DINING & SHOPPING DINING & SHOPPING Mecca S urrounded by hundreds (hundreds!) of big-name stores, unique boutiques and all manner of restaurants, cafés and bars, I start to wonder if I’ll ever leave this place. – By Garland Pollard It’s early evening in Tysons Corner, one of the urban centers of Fairfax County, after a glorious afternoon shopping at the massive TYSONS CORNER CENTER and the upscale TYSONS GALLERIA . The locals often call this experience “going to Tysons” – an expression from the 1970s that referenced the first Tysons Corner mall. Today, a visit here can easily turn into an expedition of epic proportions in the largest concentration of shopping on the East Coast outside of Manhattan. As we walk around, we spy Tycon Center, the 1980s brick tower designed by famed architect Philip Johnson. Many Virginians affectionately say it resembles, ever so slightly, a shopping bag. Very appropriate, I’d say. Shopping at Tysons is the antidote to the Internet; it’s an experience, not a warehouse or a simple transaction. A trip through the Galleria is an encyclopedic walk through the fashion culture of today. Designers like Bally, Prada and Ferragamo are all at Tysons Galleria, and each store has well-trained clerks who PHOTOS (clockwise) : TYSONS CORNER CENTER (TYSONS CORNER CENTER); INSIDE TYSONS CORNER (TYSONS CORNER CENTER) 22 • FAIRFAX COUNTY VISITORS GUIDE
Fairfax County Official Visitors Guide Fairfax County Official Visitors Guide 2020: Page 22
