(Updated at 12:22 a.m.) Arlington County is set to celebrate the opening of a new section of the Washington Blvd Bike Trail today (Nov. 30).
The event will take place from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. along the new bike trail on the east side of Towers Park (801 S. Scott Street). Capital Bikeshare bikes will be available for attendees to try out the trail after remarks from the speakers.
Construction on the trail began in January. Work zipped along over the last few months to complete it before the end of fall.
The new 10-foot-wide trail runs between Towers Park and 2nd Street S. in Penrose, to provide more seamless access for cyclists and pedestrians to a previously constructed trail between Arlington Blvd and Walter Reed Drive.
I-CE-NY is set to start dishing out ice cream today in Shirlington.
The unique ice cream chain, which serves “smashed and rolled ice cream” with mix-ins like fruit, cookies and candy, started in Thailand before expanding to New York City in 2015 and then other U.S. cities.
Debuting on the same day as Shirlington’s Light Up the Village event, the shop plans to offer a “Buy One, Get One Free” rolled ice cream promotion today (Nov. 29), a spokeswoman for Federal Realty told ARLnow.
With more than 250 locations across Asia and more than 20 locations in the U.S., this is I-CE-NY’s first D.C.-area location.
I-CE-NY offers a number of signature pre-set ice cream and mix-in combos, including “Mango Sticky RI-CE” and “Strawberry Cheese-CE Cake,” per its website.
The ice cream gets made by pouring the ice cream base — including flavors such as “Thai I-CE Tea,” “Biscoff Cookie Butter,” “Cookie Spree,” “Want S’mores” and more — with a choice of mix-in ingredients on a custom-designed metal plate that can get as cold as -15 degrees Fahrenheit, the spokeswoman said. It is then chopped, smashed, flattened and served in chubby rolls.
“Windows to the Past: Arlington, Then and Now” exhibit (courtesy of artist)
“Windows to the Past: Arlington, Then and Now” exhibit (courtesy of artist)
“Windows to the Past: Arlington, Then and Now” exhibit (courtesy of artist)
“Windows to the Past: Arlington, Then and Now” exhibit (courtesy of artist)
Photos not included in the exhibit
Arlingtonians can get a glimpse into the past with a photo exhibit currently on display at Westover Branch Library.
The historic photo montage documents houses and buildings in Arlington before their demolition and the structures that replaced them, spanning 40 years. The photos are showcased in window frames preserved from the demolished houses depicted.
The “Windows to the Past: Arlington, Then and Now” exhibit by Tom Dickinson will be on display until Jan. 5 at 1644 N. McKinley Road, Suite 3.
Dickinson, a historian, photographer and historic preservation advocate, told ARLnow that his exhibit combines his passion for photography and historic preservation.
When he moved to Arlington in 1978, he said he was shocked by the constant demolition of older homes and commercial buildings, so he’s been snapping and collecting pictures of houses fated for demolition and then what replaced them.
Dickinson said he finds out about the houses from online archives of demolition permits that developers have to apply for, word-of-mouth and his own observations. One indicator he looks for is a dangling power line, which has to get cut from the telephone pole before a demolition.
The exhibit, which is funded by the Arlington Arts Grant Program, includes photos of Lustron prefabricated enameled steel houses which were developed after World War II, and Certigrade homes, which are made from cedar wood. The original houses in the “before” pictures were built between the late 1800s and early 1900s.
Dickinson got permission from the developers to salvage windows from the houses. His appreciation for the craftsmanship of windows began after he took a workshop on window construction about 15 years ago.
“These are the windows through which who knows how many thousands of eyes peered out through this glass to the world around them, and the light that illuminated their lives came in,” he said. “It’s the last sort of symbolic artifact from these houses.”
While Dickinson acknowledges that some people see new developments as a progress, Dickinson has a “two-prong lament for the loss of affordable housing and of historic structures.”
Some houses in Arlington are better off torn down, he said. “A lot of these places that were torn down were houses that were not distinguished in any way, just average and inexpensive [ones] that served their purpose and came to the end of their life,” he said. “But still that comes with a cost, environmentally, in terms of the energy for demolition, transporting debris and filling up landfill space. There’s an environmental penalty.”
Dickinson insists that the greenest houses are the ones that are already built.
On the heels of Amazon’s announcement that it will set up its second headquarters in Crystal City, Dickinson said he expects to see fewer “less expensive” houses as housing demand skyrockets, along with increasing congestion on the highways and Metro. “It’s the Manhattanization of Arlington.”
Dickinson isn’t holding his breath for Arlington County to put the brakes on developments. “They’re going to do everything they need to do to make Amazon happy and help them find housing for people,” he said.
“This change is inevitable — it’s going to happen for good or for bad,” Dickinson said, adding that in 40 years from now, he expects Arlington to look completely different from its appearance today.
DC Lash Bar, a beauty shop specializing in eyelash and eyebrow enhancement services, is set to open Monday (Dec. 3) in Ballston Quarter.
Located at 4238 Wilson Blvd, the beauty shop salon is behind the CVS on the first floor of the mall. The Ballston Quarter spot is the second location for DC Lash Bar, which has its flagship store in D.C.
The “official” opening date was moved from today (Nov. 28) to Monday. The delay, according to a spokeswoman, was due to some final installations being pushed back to after the Thanksgiving holiday.
Owner and co-founder Josie Philippe decided to expand shortly after the 2016 opening of the original Georgetown shop, according to a press release.
“We’ve seen an incredible response to our eyelash and tanning services,” Philippe said. “Opening a second shop just made sense; we’re excited to expand our capabilities and increase the number of customers served.”
The DC Lash Bar in Ballston Quarter location will offer eyelash extensions in natural, classic, volume and hybrid sets; eyelash lifts and tints; eyebrow shaping; and tinting and henna treatments. Airbrush tanning is currently only available at the Georgetown location.
To celebrate the Ballston Quarter opening, DC Lash Bar will offer ongoing discounts on its signature services at both locations.
Staff members of both stores are legally certified in eyelash extensions and licensed cosmetologists and estheticians.
The store’s opening next week marks yet another business starting to serve customers in the development, after Ballston Quarter previously faced a handful of opening delays.
SunTrust Bank will close its branch in the Safeway at 3713 Lee Hwy on Feb. 5 — its second branch closure in Arlington on that day.
The bank told clients earlier in November that their accounts will be transferred to the Lee-Old Dominion branch at 4710 Lee Highway, unless clients specify a different location, Hugh Suhr, a spokesman for SunTrust, told ARLnow.
The branch at 249 N. Glebe Road is also set to close on that day.
Clients’ accounts at the branch on Glebe Road will be transferred to either the Arlington Gateway branch at 901 N. Glebe Road or the South Arlington branch at 3108 Columbia Pike, unless clients indicate a different location, Suhr said.
In May, SunTrust, which is based in Atlanta, was hit with a massive data breach that compromised 1.5 million customer accounts.
DC Fray, a social sports organization in DC, will host its fourth annual Santa Bowl Flag Football Tournament Saturday at Long Bridge Park.
Players can head to 475 Long Bridge Drive on Dec. 1 to play in the seven-on-seven co-ed tournament. Registration — $49 per player and $450 per team of at least 12 players — closes on Wednesday (Nov. 28), or when the tournament fills up.
The Santa Bowl will benefit the local non-profit Bridges to Independence, which offers assistance to help people out of homelessness.
Teams are asked to donate at least five grocery bags worth of the items, including:
nonperishable food, excluding peanut butter
new, full-size toiletries
diapers and wipes
paper products including toilet paper and paper towels
gift cards to Giant, Shoppers, Safeway or Target
Metro SmartTrip cards
Prizes will be given to the top placing tournament winners and also to the team that collects the most donations.
The Winter Festival of Lights is set to brighten up various spots along Lee Highway with 10,000 lights on Saturday (Dec. 1).
From 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., locals can check out the free festival’s four different venues, which will have holiday music, shopping, performances, art, food and photos with Santa.
The first stop at the Lee Arts Center (5722 Lee Highway) includes a kid-friendly crafting area in the artists’ studios where families can make buttons, watch local artists make ceramic bowls for the AFAC Empty Bowls fundraiser and learn how to make a holiday card with the printing press.
The second spot along the corridor, next to the Petco at 5400 Lee Highway, features magic and puppies. Attendees can meet Marymount University’s Pattern Makers and Fashion Club, chat with Arlington County library staff and learn from Arlington planners about the upcoming Lee Highway Planning Study while munching on food from Peter Chang and Harris Teeter.
The schedule includes:
Christmas trees and wreaths available at the All Seasons Farm Market
Performance by magician Steve Kish from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Performance by Jack Russell terriers Mario and Bella, who will show off a variety of tricks during the Jacks are Wild Dog Show
A donation box for pet food from the Arlington Animal Welfare League
How-to workshop for “cloved oranges” and Mt. Vernon-style natural wreaths with Melanie Welles Creamer from Mt. Vernon’s Greenhouse
Holiday enthusiasts can also head to the Langston-Brown Community Center (2121 N. Culpeper Street) to learn about local history and take photos with Santa and firefighters. Food from the Heidelberg Pastry Shoppe and Joe’s Place Pizza & Pasta will be available.
Other activities there include:
Face-painting
Compete for prizes in the Amazing Passport Race
Book signing by local author Wilma Jones for “My Halls Hill Family, More Than a Neighborhood”
Exhibition from the winners of a biennial program that recognizes excellence in architecture, historic preservation, landscape architecture and public art
Toy charitable dropbox from the Arlington Partnership for Affordable Housing (APAH)
Music from the Celestial Voices, The Arlington Chorale and Clarinestique Clarinet Choir
Finally, the “Shop Like a Local Holiday Market” at the Cherrydale Volunteer Fire House (3900 Lee Highway) tops off the festivities.
Clothesline founders Ellen Moy and Ben Session straighten up clothes at their nonprofit that gives recycled clothes to children from low income families.
Interior of Clothesline.
Interior of Clothesline.
Exterior of Clothesline.
“The Clothesline for Arlington Kids” has already given away 3,500 pieces of clothing to 140 school-aged children of low-income families since it opened in August.
The nonprofit’s co-founders, Ellen Moy and Ben Sessions, said they decided to start the nonprofit after Moy got frustrated about the lack of options to recycle the clothes outgrown or barely worn by her two boys, who attend Arlington Public Schools, within the community.
At the Clothesline (2704 N. Pershing Drive), parents and children can find high-quality clothing including brands like Ralph Lauren and Northface.
The clothes hang on the racks, sorted by item type, gender and age range. Moy and Sessions said they invested in racks and hangers to mimic a retail store and to save people from picking through bags of unsorted clothing — what Moy calls ” a big bin of ‘good luck.'”
Students living and attending school in Arlington from kindergarten to 12th grade are eligible if they either receive benefits from the free or reduced lunch program or have a referral from a school social worker, place of worship, the county’s Department of Human Services or a local social services organization. One out of three students in Arlington schools qualifies for the lunch program.
The Clothesline lets children acquire a new wardrobe twice a year. The switch to colder weather clothing happened in mid-October, so families picking out wardrobes now can come back in March, April and May for spring and summer attire.
The full package includes:
five tops, shirts or blouses
four pants, shorts or skirts
five pairs of new underwear
five pairs of new socks
Additionally, students can pick out one coat or jacket, a pair of shoes, formal wear and a dress, along with accessories as available. If they need more shirts than pants, they can swap within the allotted number.
“They have really fun clothes they get to choose from,” Moy said. “It’s really a thrill when a little girl comes in and she says, ‘Mom, can I have this dress?’ and the mom can say, ‘Yes, you can have that dress.’ Money is not a hindrance.”
Parents can call ahead if they need to pick out formal clothes or are looking for specific items in certain sizes.
“Parents don’t have the time to shop and go all over town, so this is a nice one-stop shopping for their kids,” Moy said, adding that she and the volunteers keep tabs on who needs what and will let families know when requested clothing becomes available.
All of the shopping happens by appointment only, which gives Sessions and Moy a chance to prepare inventory based off of children’s ages and sizes. The store is open on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Volunteers help inspect the clothing multiple times, Moy said. No ripped, stained, torn or overly worn clothes are allowed. Clothing that doesn’t make the cut gets donated to places like H&M and Goodwill.
Once approved, the clothes get washed and steamed before they go on the rack. “We don’t want them wearing something that looks weird or has a huge stain on it,” Sessions said. “We want to get them into clothes that look exactly like their peers and help them focus on their classwork.”
Sessions, who has a background in finance, takes care of the business side. Moy used her 15 years of clothing retail experience to create simple and inexpensive store decor, which features green painted walls based on the color scheme of their logo, which she said a friend designed.
“People like to shop here,” Sessions said. “The idea is not only to provide a place for kids to get clothing but also to provide a place that really values the families that are coming in by providing a really nice place for them to shop.”
The Clothesline accepts items year-round and stores off-season clothing in boxes for the next switch. People can drop off new and gently used clothing in the donation bins in the front of the store on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Moy and Sessions said the support from the Arlington community has been a “heartwarming experience” — from Girl Scout Troops and churches helping them collect clothes to the bevy of volunteers who have helped staff the program.
So far, they have relied on more than 200 volunteers since they started collecting clothing last year, with usually one to eight volunteers helping out on any given day, they said.
“Arlington is a very generous community, so we’ve been very fortunate,” Moy said.
Storefront window sign for “Kenny’s & BG hair salon”
Exterior of hair salon on corner of Wilson Blvd and N. Pollard Street
Decor remnants from Zapatat tattoo removal shop
Exterior of hair salon on corner of Wilson Blvd and N. Pollard Street
A new hair salon opened on Monday, Jan. 7, in Ballston.
Signs in the storefront’s windows indicating Kenny’s & BG Hair Salon was “coming soon” to 820 N. Pollard Street popped up in November. The “zap” sign from the tattoo removal shop Zapatat, which arrived in the space in 2011, was still in the store.
Chris Slavin, the owner of Zapatat, told ARLnow that the tattoo removal shop closed at that location about nine months ago and relocated to 2731 Washington Blvd.
The space on the corner of Wilson Blvd and N. Pollard Street is below condos and neighbors Willy’s Barber Shop.
The Lebanese fast-casual restaurant Badaro has closed down seven months after it opened in Ballston.
The restaurant, located at 933 N. Quincy Street, has signs on both of its doors. “We are sorry to inform you Badaro Restaurant has closed down. We thank you for being a part of our Badaro family — from your Badaro employees,” both of the signs read.
Readers first alerted ARLnow to the closure last week.
Badaro opened at the spot on March 23, replacing the a former NKD Pizza location. Prior to its opening, Badaro’s owner predicted he would be opening a second location in the summer of 2018 and then expanding beyond that.
Across the street, Sichuan Wok also appears to have shut down. Located at 901 N. Quincy Street, the Chinese restaurant has been closed during normal business hours since Nov. 1.
Comedians from hit TV shows and movies are coming to Arlington Cinema & Drafthouse (2903 Columbia Pike) over the next month.
Aasif Mandvi from The Daily Show is set to perform mid-December. He joins a lineup of comedians featuring Darrell Hammond, one of the longest running cast members on Saturday Night Live, and Bobby Lee from Chelsea Lately.
The Drafthouse schedule includes:
Natasha Leggero of Comedy Central and He’s Just Not That Into You (Nov. 16-17)
Alonzo Bodden of Last Comic Standing and Scary Movie 4 (Nov. 23-24)
Bobby Lee of Chelsea Lately and The Dictator (Nov. 29-Dec. 1)
Darrell Hammond of Saturday Night Live and Law & Order: SVU (Dec. 7-8)
Aasif Mandvi of The Daily Show and A Series of Unfortunate Events (Dec. 14-15)
In addition to the stellar comedy lineup, the Drafthouse is holding a holiday-themed cartoon viewing event for grown-ups. The “Spoons, Toons & Booze Christmas Special” will offer holiday-themed episodes of popular Saturday morning cartoon series along with boozy beverages and an all-you-can-eat cereal bar.
Audience members are encouraged to dress in their “ugliest holiday sweater or coziest PJs” for photos with Santa Claus. They also can compete in contests to choose what to watch from the selection of more than 100 cartoon series from the 1940s to early 2000s. The event is scheduled for noon Dec. 8-9. Tickets are $15.
For even more Christmas cheer, an all-day movie festival on Dec. 16 will show half of a dozen holiday favorites.
