Reston Town Center (unauthorized!)

This is what a photo of Reston Town Center looks like when you don't fill out a form to get a camera permit. For those who don't know, Reston Town Center (in Reston, Fairfax County, Virginia) is one of those shopping centers that use the illusion of a lively cultural district to lure you in to spend your money. I can't show you, but try to picture a neighborhood of streets, parking garages, offices, apartments and--most importantly--restaurants, movie theaters and other retail stores. Reston Town Center is just like the downtown of any vibrant city... with one important difference.

What sets Reston Town Center (and similar developments) apart is that it's all pretend. One hundred percent make-believe. Sure, it feels like you're on a public city street, dining at a family-owned outdoor cafe as locals and tourists walk by. But in reality, the entire complex is controlled by a single, giant property management corporation. In the case of Reston Town Center, that corporation is named Equity Office. And Equity Office doesn't allow anyone to take a picture on their private property without prior approval... and the documentation to prove it.

Don't get me wrong: I've seen countless shoppers take snapshots of each other in front of the big fountain in the center of the development--the very fountain I wanted to photograph, surrounded by open tables and well-dressed loiterers of all ages. I've watched entire groups assemble and document their so-called "night on the town" for posterity. What's the harm, right? Absolutely nothing. It's just a photo. They're only amateurs. Well, so am I.

The difference is, I know what I'm doing. I look like a professional, even though I explained to the polite, friendly security guards that I was only taking a photo for my web log. The purpose doesn't matter, if you might be competent enough to attempt a good picture. Pull out a tripod and look for the best spot to photograph the scene, and those polite, friendly Reston Town Center guards will be quick to stand in your way. Quick to radio the security office. Quick to tell you sorry, but picture-taking is not allowed without advance written permission. Would you like to fill out a form and come back tomorrow?

No thanks, it isn't worth the effort. The illusion has been shattered, at least for me. I no longer want a photo of your beautiful fountain. What I really want, is a photo of an honest, vibrant community--like the one you're pretending to be.

Reston Town Center is nothing more than an outdoor shopping mall. The big business idea of what Main Street USA could be. What main street *should* be. Their slogan, "What downtown was meant to be," pretty much says it all. Reston Town Center is a place where people with money can gather to spend it, pretending they live somewhere much more exciting, much more vibrant than than the suburb they actually call home. Without the annoyance of panhandlers. Without the apparent threat of random urban violence. Without the fear of being photographed and seeing your image in the web log of an out-of-state visitor unfortunate enough to be on assignment in uptight Northern Virginia instead of honest-to-Betsy Manhattan or real-as-it-gets Haight-Ashbury.

New York City, the real deal. San Francisco, in all its authentic urban glory.

Have fun pretending, Reston Town Center customers, but don't take things too far, for the illusion is shallow. Big brother in the Security Office is watching your every move, ready to halt anything that doesn't fit the ideal of "what downtown was meant to be."

Reston Town Center (unauthorized!)

RoWdYdOw RoWdYdOw

Reston Town Center (UNAUTHORIZED) - Noise's Photo Blog