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.
Nando’s Peri-Peri will be bringing its Portuguese-style chicken to Ballston this fall.
The chicken chain is planning to open in the former Vapiano space at the NRECA building (4401 Wilson Blvd), according to a recently-filed construction permit application.
A tipster tells us that Nando’s is eying a November opening. The company did not respond to a request for comment from ARLnow.com last month.
Nando’s has an existing Arlington location on Pentagon Row, which opened in 2012.
(Updated at 3:35 p.m.) Arlington Cemetery station was temporarily closed — and Blue Line service suspended — due to a reported fire on the track this afternoon.
Two separate fires were put out with a fire extinguisher, according to scanner traffic. Metro is advising riders to expect delays.
From Metro:
Blue Line: Train service RESTORED between Rosslyn and Pentagon stations with residual delays following earlier fire dept investigation.
Whole Foods sign outside The Bartlett in Pentagon City
Rendering of Millennial-friendly amenities at The Bartlett in Pentagon City (via thebartlett.com)
Rendering of Millennial-friendly amenities at The Bartlett in Pentagon City (via thebartlett.com)
Rendering of Millennial-friendly amenities at The Bartlett in Pentagon City (via thebartlett.com)
Rendering of Millennial-friendly amenities at The Bartlett in Pentagon City (via thebartlett.com)
Rendering of Millennial-friendly amenities at The Bartlett in Pentagon City (via thebartlett.com)
Local coffee roaster Commonwealth Joe appears ready to open a new coffee shop in Pentagon City.
Commonwealth Joe already has a coffee shop presence in Arlington — it acquired Java Shack near Courthouse just over a year ago. The new Pentagon City store would represent a significant expansion for the company, which has previously focused mostly on wholesale and office coffee distribution.
Located at the corner of S. Eads Street and an extension of 12th Street S., the Bartlett’s most-touted amenity is a new Whole Foods grocery store. The Whole Foods is expected to open this summer, according to signs around the building.
In addition to the Whole Foods and the planned Commonwealth Joe coffee shop, the apartment building will have a number of high-end, Millennial-friendly features, including:
“Sky Club” rooftop pool deck and lounge with monument views
Pet-friendly courtyard dubbed “The Lawn” with a fire pit and a library of lawn games
“Grill Deck” with pizza oven
Coworking-style “WorkBar” with offices, Wi-fi and conference rooms
“S’Paw Pet Spa,” “Paw Patch puppy playground,” “BarkBar treat station”
“Loft” with flat-screen TVs, foosball, shuffleboard and billiards
Expansive fitness club with “crossfit equipment and more weights and cardio machines than your gym across town.”
The Bartlett is now pre-leasing, according to its website.
As of noon today, there was no one skating at the Pentagon City Row ice skating rink, as the sun shone and temperatures reached into the 70s.
With above-average temperatures in the forecast for the foreseeable future, the skating rink may soon look as much like a swimming pool as a winter wonderland.
Nonetheless, the rink is slated to stay open until Easter Sunday, March 27, according to a press release sent last week.
The rink’s website says it is “open everyday including all holidays, even in warm weather.” Last year the rink was open until March 22.
If you’re shopping or dining in Shirlington and are lucky enough to get a street parking spot along Campbell Avenue, you’ll now have to pay.
Parking meters were installed along Campbell Avenue over the weekend.
“The goal is to improve traffic flow, discourage abuse by long-term parkers, improve space availability/turnover, and enhance the utilization of free off-street parking garages,” explained Arlington Dept. of Environmental Services spokeswoman Jessica Baxter.
“The County conducted a parking study of the area last year following concerns raised by… [Village at Shirlington] owner Federal Realty Investment Trust and other stakeholders,” said Baxter. “The study found that there was considerable abuse of long-term parkers exceeding the posted time restrictions. It was determined that the best way to manage the right-of-way is through the expansion of our existing curbside metered program that is currently in place on S. Quincy Street, S. Randolph Street and Arlington Mill.”
Baxter said the county “worked closely” with FRIT to notify tenants of the changes prior to the parking meter installation.
‘Sound of Music’ Star Recalls Arlington Upbringing — Showbiz star Nicholas Hammond, who played Friedrich von Trapp in the “Sound of Music” 50 years ago, recently recounted his childhood in Arlington. “I loved growing up there, in a much simpler time,” he told Charlie Clark. “My brother and I had paper routes. Your parents thought nothing of kids going off on their bikes pre-dawn and throwing papers onto front-door steps. We’d play ball, or go on our bikes or explore the woods. It all seemed very safe.” [Falls Church News-Press]
Local Masseuse Working Out Trump Stress — Locals are stressing out about the idea of Donald Trump becoming the next president of the United States. Reports the Post: “Amanda Long, an Arlington, Va., massage therapist… has grown accustomed in recent weeks to clients laying down on her table and bellowing, ‘Can you believe this guy?’ Long allows her clients to vent for a few minutes before she tries to quiet them, if only so they can relax and she can attend to their aches.” [Washington Post]
Comcast Outage in Crystal City — Comcast customers in parts of Crystal City and South Arlington were without their TV, voice and internet service for most of the day yesterday. Service has since been restored, we hear.
Garvey: Use Garages During Snowstorms — To speed up snow plowing on local streets, county leaders want to try to reduce the number of cars parked on the side of the road during snowstorms. To facilitate that, County Board Chair Libby Garvey has asked county staff to look into the idea of opening up Arlington’s parking garages as emergency snow parking areas. [InsideNova]
Winter Is Over — The groundhog was right: an early spring is here. It may still be officially winter, but all computer models are pointing to warmer-than-average weather through April. [Capital Weather Gang]
Organized by the Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington, the RAMMYs recognize excellence among D.C. area restaurants. Typically the awards are pretty District-centric. In 2011, for instance, only two Arlington restaurants were nominated.
This year, Arlington restaurants garnered a half dozen or so nominations. Among them:
Favorite Gathering Place of the Year – Northside Social Coffee & Wine
Employee of the Year – Andrea Raiello, Water & Wall
Manager of the Year – Carlos Fernandez, Best Buns Bread Company
Pastry Chef of the Year – Bridie McCulla, Northside Social, The Liberty Tavern, Lyon Hall
Pastry Chef of the Year – Tressa Wiles, Bayou Bakery
Rising Culinary Star of the Year – Jonah Kim, Yona
Restaurateur of the Year – Mike Isabella Concepts (Graffiato, Kapnos, G, Kapnos Taverna, Pepita, Yona, etc)
Tiffany Joslyn, an attorney and Arlington resident, was killed in a car crash in Rhode Island on Saturday.
Joslyn, 33, and her 28-year-old brother, Derrick, were killed after a car driven by Derrick’s wife was reportedly sideswiped on I-95 near the city of Pawtucket. The initial collision caused the Joslyns’ car to lose control, strike the center median and roll onto its roof. It was then struck by a van, reported TV station WPRI.
Tiffany is being remembered as a strong advocate for progressive and LGBT causes. She was on the board of local LGBT group AGLA, was a past president of the LGBT Democrats of Virginia PAC, and was active in the Arlington Young Democrats and the Arlington County Democratic Committee.
“Tiffany was an incredible advocate for progressive candidates,” wrote Democratic activist Ben Tribbett, “even though she didn’t always like the politics because she really cared about the issue outcomes and the real impact policy has on people’s lives.”
We could go on and on about how Tiffany Joslyn touched Arlington and Virginia. We encourage you to share your stories and memories with us.
— Arlington Democrats (@arlingtondems) March 7, 2016
Joslyn’s name could often be found among the list of endorsements for local candidates. Among the candidates for elected office she endorsed were former Delegate Rob Krupicka, former state Senate candidate Jaime Areizaga-Soto and Arlington County Board member John Vihstadt.
Professionally, Joslyn worked as a deputy chief counsel for a U.S. House of Representatives subcommittee.
A friend of Joslyn’s, Stephanie Clifford, has created a GoFundMe campaign to help raise money for her family and for her cat. The cat was injured in the crash and may need to have her leg amputated, Clifford wrote. So far, nearly $6,000 has been raised.
Below is a video of Joslyn speaking about LGBT causes at County Board member Jay Fisette’s house in 2011. The video was originally published by the Blue Virginia blog.
“At the end of day we are partisans,” Joslyn told the gathered crowd, “but equality is a non-partisan matter.”
The Tennis Factory, a long-time tennis specialty store at 3865 Wilson Blvd in Ballston, recently closed its doors.
Signs in the window say the store closed Feb. 21 after losing its lease.
Tennis Factory was noted for its local business eccentricities. Run by a brother-and-sister team, the store had enough merchandise strewn about to have one tipster joke affectionately about it being a “fire hazard.” The store conducted especially thorough shoe fittings — which could turn shoe shopping into an hour-long affair even with few other customers inside.
On its website, the Tennis Factory says it’s hoping to reopen in a new location and revamp its website.
The Tennis Factory is Under Reconstruction
After 40 years of doing business in Arlington, VA, serving tennis enthusiasts in the Metropolitan Washington, DC area and from around the world, the Tennis Factory is undergoing a makeover.
Look for our new location and brand new website including a new online store.
The Tennis Factory has been providing the best in sales, services and products since 1976. We thank our longtime customers as well as those who have just discovered our store for your patronage. We will continue to provide your favorite brands along with the exceptional service you have come to expect.
If you would like to follow our progress or receive information on our grand re-opening, please send your name and contract information to: [email protected].
Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe wants the Commonwealth to be the “tech capital of the United States” and Arlington County is in many ways the centerpiece of that effort.
With the state and the county actively working to attract innovative tech companies, we wanted to check in with some of the innovators who are helping to build a new economy here in Arlington.
On Tuesday, March 29, ARLnow.com — together with Vornado and the Crystal City BID — will be hosting Arlington Tech, an evening of networking and insights.
The event is being held from 5:30-8 p.m. at Highline RxR (2010 Crystal Drive). Tickets are available online and will also be available at the door.
Come for the food and drink (included with the price of admission) and networking, stay for a Q&A with innovators from a variety of local companies like:
The evening’s discussion will be hosted by local media personality Sarah Fraser.
Also at the event, representatives from Arlington Economic Development will be on hand to answer questions from entrepreneurs about the resources available to them in Arlington County.
Update at 4:15 p.m. — The man who punched a wall was treated for a possible hand injury. Police believe that sound may have been mistaken for gunshots.
Update at 3:45 p.m. — The scene has been cleared, no evidence of a shooting was found and Columbia Pike is reopening, according to scanner traffic.
A Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman said the earlier crash on S. Buchanan Street involved a deputy who was responding to the shots fired call. Neither the deputy nor the other driver involved — who was issued a traffic citation — was seriously injured, said Maj. Susie Doyel.
Update at 2:40 p.m. — Two residents have exited the building and told police that they were having an argument in which one half of the couple punched a wall, according to scanner traffic. Police are still taking a cautious stance and maintaining a perimeter around the building. Also, a parent says that nearby Kenmore Middle School is in “secure the school” mode, possibly as a result of the incident.
Arlington County Police have shut down Columbia Pike in the area of S. Frederick Street, just west of the Arlington Mill Community Center, while officers investigate reports of shots fired inside an apartment building.
The shots fired calls came from residents in an apartment building, the Arbor Heights Apartments, on the 800 block of S. Frederick Street. One resident told police he or she heard gunshots and then saw people running from the building.
In addition to the closure of Columbia Pike, S. Frederick Street is closed between the Pike and 8th Road S.
Police have staged outside the apartment complex but have not entered it yet.
Meanwhile, police and medics are responding to a report of an accident with multiple injuries on the 900 block of S. Buchanan Street, several blocks away from the possible shooting scene.
