Author: ARLnow.com

Launched in January 2010, ARLnow.com is the place for the latest news, views and things to do around Arlington, Virginia. Started by a Pentagon City resident who has spent the past several years working in local TV news, ARLnow.com seeks to distinguish itself with original, enterprising, up-to-the-minute local coverage.

‘Punch Bowl Social’ Coming to Arlington in 2018

By ARLnow.com
1/10

(Updated on 12/6/16) Punch Bowl Social, a combination bar, restaurant, bowling alley and arcade targeted at the young professional set, is coming to Arlington.

The expanding chain, which has existing locations in Denver, Austin, Detroit, Portland, Cleveland and elsewhere, says on its website that it’s planning to open in Arlington in 2018. A D.C. location is also planned.

“Punch Bowl Social has eliminated having to choose between respectable food and beverage, and a great social experience,” says the Facebook page of one of the existing locations. “PBS brings ‘old school’ entertainment, culinary refinement and a modern beverage program under one roof.”

Founded by Robert Thompson, who previously operated Buffalo Billiards locations in Austin and Nashville, Punch Bowl Social offers a range of beers and cocktails — including, yes, cocktails served in communal punch bowls. PBS describes its dining and beverage offerings as “food for foodies, PBR tallboys, and craft beverages.”

Entertainment options include bowling, karaoke, shuffleboard, billiards, ping pong, fussball, billiards and vintage arcade games.

There’s no word yet as to where in Arlington Punch Bowl Social will be opening. “We don’t have any specific details to share,” a publicist told ARLnow.com.

Based on size, opportunity, timing and Metro accessibility, possible locations include the renovated Ballston Quarter mall, which will be reopening in 2018; a number of new and existing buildings in Rosslyn; and the still-developing and increasingly Millennial-oriented Crystal City and Pentagon City area.

Photos via Facebook

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Long exposure photo on Columbia Pike (Flickr pool photo by Bekah Richards)

Arlington Tops Clinton Vote Margin List — Arlington County, which has the highest percentage of residents with a college degree of any jurisdiction in the U.S. with a population over 50,000, also had the highest increase in vote margin for Hillary Clinton vs. Barack Obama in 2012. Clinton’s margin of victory in Arlington this year was 20.3 points higher than Obama’s. [Five Thirty Eight]

O’Leary on Clinton’s Victory Margin — Former Arlington County treasurer (and noted local election prognosticator) Frank O’Leary says the increase in the Democratic victory margin in Arlington reflects “a profound belief in government, particularly the federal government as the means of fulfilling the objectives expressed in the Preamble to the Constitution.”

DCA Ranks Poorly for Flight Cancellations — Reagan National Airport is the eighth-worst airport in the country for flight cancellations around the holidays, according to a new set of rankings. [WTOP]

Arlington Seeks Secret Santas — Arlington County is looking for volunteers to “brighten the holiday season for some of Arlington’s most vulnerable residents by taking part in the County’s annual Secret Santa program.” [Arlington County]

Flickr pool photo by Bekah Richards

BREAKING: House Fire in Penrose

By ARLnow.com
1/30

(Updated at 9:25 a.m.) Firefighters from Arlington County and surrounding jurisdictions battled a house fire in the Penrose neighborhood this morning.

The two-alarm fire broke out in the basement of a home at the corner of S. Fillmore Street and 1st Road S. shortly before 8:30 a.m. The fire spread, prompting firefighting efforts in the attic as well as in the basement.

Just after 8:50 a.m., it was announced that the fire had been extinguished, though some light smoke was still coming from the home’s windows.

No injuries were reported. The home’s owner could be seen talking to fire investigators.

S. Fillmore Street, a commuter route, remained shut down between 2nd Street S. and Route 50 as of 9:25 a.m., as emergency vehicles remained parked across the road. Via its Twitter account, the fire department warned drivers to expect delays in the area.

‘Miracle on 23rd Street’ Holiday Event Planned for Friday

By ARLnow.com

Miracle on 23rd Street flyerSanta is coming to town — specifically, to the Aurora Highlands neighborhood, near Crystal City, on Friday.

Linden Business Resources (750 23rd Street S.) is again hosting its family-friendly Miracle on 23rd Street holiday event. It’s scheduled to start at 6 p.m. on Dec. 2.

The tree lighting ceremony is scheduled for 6:25, Santa is expected to arrive via fire truck at 6:30 and a 50/50 raffle will take place at 8 p.m. Unlike past years, this year’s event will be held completely outside.

There will also be food trucks and holiday music and entertainment. The event is free and open to the public.

Don Tito to Host Taco Eating Contest

By ARLnow.com

Tacos (photos via Don Tito/Facebook)

Clarendon watering hole Don Tito (3165 Wilson Blvd) will be hosting what it’s billing as the “first annual Arlington taco eating contest.”

The event is being held on Monday, Dec. 19 at 7 p.m.

It will feature up to 100 contestants trying to eat as many chicken and beef tacos as they can in one minute. After 10 preliminary heats, each with 10 competitors, the winner of each heat will advance to a preliminary round in which the first person to eat 10 tacos with varying levels of spiciness will be crowned the “Taco King of Arlington.”

Said Taco King will receive a $150 Don Tito gift card and a championship belt. The second and third place winners will, respectively, get a $100 gift card and a $50 gift card.

The cost of entry is $20. Registration is available online. Spectators can attend for free.

Photo via Facebook

Controversial Lyon Park Mansion Now Up for Auction

By ARLnow.com

In October its owner was asking for permission to use it as a bed and breakfast.

Now, in December, it’s up for auction.

3120 N. Pershing Drive mansion (via Prime Auction Solutions)The controversial “Pershing Manor” mansion at 3120 N. Pershing Drive is being sold to the highest bidder on Tuesday, Dec. 13. We’re told that the bidding is starting at $750,000, with an undisclosed reserve.

The auction firm released a video tour of the massive home (above).

Per the auction website, the 13,700 square foot brick mansion, built on 0.42 acres in Lyon Park in 2005, features:

  • Gated Circular Driveway and 2 Car Garage
  • 4 Bedroom Suites and 2 Additional Guest Suites
  • 7 Total Full Baths and 2 Powder Rooms
  • Indoor Heated Pool & Stone Waterfall
  • Dual Grand Staircase with Intricate Cast Iron Railing & Banisters
  • Chef Inspired Granite Gourmet Kitchen
  • Theater Room with Multi-Level Stadium Seating
  • Embassy Sized Walk Out Lower Level with Wet Bar, Dance Floor and Full Kitchen

The County Board agenda item to consider allowing the home to be used as a bed and breakfast was deferred to December, to give the owner more time to discuss the proposal with skeptical Lyon Park neighbors.

Photo via Prime Auction Solutions. Hat tip to “John Fontain.”

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Christmas trees (Flickr pool photo by John Sonderman)

Per Student Spending Questioned — Arlington Public Schools is again being questioned about why it has the highest per-student costs — $18,957 — of any suburban D.C. jurisdiction. Fairfax County, the largest school system in the state, has a per-student cost of $14,432. [InsideNova]

Woman’s Tireless TSA Protest — Alyssa Bermudez, a former Army staff sergeant and Bronze Star recipient, has been tirelessly protesting in front of Transportation Security Administration headquarters in Pentagon City, claiming that she was sexually harassed and fired for complaining about it. Other complaints and a lawsuit point to an alleged culture of harassment within the agency. [Washington Post]

ACPD Officers Meet Shaq — NBA great Shaquille O’Neal visited with D.C. area police yesterday on Capitol Hill to raise awareness of the dangers of driving while under the influence of drugs. Several ACPD officers were photographed with the 7’1″ O’Neal. [Twitter, Twitter]

AFAC Needs New Van — The Arlington Food Assistance Center is seeking donations to help it buy a new cargo van, after one of its old vans broke down while on a grocery run. [Fox 5, AFAC]

LiveSafe Launches Navy Pilot Program — Arlington-based startup LiveSafe has launched a six-month pilot program with a big client: the U.S. Navy. LiveSafe’s app will be used by sailors in Hampton Roads, Va. and in Rota, Spain “in an effort to prevent sexual assaults and combat other destructive behaviors before they happen.” [Stars and Stripes]

Arlington Man Tweets Hillary Sightings — Arlingtonian Adam Parkhomenko, a long-time Hillary Clinton aide and booster, is helping grieving Democrats by turning the former presidential candidate into a “wandering folk hero.” He’s doing so via a social media account that keeps track of photos of Clinton “in the wild” since she lost the election. [Vanity Fair]

Flickr pool photo by John Sonderman

Police Investigating Death in Rosslyn

By ARLnow.com

1600 block of N. Kent Street (photo via Google Maps)Arlington County Police are investigating a death in Rosslyn.

A body was found this morning on the 1600 block of N. Kent Street, a narrow one-way that runs by the Rosslyn Spectrum theater.

At this point the death is not considered suspicious and is being investigated as a probable suicide, said Arlington County Police spokeswoman Ashley Savage.

Police are expected to remain on scene for some time, interviewing witnesses and conducting a death investigation.

Photo (top) via Google Maps

Artomatic Returning to Crystal City

By ARLnow.com
1/9

Artomatic, a free, unjuried creative arts event that invites artists to display their work — usually in large, vacant buildings — is returning to Crystal City.

The event, which was previously held in Crystal City in 2007 and 2012, will take place over the course of six weeks in the spring at 1800 S. Bell Street, the Crystal City Business Improvement District announced today. Tens of thousands of visitors are expected to visit the 100,000-square-foot arts space over the course of the event.

“The return of Artomatic to Crystal City demonstrates the area’s continued growth and development as an artistic and innovative laboratory,” said Angela Fox, CEO of the Crystal City BID. “Artomatic’s mission aligns with the BID’s efforts to transform our community into a place where people are inspired to create their own masterpieces.”

Dubbed a “playground for artistic expression,” Artomatic is known for its massive size and range of often-eclectic creative works, including visual art, music, film, live performance, fashion and more.

From a press release:

The Crystal City BID made its first massive splash onto the creative stage in 2007 by luring Artomatic across the river and helping them host their biggest art happening up to that time…

The 2007 and 2012 editions attracted over 35,000 and 75,000 visitors, respectively, and over a thousand artists for each run. Artomatic 2017 will be in approximately 100,000 square feet of space provided by Vornado/Charles E. Smith at 1800 S. Bell Street. Artomatic is anticipated to attract another large and diverse crowd given its proximity to metro, free parking after 4 p.m., and location among dozens of restaurants and watering holes.

The new location also has the benefit of an entrance along the interior concourse of Crystal City and part of the Art Underground. Launched in 2013 to transform Crystal City’s interior concourse into a vibrant arts and cultural destination, the Art Underground includes Synetic Theater, the 1200-foot long FotoWalk Underground, ArtJamz Underground, the Gallery Underground, TechShop, and Studios Underground which provides work space for two dozen artists.

The dates for the 2017 installment of Artomatic are expected to be announced within a few weeks.

New Fast-Casual Korean BBQ Restaurant Opens in Crystal City

By ARLnow.com
1/3

A new fast casual Korean barbecue restaurant has opened in Crystal City.

KBQ Korean BBQ & Bar is located at 2450 Crystal Drive, next to Buffalo Wild Wings. It opened earlier today, offering a Chipotle-style experience, allowing customers to build their own rice and lettuce bowls, lettuce wraps, tofu dogs and rice burgers.

KBQ offers six proteins — from steak to pork belly to tofu — and nearly a dozen “banchans,” or sides. That’s topped off by a selection of sauces and garnishes.

In addition, there’s a separate “bubble tea shop” offering a selection of bubble teas, including taro, chai and mango, for $5 apiece. As of earlier today, the boba for the teas was not yet ready, so customers had to make do with bubble tea sans bubbles.

Though KBQ seems likely to capture a primarily lunchtime dining crowd in Crystal City, it also has a bar serving cocktails, beer, wine and “bombs” — as in soju, Jager, car and cherry bombs. The restaurant will be open nightly until 1 a.m.

Korean barbecue “is the hottest trend in the culinary world,” according to a press release announcing the restaurant’s opening today. The full release, after the jump.

(more…)

Signature Theatre’s ‘Titanic’ Starts Dec. 13

By ARLnow.com

Promotional image for 'Titanic' musical (photo via Signature Theatre)

Shirlington-based Signature Theatre is preparing to launch a new production of the musical “Titanic.”

It’s going down on Tuesday, Dec. 13, kicking off a seven-week run that will stretch through Jan. 29. The ambitious production features “a cast, crew and orchestra of more than 50 artists and an inventive new 360 degree staging in Signature Theatre’s intimate 330 seat MAX Theatre,” according to a press release.

Signature’s Artistic Director, Eric Schaeffer, promises a first-class experience.

“I’ve always loved the musical Titanic and I have felt that Signature should reinvent this musical for our audiences in an exciting new way,” said Schaeffer, in a statement. “Audiences will feel they are aboard this ‘ship of dreams’ surrounded by Maury Yeston’s beautifully haunting score. It truly will be the musical event of the season in Washington and an experience like none other.”

The epic disaster tale comes at a busy time in the Washington area — it will overlap with Christmas, New Year’s, president-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration and possibly a Redskins playoff run.

Those who want to get on board for the musical performance will need to take the plunge to the tune of $40 to $109 per ticket.

The full press release about “Titanic” and its casting is below.

(more…)

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