Afternoon Jaunt: Alexandria Black History Museum

The Alexandria Black History Museum is tucked into a residential part of Alexandria not far from both S. Patrick Street and S. Washington Street. Though small in square footage, it offers historical context, gallery and presentation space, and books and gifts to those hoping to learn more about African American history in the Old Town area, which is heavily tilted toward the history of white statesmen and merchants.

For me, the most interesting aspect of this museum is its being partially housed in the Robert H. Robinson Library, a one-room building originally constructed for Alexandria's black residents in response to a 1939 sit-in at the larger, segregated Alexandria Library. A short video at the museum shares more details on the history of this protest, led by Samuel W. Tucker, a 26-year-old lawyer. 

The former Robert H. Robinson Library is now part of the museum.

Inside the bright exhibit space are placards spanning the history of African American enslaved people, city residents, and community leaders in Alexandria. I learned that it was especially difficult for sites of import in the local black community to be preserved during an urban renewal phase of the 1960s and '70s that made it a struggle for any building or neighborhood to be saved for its historic significance alone.

The interior of the 1940 library is now an exhibit space.

The current special exhibit, "Before the Spirits are Swept Away: African American Historic Site Paintings by Sherry Z. Sanabria," features 20 of Sanabria's paintings of sites of conscience related to African American heritage. Her portraits are each of a specific place: a church, a school, a slave cabin. The emptiness and stillness of each building, along with Sanabria's use of light, invite contemplation, and the museum has placed information about each site next to its painted depiction.

Paintings from the series "Before the Spirits Are Swept Away."

Like any good museum, this one whets your appetite to learn more, and fortunately, the gift shop provides options. I bought three books, including one with further details on the historic sites in Sanabria's paintings, and took a few brochures on both guided and independent walking tours of black history in Old Town. Also, you can learn more on the museum's website through links to videos, interviews, teacher resources, and books.

The museum is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Swings Coffee: Cuppings for the Ultra-Cool

Swings Coffee used to be closed on Sundays. Going here after church in Del Ray was therefore never an option. But hallelujah, one day it was revealed that Swings had decided to open on Sundays, thus allowing many Alexandria residents access to fabulous coffee on their day of rest. Because in the Washington area, “rest” does not preclude caffeination.

Located in an Art Deco-styled storefront on East Monroe Avenue in Alexandria, which was actually designed in the 1950s, Swings Coffee is everything that a new coffee shop should be: amazing pour-overs, repurposed wood communal tables, vintage light fixtures and a stark industrial feel.

I’m not sure which pour-over I ordered that day, but whatever it was, it had adjectives attached to it that would impress a wine connoisseur. I feel certain that “bright” and “chocolate” were among them. A cup of coffee here is truly an experience for the palate, and I savored it over an issue of Ranger Rick magazine that was on the communal table.

I wish I could give the same praise to the baked goods, but there was a small selection, and the items did not seem to have been baked on site, or even recently. If you need carbs to accompany your caffeine, they are serviceable, but nothing beyond that.

The free cupping is a great reason to go to this establishment. At 10 a.m. on Fridays, Swings shares its process in choosing single-origin coffees and invites visitors to take part in the ritual. You can swirl, smell and taste a series of roasting contenders and try to guess which one made the cut for Swings sales to the public.

Coffee: ★★★★ A pour-over here is a guaranteed experience of subtlety and color.

Food: ★ The baked goods did not seem fresh, and their presence was perfunctory.

Ambience: ★★★ The dream coffee shop for an adaptive-reuse enthusiast or reclaimed-wood-loving hipster.

Service: ★★ Baristas are a bit snooty here. 

Buzz Bakeshop and Battleship

On rainy days, especially those of early January, a coffee shop is a welcome sanctuary. The Buzz Bakeshop on Slaters Lane in Alexandria turned out to be a quiet, cozy spot with surprisingly great coffee.

The perky Buzz logo made it easy to find from the roadway, on the corner of a small shopping center a couple of blocks off the George Washington Parkway and Route 1.

The freshness and display appeal of the many baked goods and savory items they offer made deciding on a late breakfast difficult. My boyfriend and I each chose a piece of their quiche Lorraine, and I added a chocolate chip cookie—my requisite accompaniment to coffee.

While my boyfriend sampled a Cortado, I chose the drip coffee they had brewed that day. It was flavorful and strong, the perfect complement to the cookie and a game of Battleship—the bakery keeps a shelf of travel-sized board games by the counter. Who doesn’t love games that remind them of being eight years old? 

The day we were there, several people were camped out with their laptops at the small tables and at the window-front bar, and a group of ladies was meeting at one end of the communal table, but it still wasn’t so dense with customers that we were unable to find a place to sit.

It was peaceful, yet not so quiet that you were afraid to speak above a whisper. I am not a fan of coffee shops jammed with so many laptop users that no one can actually find a chair, so I was happy.

A children’s area presented several colorful toys, including a pretend stove, possibly for baking imaginary quiche Lorraines. Depending on your taste, the large conglomeration of china plates on the wall is either creative or strange, but as they say in the theater world, “it’s a choice.”

Coffee: ★★★★ Unusually flavorful house-brewed coffee.

Food: ★★★★ Freshly baked, tasty, and there was quite a variety available.

Ambience: ★★★ One part industrial chic, one part cozy.

Service: ★★★ Staff were friendly and put up with my boyfriend’s bad jokes.