No Casino? No Problem

Now that the proposed casino appears no longer to have Reston in its sights, thanks to some well-organized grassroots opposition, we worry that our plastic fantastic planned community might develop a reputation as a bunch of earth- tone obsessed killjoys.

Of course, nothing could be further from the truth! I mean, we "throw down," as kids once might have said, on the pickleball courts, complain about paid parking more loudly than Lollapalooza, and enjoy so many free soda refills at our chain restaurants that it impacts their net worth. So we think it's incumbent on us to think about other, more wholesome and planned community-friendly diversions we could collectively welcome to Reston with open arms.

All-inclusive resorts. Imagine just the "play" part of "live, work, play," and all those tourists opening their checkbooks! Ideally, all amenities would be included– a romantic paddleboat ride on Lake Anne, followed by a chain restaurant meal and a CBD-infused latte.

Rollercoasters! Now that the Herndon Festival has been unceremoniously canceled, we could pick up the slack and offer, if not carnival rides of dubious provenance and sturdiness in a random parking lot, at least the endless lines to ride them.

"Skill" games. This is Virginny, by gum, and you don't need a highfalutin' casino to charge money for what are euphemistically called "skill games!" We'd plop down a bunch of quarters to play an electronic version of "is my new door in compliance with DRB regulations?"

Creekin'. Since Reston was recently highlighted as a place to visit (really!) by Southern Living (really!), let's explore our recently restored creek beds, ideally with some TNT to stun those pesky crawdads and float 'em to the surface.

Cycling. Sure, the long-delayed W&OD bridge over Wiehle Avenue isn't done yet, but the aforementioned Southern Living readers would love seeing spandex-clad cyclists attempt to recreate the jumps from the “The Dukes of Hazzard.”

Parkour. Since our new office buildings — and some of our older homes — have no surfaces that meet at 90-degree angles, what better place to wall jump? For an extra challenge, more advanced enthusiasts could try the skull-crackin' concrete "play" structures adorning Reston's older neighborhoods.

Car races. While we certainly don't encourage street racing, the Reston 500 (be one of the first 500 drivers to find a spot in the Metro parking garage) would bring the bare-knuckle excitement of a Reston commuter running five minutes late to the world.

Pickleballdrome (tm). We're pretty sure our always-reasonable RA dues could easily fund an 80,000-seat pickleball stadium, complete with lasers, cyborg opponents, and trap doors for an extra surprise in particularly close games, the end. 

 This post was originally published in the Reston Letter.