Reston’s founder, Bob Simon, in last year’s Connection’s Newcomers Guide shared his list of top ten favorite events and places in Reston:

Events

• 1960 — Signing of contract to purchase 1,750 acres of farmland and woods located between DC and the airport under construction (to be named Dulles)
• 1962 — Adoption by Fairfax County Board of Supervisors of Residential Planned Community Ordinance (RPC)
• 1964 — Singer Electronics Laboratory and Air Survey Corporation open for business. First residents move in.
• 1966 — Official dedication with presentations by Poet Laureate Steven Spender and NYC Parks Commissioner August Hecksher, Interior Secretary Stuart Udall and representatives of 37 countries with "New Towns"
• 1997 — I return to Reston and move into condo on 13th floor of Heron House
• 1998 — I meet Cheryl Terio
• 2009 — Dedication of Nature House at Nature Center
• 2010 — Asian Festival at Brown's Chapel

Places

• My bed in 1301 [Heron House] — I love to sleep and nap
• Lake Anne Plaza (officially designated Washington Plaza) — Modeled after plazas throughout the rest of the world as the social glue of communities
• Jasmine and Montmartre restaurants on Lake Anne Plaza — good food, reasonable prices
• Pathways going all around Lake Anne — beautiful views, lovely gardens
• Fountain Square in Town Center — a true gathering place with its pavilion for skating in winter and events the rest of the year; restaurants and shops
• Nature Center — 70 acres of natural beauty and its Nature House for permanent exhibits and frequent classes
• Center Stage at Reston Community Center, Hunters Woods — a fully equipped stage with orchestra pit, seating 300 and offering a full schedule of concerts, plays and events