day with a nightcap at PX Blue Light, a reservations-only speakeasy above Eamonn's Dublin Chippery on King Street. But talk about work: to gain admittance, you have to first e-mail the "host" or leave a message at a special phone number. Sadly, I'm simply not that hip.

Instead, I ordered a bottle of Almaza at the Lebanese restaurant next door.

This week in the PG:

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