Author: Kalina Newman

We, The Pizza To Open in Ballston By The End of October

By Kalina Newman
1/3

We, The Pizza’s second Arlington location is set to open in Ballston Exchange by the end of the month, after some delay.

Original signs up at 4201 Wilson Blvd first indicated the pizza chain would be open by fall 2018. That later turned into an expected September opening this year.

The restaurant is now expected to open at some point “by the end of October,” according to Micheline Mendelsohn, Deputy CEO for We, The Pizza’s parent company, Sunnyside Restaurant.

A media preview has been organized for Oct. 21 and 22, and “Now Hiring” signs have been posted to the window. Inside, the restaurant appears to be mostly built out.

We, The Pizza is located on the west side of Ballston Exchange alongside a new CorePower Yoga and the existing Dunkin’ Donuts.

Arlington Agenda: October 14-21

By Kalina Newman

Arlington Agenda is a listing of interesting events for the week ahead in Arlington County. If you’d like to see your event featured, fill out the event submission form.

Also, be sure to check out our event calendar.

Monday, October 14

Columbus Day Boat Race 
Potomac Overlook Regional Park (2845 N. Marcey Road)
Time: 12-2 p.m. 

Create your very own sailboat with cardboard materials, then hike down to a stream for a friendly sailboat race. Appropriate for all children four years and older, with children under eight requiring adult supervision. $15.

Professional Emailing Etiquette
Columbia Pike Branch Library (816 S. Walter Reed Drive)
Time: 7-8 p.m. 

Learn how to properly compose emails to colleagues, supervisors, clients, and the public at this workshop, which will examine how to craft an email pitch, politely make commands, among other tips. RSVP for an event reminder. Free.

Tuesday, October 15

Arlington Community Foundation Spirit of Community Luncheon*
Renaissance Capital View Hotel (2800 S. Potomac Ave.)
Time: 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m.

Join the Arlington Community Foundation’s annual “Spirit of Community Luncheon” to honor the Spirit of Community Award recipient, Dr. Alfred Taylor, Jr. Honorary co-chairs Kristian and Chuck Todd will be present.

First Time Home Buyer Seminar*
Keri Shull Team (1600 Wilson Blvd)
Time: 6-7:30 p.m. 

Learn about the possible mistakes that come with the first time you purchase a home at this seminar. Topics covered include how to avoid double-paying a rent and mortgage, and how to properly calculate a budget.

Wednesday, October 16

Wakefield HS Fall Chorus Concert
Wakefield High School Auditorium (1325 S. Dinwiddie Street)
Time: 7-8 p.m.

Enjoy this free concert performed by students in the Wakefield High School chorus. Songs to be performed include Bridge Over Troubled Water and Keep Holding On. There will be a cash-only concession stand and donations accepted for the chorus.

Candidate Forum
St. Agnes Parish Hall (1910 N. Randolph St.)
Time: 7-9 p.m.

Join local Arlington government candidates Rip Sullivan, Audrey Clement, Katie Cristol, Christian Dorsey, Arron O’Dell, and Reid Goldstein at this public forum, hosted by local civic groups such as the Cherrydale Citizens Association.

Thursday, October 17

Virginia Tech Executive MBA Online Info Session*
Virginia Tech Research Center (900 N. Glebe Road)
Time: 12-1 p.m.

Find out more about Virginia Tech’s Ballston-based Executive MBA program at this information session with conversation around the program curriculum, tuition, financial aid, application information, and more. Free with RSVP.

Smithsonian Habitat Program
Little Falls Presbyterian Friendship Hall (6025 Little Falls Road)
Time: 11 a.m.-12 p.m.

Barbara Faust, director of the Smithsonian Gardens, will introduce the gardens’ first-ever exhibition “Habitat.” The exhibition uses a single theme to tie together all fourteen exhibits across the Smithsonian’s exterior and interior garden spaces. Free with a $5 optional lunch.

Book Talk: Author of ‘Barack and Joe’
One More Page Books (2200 N. Westmoreland Street)
Time: 7-8 p.m.

Join One More Page in welcoming Steven Levingston, the non-fiction editor of the Washington Post, as he shares his vivid and inspiring account of the “bromance” between Barack Obama and Joe Biden.

MONA Preschool Fair
Williamsburg Middle School Cafeteria (3600 N. Harrison Street)
Time: 7-9 p.m.

Come meet representatives from close to 50 local preschools all under one roof at the annual Mothers of Northern Arlington preschool fair. The event is free with free onsite babysitting, with advanced registration recommended.

Friday, October 18

Fridays at the Fountain 
Crystal City Water Park (1601 Crystal Drive)
Time: 5-9 p.m. 

Enjoy the fall weather at Crystal City’s seasonal pop-up beer garden at the Crystal City Water Park. A rotating list of vendors will provide food and non-alcoholic beverages, while live music will be performed from local bands and musicians.

Saturday, October 19

National Chamber Ensemble — Mozart Celebration*
Gunston Arts Center (2700 S. Lang Street) 
Time: 7:30-9:30 p.m.

Check out the National Chamber Ensemble’s opening act for the 2019-20 season with this performance of orchestral works from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, “re-imagined” for a more intimate chamber ensemble. Pieces include Piano Concerto No. 23 and Symphony No. 4 in G Minor.

Copperwood Tavern’s ‘Shucktoberfest’
Village at Shirlington (2700 S. Quincy Street) 
Time: 11 a.m.-5 p.m.

Beer and oyster lovers, rejoice! This Oktoberfest festival will feature over forty craft brews and four different oyster vendors. Tickets begin at $35 and come with a take-home souvenir mug. Family and dog-friendly.

Pumpkin Carving at Potomac Overlook Regional Park 
Potomac Overlook Regional Park (2845 N. Marcey Road)
Time: 12-2 p.m. 

For $12 per person, get into the Halloween spirit and carve or paint your own pumpkin at the Potomac Overlook nature center. The park will provide the tools necessary, and the event is open to everyone ages four and up.

Fall Family Celebration
Columbia Gardens Cemetery (3411 Arlington Blvd)
Time: 12-3 p.m. 

Celebrate the season and explore the grounds of the Columbia Gardens. Activities include beehive visits, pumpkin carving, and a talk with rose expert Pam Powers. Refreshments will be provided, and RSVP is recommended.

Sunday, October 20

Kinhaven 5K and Family Fest*
Bluemont Park, South Shelter (601 N. Manchester Street) 
Time: 9-11 a.m.

Join the tenth annual Kinhaven 5K and Family Fest to promote childhood health and fitness. Events include a 5K run, a 1K run, and a toddler dash. There will be a “fan zone” with a dance party, moonbounce, face painting, and refreshments.

*Denotes sponsored (featured) event

Copperwood Tavern’s ‘Shucktoberfest’ Returns to Shirlington Next Week

By Kalina Newman

Following a successful debut last year, an oyster-focused Oktoberfest celebration is returning to Shirlington next week.

“Shucktoberfest” will be hosted in and around Copperwood Tavern (4021 Campbell Avenue) on Saturday, October 19 from 11 a.m-5 p.m.

Co-sponsored by the Northern Neck’s Waverly Point Oyster Company, attendees can expect over forty craft beers and four oyster vendors. Local breweries expected to attend include Lost Boy Cider and Fair Winds Brewery.

“Last year we underestimated how serious the oyster enthusiasm was going to be, we couldn’t shuck them fast enough,” said a spokeswoman for the event. “So we’ve doubled the number of oysters we’re ordering to 20 to 25 thousand.”

A $35 ticket includes a 5 oz beer tasting mug and 10 tickets. One ticket is redeemable for either one beer sample or two oysters.

In addition to plenty of shellfish, at least twenty merchant and food tents expected as part of the festival.

The event is also dog-friendly and open to families, with a “massive kids zone” planned with face painting and a DJ. Outdoor games include corn hole and Connect Four.

Tickets are available for the event on its website.

Women’s Clothing Boutique Malena Moves From Rosslyn To Courthouse

By Kalina Newman
1/4

The women’s clothing boutique Malena has reopened in Courthouse (2111 Wilson Blvd) after a 40-year run on the second level of the Rosslyn Metro Mall.

Malena shuttered its Rosslyn location in mid-August. Store employee Laura Nickle cited the move as a result of the $35 million redevelopment project at the Rosslyn Metro Center building.

The boutique specializes in women’s clothing, featuring smaller designers such as Parsley and Sage and Clara Sun Woo.

This past Tuesday, October 8, the boutique opened its doors and celebrated its relocation with a grand opening party.

“All of our old customers are overjoyed that we didn’t move far,” said Nickle. “But we’re hoping the move to Courthouse brings in more foot traffic and people from the immediate area.”

The new Malena has kept the same ownership under longtime Washington resident Mercedes Cecchi. Cecchi’s husband, Guiseppe Cecchi, was one of the original developers of the Watergate complex.

Cowboy Cafe: Three Decades of Arlington’s Dive Bar

By Kalina Newman
1/5

(Updated at 6:35 p.m.) When Cowboy Cafe’s beloved regular Jerome Williams passed away earlier this year, he didn’t have any immediate family to mourn him — but he had his friends at “the Cowboy,” and the bar’s memorial service was packed out the door.

“Working at the Cowboy, the customers aren’t just customers,” said current general manager Amanda Wellborn. “They’re family, and I mean it. I’ve never experienced anything else like it.”

There aren’t many dive bars left in Arlington — Cowboy Cafe (4792 Lee Highway) and the Forest Inn in Westover are two notable exceptions. As time goes on there’s concern for what’s left: Cowboy Cafe, for instance, once made a Preservation Arlington “endangered places” list.

But the current owners are confident it’s not going anywhere, and actively want its customers to call it a dive. (Nearby, the shuttered greasy spoon Linda’s Cafe is still waiting to reopen as a new Bob and Edith’s Diner.)

“Yeah, we’ve made improvements, but we make an effort to not change a lot and keep it the way it is,” said owner Mike Barnes, who bought the place in 2011 with his brother James and two of their friends from Yorktown High School. They also own several Lost Dog Café franchises together.

Before the bar was founded, it was a smokey, old-school American restaurant called Clam House, built in 1948.

In 1991, Cowboy Cafe founder Charlie Campbell took over Clam House and transformed it into the rough-and-out, Southwestern biker bar. Mementos from the mid-90s still remain, such as a Native American statue and a wall lined with various license plates — plus the much-adored, half-priced burger specials.

Then in 2007, it was purchased by Zac and Matt Culbertson, who also work with the Lost Dog franchise.

“When I heard the Culbertsons were thinking about selling [in 2011], I immediately offered,” said Barnes.

Barnes and his team got right to work on giving the place some much needed TLC, including remodeling the “scary” bathroom, installing a 14-tap beer system, and promoting its family-friendly brunch.

But aside from those improvements, they’ve kept it largely the same — including keeping the mural on the back wall that depicts Campbell, the Culbertsons, and Williams, a testament to its rich history and the customers who’ve kept it going.

Regulars say it’s still the Cowboy Cafe they know and love, complete with quirks and a convivial sense of community.

“I love the nachos, the authenticity, the wait staff that gets to know you, and the fact that almost nothing inside has changed in 20 years,” said Jeremy Flantzer, a long-time Arlington resident and effusive Cowboy Cafe fan.

Like many others who frequent the restaurant, he has a particular Cowboy Cafe story that helps cement its local legend.

“I once saw someone eat The Barnyard” — a $15 burger consisting of two half-pound beef patties, barbeque pork, two slices of cheddar, a fried egg and bacon — “after a full order of wings,” he said, still in amazement.

“It’s my ‘Cheers’ bar,” said another longtime regular, who asked ARLnow not to include her name. “I’ve seen it all here — once a man came in without wearing pants. And it’s no secret that the parking is tight, everyone’s [had a fender-bender] at least once.”

But, she continued, when it happened to her, there was a note on the windshield and everything was taken care of.

“People who go to the Cowboy — they care — they know to leave a note,” she said. “Not quite sure if I could say that about everyone else in Arlington.”

Rosslyn Food Hall Frenzy: Three To Open in A Two-Block Radius

By Kalina Newman

By the summer of 2020, a two-block radius in Rosslyn will be home to three food halls: Common Ground, Happy Endings Eatery, and an unnamed concept at the soon-to-be redeveloped Rosslyn City Center.

Common Ground and Happy Endings will both be a part of the Central Place complex at 1800 N. Lynn Street. Common Ground will be on the second floor of the residential building, while Happy Endings will be on a lower level near Nando’s and Bethesda Bagels. Happy Endings is hoping to open in late November, Eater reported this week.

A short walk away will be the third food hall at 1700 N. Moore Street.

It’s often said three makes a trend, and it’s no secret that greater D.C. has been flooded in recent years with food halls — a term which essentially refers to an upgraded food court primarily featuring local chefs and vendors. Arlington’s first food hall, Ballston Quarter, opened earlier this year and continues to add vendors.

Common Ground

Social Restaurant Group, the company behind Common Ground, is pushing back the food hall’s opening date for the third time to the spring or summer of 2020.

Originally, SRG co-founder Mike Bramson said he hoped it would open by the end of 2018, then told ARLnow they were pushing it to the “end of spring 2019.” Now, we’re told, construction will “officially break ground this fall.”

According to Bramson, Common Ground will feature ten food vendors and have one full-service bar. He confirmed “celebrity chef involvement,” and said that Rebel Taco, a taco food truck routinely at Clarendon’s The Lot beer garden, will be one of the ten vendors.

It will be located on the building’s second floor, “above the McDonald’s overlooking the plaza.”

Happy Endings Eatery

The two-level, 5,000 square-foot food hall with the double-entendre name is expected to open by the end of November, Eater reported.

Happy Endings Eatery is a project of Happy Endings Hospitality, the team behind Chasin’ Tails in East Falls Church and Lei’d Hawaiian Poke in Tysons Corner.

According to Eater, the entirety of Happy Endings Eatery will focus on Vietnamese food, with food stalls sporting names like Roll Play and Pho Play. Also offered: bubble tea, Vietnamese coffee, banh mi sandwiches, vermicelli bowls and more.

Rosslyn City Center food hall

A PR rep for Rosslyn City Center’s developer said there were no updates on the new food hall, which is still on track to open in the summer of 2020.

Oz Rey, an Austin, Texas-based “culinary experience company” is the team behind the incoming food hall, which is part of the $35 million renovation of the building above the Rosslyn Metro station.

While the food hall remains unnamed, it will feature twelve “artisanal food stalls and two lounges that extend onto an outdoor terrace overlooking the streetscape,” per a press release.

Once completed, the building will be renamed Rosslyn City Center, and will also include a 30,000 square foot Gold’s Gym.

Photo courtesy of American Real Estate Partners, Google Maps 

Poké It Up Opening Soon in Ballston

By Kalina Newman
1/3

Poké it Up’s second Arlington location is set to open soon in Ballston.

The poke restaurant is opening at 4401 Fairfax Drive, occupying the ground floor of an office building currently undergoing a revamp. The restaurant will seat up to 38 guests, per a zoning permit filed earlier this week.

Poké it Up established itself as Arlington’s first dedicated poke eatery at the beginning of last year, when it opened it up in the food court of the Fashion Centre at Pentagon City mall. It features a variety of seafood, vegetables, rice, and sauces, ordered Chipotle-style at a counter.

Another new neighbor has popped up next door — Zoup! Eatery is all but ready to go, with an Oct. 21 opening date, according to franchise owner Jim Beverly.

“The guy behind Poké it Up said he would be opening at the same time as me,” Beverly said. “It’s kind of a friendly competition between the two of us. I think he’d like to beat me to opening.”

There’s still no word on an opening date for Zoup’s neighbor — Poké it Up did not respond to several requests for comment at the time of publication.

A Pet Costume Contest Is Coming To Pentagon City This Month

By Kalina Newman
1/3

Halloween is still three weeks away, but it’s never too early to plan your costume — or one for your pet.

Local pet service company Puppy Luv has partnered with the Crystal City Business Improvement District for its first “Howl-O-Ween” pet costume party on Saturday, October 26.

Dubbed “National Landing’s First Pet Costume Party,” the event will be held on The Grounds in Pentagon City (1102 S. Eads Street).

Pet registration begins at 1 p.m., and the contest will run from 2-3 p.m. with prizes awarded to the best costumes. In addition, there will be food trucks, an agility course, and a live DJ.

The event builds off of Puppy Luv’s recent partnership with property owner JBG Smith, which is developing the new Amazon headquarters nearby. Puppy Luv offers offer exclusive services, lobby treats, and “pet of the month slideshows” in nine JGB Smith buildings in Arlington, with plans to expand into all of its county properties by the end of 2020, according to a Puppy Luv spokesperson.

Another Halloween-themed pet event is happening tomorrow — Thursday, Oct. 10 — in Arlington.

The Animal Welfare League of Arlington is hosting “Pups, Purrs, and Pumpkins” at its Shirlington offices (2650 S. Arlington Mill Drive) from noon to 7 p.m. During that time, all animals six months or older have a “pick your own” adoption fee. Pumpkin treats will also be available, provided by Trader Joe’s.

Photos courtesy Puppy Luv

Marymount President Wants to Double School’s Size, Establish Itself As “Arlington’s University”

By Kalina Newman
1/4

(Updated at 4:15 p.m.) Marymount University President Irma Becerra isn’t slowing down.

With the 2019-20 school year underway and 455 students moved into the new upscale apartments at the newly-acquired “Rixey” building in Ballston, part of a $250 million investment in Marymount’s expanded Ballston presence, Becerra is continuing to push her Strategic Plan to double the Catholic university’s in size by 2024.

Becerra and Marymount are in the beginning planning phases of a project to repurpose buildings on the main campus to add capacity for an additional 3,000 students. She is also working on a capital investment plan to increase the university’s endowment nearly sixfold — from $43 million to $250 million.

Eventually, Becerra said, Marymount will have to build additional buildings for student housing if the university wants to reach its eventual goal of 10,000 enrolled students. As of last fall, there were 3,418 students in both graduate and undergraduate programs.

“Some of the growth will be fully online, and others will be through hybrid programs that will require less physical time on campus,” Becerra said. “We don’t anticipate an issue, but more buildings will probably come in the latter part of the next five years.”

As for the cost that comes with doubling a university size, Becerra said funding “would come through a combination of initiatives from corporations and private foundations and the launch of a new capital campaign and government funding.”

Within the next few years, she hopes the school will establish itself as a top producer of highly-competitive talent for all Arlington businesses, from Amazon to local startups.

With Amazon’s HQ2 being staffed up, there is a particular focus on technology at Marymount. Earlier this year Marymount recently hired tech-oriented entrepreneur Jonathan Aberman as interim dean of its business school. And a new artificial intelligence curriculum is being incorporated into every major “from arts to biology.”

Marymount will have competition in that regard: George Mason University and Virginia Tech also working on major local expansion plans with a tech focus.

In addition to doubling the university’s size, Becerra is seeking to raise its national profile. That effort is bearing some fruit, particularly with Marymount jumping more than 20 spots in its U.S. News and World Report rankings. At the same time, she wants to maintain the school’s local feel and connection.

“We’re Arlington’s only headquartered university, and we’d like to think of ourselves as ‘Arlington’s University,'” Becerra said. “There’s a significance to be headquartered here, and between [being] instrumental  to changing the Ballston experience, we have a number of proposals of how we’re going to work with local employers in the area and how we can help support the workforce needs in the community.”

A Sign of the Times: Ballston BID Unveils New Branding

By Kalina Newman
1/7

The Ballston Business Improvement District (BID) has rebranded to reflect the changes in the rapidly changing neighborhood.

Signs with the new black, white and orange logo — which includes a lowercase “B” in a map-pin shape — have been popping up around the neighborhood — along Fairfax Drive, Glebe Road and near the Ballston Metro station. More signs will be installed this week, a BID spokeswoman said.

The BID unveiled its new look during last week’s “Ballston Street Bash and Mega Market” festival. In some of its new marketing materials, the new BID logo is followed by its new slogan, “Life is Full.”

“‘Life is Full’ was strategically created to reflect the premier neighborhood’s significant growth as a true hub of the best of what the region has to offer for businesses and residents alike,” said the spokeswoman.

Over the last 18 months, the neighborhood has seen the opening of the renovated Ballston Quarter and Ballston Exchange retail centers, along with numerous new restaurants and other new businesses. New nightlife spots like Bronson and the future Quincy Hall, meanwhile, are helping to turn Ballston from a place where people mostly just live and work to a going-out destination, as well, local leaders say.

“With all the new developments and the completion of Ballston Quarter and Ballston Exchange, Ballston is now a 18-hour neighborhood,” said Ballston BID CEO Tina Leone.

According to the BID, there are currently 60 restaurants and 15 fitness studios in Ballston, and 2,400 new apartments under development.

“Since we launched [the BID] seven years ago, we have been a rapidly developing neighborhood in one of the most thriving, sought-after cities in the U.S.,” said Leone. “It is time for our brand to reflect all that Ballston has to offer and to communicate that ‘life is full’ right here.”

In addition to the new signs, the BID’s new branding is now adorning the rear ad panels of Metrobuses that service the neighborhood.

The BID operates as a nonprofit, funded from a commercial property tax surcharge, serving Ballston businesses and residents via everything from community events to park maintenance. Upcoming projects proposed in the BID’s $1.5 million Fiscal Year 2020 budget include:

  • Establishing a digital business resource center in coordination with Arlington County and Arlington Economic Development.
  • Exploring collaboration opportunities between Ballston Quarter and the Washington Capitals.
  • Coordinating a Ballston holiday market.
  • Developing a landscaping and signage proposal for the Route 66 gateway on Fairfax Drive.

This Clarendon Startup Wants You To Use 3-Factor Password Authentication

By Kalina Newman

Editor’s Note: Sponsored by Monday Properties and written by ARLnow.com, Startup Monday is a weekly column that profiles Arlington-based startups and their founders, plus other local technology happenings. The Ground Floor, Monday’s office space for young companies in Rosslyn, is now open. The Metro-accessible space features a 5,000-square-foot common area that includes a kitchen, lounge area, collaborative meeting spaces, and a stage for formal presentations.

Most people use facial recognition technology, a fingerprint reader, or a four-digit password to unlock their phones. Some go even further with two-step authentication. And as we continue to integrate crucial information into our phones such as account passwords and bank cards, SensiPass CEO Mike Hill realized people should use a three-step verification password for maximum security — and his startup was born.

SensiPass works as an interactive password that utilizes user-specific biometric imagery for maximum protection.

In order to unlock a phone, SensiPass scans a QR code or a number pattern, analyzes a unique physical object (i.e. a face), and finally, the user draws a distinct pattern over the object to create their 3-factor “digital signature.”

A demonstration can be seen in the video below.

It sounds complicated, but Hill told ARLnow that it takes up to six seconds, maximum, and provides top-notch security.

“It’s virtually impossible to fake or share with others, and this is for everyday people,” Hill said. “With Snapchat, you draw on your selfie as a means of social expression. On SensiPass, you would use your face as a three-factor authentication.”

“When we first started on the product, we realized the consumer wouldn’t be ready for it because it was just so different from the password they were used to,” Hill said. “But it’s far more secure than anything out there.”

Once finalized, the patented product is expected to be be available for both iPhone and Android users.

In 2014, after failing to secure initial funding in the states, SensiPass headquartered itself in Ireland. Recently, the team opened a subsidiary office in Clarendon in order to be closer to partners working in cybersecurity and counterterrorism.

Here in Arlington, Hill said they’re looking to work with more investors in the area before launching the official product.

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