Mosaic District

In my last post I briefly mentioned the newly built Merrifield Town Center. After doing a little research I've learned that this new area is called the Mosaic district. It is one of our area's newest urban-designed communities with hand selected retailers and restaurants. We basically stumbled across this great area when we decided to dine at one of favorite restaurants, Four Sisters. Four Sisters was one of the first restaurants to open in the Mosaic district and the past few times we visited not much else had moved into the area. However, the last time we ate there I was pregnant with Carter so that tells you it was well over a year ago. Needless to say, a lot can change in a year.

Mosaic

Mosaic is built around some of DC's top independent boutiques, wonderful restaurants, healthy grocers, an art house cinema, and premier national retailers. Some of my favorite shops are Anthropologie, South Moon Under, Courage. b, Lou Lou, Last Call Studio and Bellacara. South Moon Under carries a lot of fun clothes, accessories, and shoes. They have men's clothing and recently started carrying a few kids clothes. Lou Lou is an accessory boutique that offers jewelry, hats, sunglasses, handbags and scarves. The store is neat because everything is grouped together by color. It's the perfect place to go and look for that finishing touch to your outfit without spending fortune. Last Call Studio reminds me a lot of Nordstrom Rack, but on the higher end. They had some great sales when I visited and their shoe selection was impressive. They even carry David Yurman jewelry. Dawn Price Baby is a great children and baby boutique. Whether you're shopping for your little one or are in need of the perfect baby gift, you should definitely stop by.

There are great dining options as well. As I mentioned earlier, Four Sisters is a wonderful Vietnamese restaurant. There is a CAVA Mezze Grill which features Greek tapas. If you're in the mood for a great sub sandwich then you should head to Taylor Gourmet. You can't go wrong with pizza or sliders from Matchbox and if you want something on the lighter side you should stop by Sweetgreen for a salad and some frozen yogurt. We have a Sweetgreen near my office in DC and I find myself going there for their frozen yogurt on a regular basis. Their tart frozen yogurt is made with organic Stonyfield yogurt, has live active cultures and it's fat free and all-natural! They have a great selection of fresh or dried fruit and crunch toppings to choose from and they just recently introduced dark chocolate yogurt. The center has their own butcher, Red Apron Butcher, and they also have a MOM's organic market, which is basically like a smaller Whole Food's. And if you're looking for a great glass of wine or would like to try an artisanal beer, be sure to stop by Swirl and Sip. While you're out enjoying this great little district and you find yourself needing some essentials or groceries on your way home you can easily stop by Target.

One of the neatest things in this area is the Angelika Film Center and Cafe. It is a state-of-the-art boutique cinema with eight screens featuring independent and specialty films. There is a cafe that specializes in global fusion cuisine that you may enjoy in the lounge or during your movie. They also plan on hosting local film festivals, offer interesting cultural events and programming. There is a great lawn outside the film center that is called Strawberry Park. It's the perfect place for kids to run around and every Friday at 7:00p.m. they play a film on their large outdoor movie screen. Many of the restaurants that I mentioned above are directly across the street from the outdoor movie screen so you could easily grab a bite to eat and watch the movie from their outdoor patio. Every Saturday at 9:00a.m. they host an event called Cartoons and Coffee. It's a chance for families to come together and watch their favorite old school cartoons likes The Flintstones, The Jetson's and Scooby Doo.

The Mosaic district offers several exercise opportunities as well. Every Wednesday and Friday from 9:30a.m.- 10:30a.m. they have Stroller Strides. I'm not sure if you're familiar with the program, but it is a fitness program that moms can do with their babies that involves a lot of power walking and intervals of strength and body toning exercises. Sounds like a fun workout! They also offer free community Vinyasa flow yoga every Sunday at 9:00a.m. in Strawberry Park.

This fall they will feature a new event called District Avenue Art Walk which will take place the first Friday of the month from September 6, 2013 to December 6, 2013 from 6:00p.m. - 9:00p.m. Each month a line-up of artists will be curated by elan magazine to showcase their work along Mosaic's District Avenue. Retailers host their own events throughout the year as well so it's a good idea to check their website occasionally. Last but not least, the area features luxury apartments and town homes. The district is conveniently located by I-495 and Tyson's so it's a great place to live.

So have I sold you on a visit to the Mosaic district? As I've been writing this post I've convinced myself that we should take Carter to Cartoons and Coffee in the morning! It's a great little area to visit so plan a trip soon.

I hope everyone has a fun and safe Labor Day weekend.