Author: Matt Blitz

‘Arlington Reads’ library event series returns in person next month

By Matt Blitz
Poet Reginald Dwayne Betts, the first author in 2022’s “Arlington Reads” event series (courtesy of Arlington Public Library)

Arlington Public Library’s annual series “Arlington Reads” is back in person this year, with seven events scheduled throughout the year.

The series will feature conversations between library system director Diane Kresh and notable authors about their favorite classic novels, sharing insights on why their universal themes remain relevant today.

The first event is March 2 and will highlight local poet Reginald Dwayne Betts. He’s also the founder of the nonprofit Freedom Reads, which is a partner on the series.

“2022’s [Arlington Reads] ‘Rebooting the Classics’ focuses on the classic novel: how it is defined, who is its audience, how it influences the works of other authors, and, most importantly, how it affects the reader,” writes Kresh to ARLnow about this year’s theme.

Since its inception in 2006, Arlington Reads has featured conversations with more than 50 nationally known authors. The last two, in 2020 and 2021, have strictly been virtual. The virtual events included conversations with Colson Whitehead and Alexis Coe.

This year’s iteration will essentially be a hybrid, with limited in-person seats available in Central Library’s auditorium and the events also streamed online.

Seven talks are scheduled from March to October, including with fiction author Deesha Philyaw, New Yorker staff writer and book critic Parul Sehgal, and well-known writer of “Lincoln in the Bardo” George Saunders.

Kresh and the writers will discuss impactful classic novels, including “The Great Gatsby,” “The Scarlet Letter,” and “Huckleberry Finn.” The series is financed with help from the Friends of the Arlington Public Library.

The first event’s author, Betts, is from Maryland and wrote “Felon,” a book of poetry about the impact of incarceration on one’s life. In 1996, he was arrested for committing a carjacking outside of Springfield Mall in Fairfax County. After serving time, he’s since become an acclaimed author, poet and advocate.

He founded the nonprofit Freedom Reads, which provides books to those who are incarcerated. The organization is partnering with Arlington Public Library on this year’s version of “Arlington Reads.”

“Freedom Reads gives books to people serving time and through this access, the chance to ‘deepen and envision their lives in new ways,'” writes Kresh.

Arlington-based nonprofit Offender Aid and Restoration, which helps individuals return to the community after being incarcerated, is also a partner for the series of events.

Last month, Covid-related staffing shortages resulted in several library branches shuttering — but all regular operations and services resumed on Jan. 31.

Halls Hill mother and daughter write kids book on Langston Blvd and why names matter

By Matt Blitz
Cover of “From Lee Highway to Langston Boulevard” (photo courtesy of Nadia A. Conyers)

As a fifth generation Arlingtonian and longtime Halls Hill resident, Nadia A. Conyers was thrilled when Lee Highway was renamed Langston Blvd last summer.

Sharing that joy with her daughter Arrington, the 6-year-old was understandably curious. Together, they went looking on Amazon for a kid-friendly book that could help explain why this was a big deal and the accomplishments of the road’s namesake, John M. Langston.

But there was no such book.

“There was a void,” Nadia tells ARLnow. “So, we decided to fill it.”

Arrington’s voice pipes in, explaining what needs to be done when something you need isn’t available.

“You just gotta make it,” she cheerily says.

That’s the genesis of “From Lee Highway to Langston Boulevard,” the new book authored by the mother-daughter team.

The 26-page picture book aimed at young elementary school kids tells the story of John M. Langston, why the road is now named after him, and why that matters.

“It’s a very local book. For kids who live in Arlington, [the dialogue] will resonate with them because they’ll understand the places that are talked about in the book,” Nadia says. “It gives them a good context of how they are part of Black history and how Black history is right here in your neighborhood.”

Arrington and Nadia Conyers (photo courtesy of Nadia A. Conyers)

Halls Hill, where Nadia (and, now, Arrington) grew up, is a historically Black neighborhood in the northern section of the county. For a long time, it was one of the only places in Arlington where African Americans could buy homes, along with Green Valley in South Arlington. In the 1930s, a “segregation wall” was built to separate the Black neighborhood from the surrounding white neighborhoods. A portion of that wall still stands today.

And, for years, a road named after Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee cut through it.

“As you were walking or driving down Lee Highway, you would start thinking about who Robert E. Lee was and became perplexed about why the road here is named after him,” Nadia says, pausing for a moment. “Angry, even. There are a lot of emotions.”

With the murder of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter protests that were held across the country in the summer of 2020, it became clear to many that it was time for the road’s name to change.

The renaming effort was led by many Halls Hill residents, including by Nadia’s mother and Arrington’s grandmother Saundra Green. In December 2020, a working group proposed “Loving Avenue” as the new name with the state Senate passing a bill two months later to allow for the change. But the Lovings’ descendants nixed the idea and the group went with one of its alternatives: Langston Blvd.

John M. Langston was an attorney, abolitionist, and one of the most prominent African Americans during the Civil War period. Described once as “Obama before Obama,” Langston was the first Black man to represent Virginia in the U.S. House of Representatives.

“He was an activist. He was a teacher. He was a good person. He was Black,” Arrington says about Langston.

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Longtime Green Valley residents to speak about community’s history next week

By Matt Blitz
1/4

(Updated on 2/19/22) National Landing Business Improvement District (BID) is hosting a virtual conversation about Green Valley’s history on Feb. 24 in connection with Black History Month.

Entitled “Reclaiming the Lost Identity of Arlington County Through the Lens of Green Valley,” the event will “highlight stories of the original creators and innovators who helped build, shape and influence not only the Green Valley community, but also the greater Arlington community.”

Slated to speak are historian Dr. Lindsey Bestebreurtje from the Smithsonian, longtime resident as well as president of the Green Valley Civic Association Portia Clark, and Dr. Alfred Taylor Jr. who recently authored a book about the community’s history.

Bestebreurtje, a curator at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture, will focus on the development of African American communities in the county at large, while Clark and Taylor will share their personal experiences living in the community and observing firsthand the evolution of Green Valley.

Additionally, the first 100 people who register have the option of getting a free copy of Taylor’s book “Bridge Builders of Nauck/Green Valley.”

“As we celebrate Black History Month, I can think of no better way to commemorate the history of the Black community in Arlington County than by hearing firsthand from those who have spent their lives here,” Tracy Gabriel, President and Executive Director of National Landing BID, said in a press release. “I look forward to Dr. Bestebreurtje’s remarks and to learning from the insights and experiences of Ms. Clark and Dr. Taylor as we work to build a bright and inclusive future.”

Green Valley is one of the county’s oldest historically Black neighborhoods, dating back to 1844. Recently, the community has expressed concern about what some see as a rewriting of Green Valley history in the county’s public art master plan, as well as the lack of transparency in regards to slated changes for the historic Green Valley pharmacy.

There are a number of other events honoring Black History Month taking place in Arlington over the next several weeks. That includes a Sidney Poitier Film Festival at the Shirlington Branch Library, an Arlington Historical Society virtual exhibit exploring the African American experience and a virtual discussion about the legacy of Selena Norris Gray, who a Columbia Pike park was named after.

Most county operations to close on Monday for George Washington Day

By Matt Blitz
Arlington County government headquarters in Courthouse (file photo)

Many county services and operations will be shuttered on Monday (Feb. 21) for Presidents Day, which is officially called George Washington Day in Virginia.

County government, the courts and libraries are all closed on Monday. This also includes county vaccine clinics and COVID-19 testing sites. The test positivity rate in Arlington has dropped below 5% as demand for tests has slowed considerably since earlier this winter.

All community centers, including the Long Bridge Aquatics and Fitness Center, will also be closed on Monday.

Arlington Public Schools are not in session on the federal holiday, but trash and recycling collection will happen as scheduled on Monday.

Seven ART bus lines will continue to run, but on a Saturday schedule. The remainder of the ART bus lines will not operate on Monday.

Metro trains will operate on a Saturday schedule, meaning stations open at 5 a.m. and close at midnight with Blue, Orange, Yellow and Silver line trains running every 24 minutes. Metro buses will be on a Saturday supplement schedule with a few additional routes than a normal weekend.

All parking will be free at Metro-owned parking facilities. And for those free parking fans, all county parking meters will not be enforced in honor of America’s first president.

While in most other states the third Monday in February is known as “Presidents Day,” in Virginia, the official state holiday is called George Washington Day.

America’s first president’s birthday is actually Feb. 22 and that’s the day the federal government first designated as a national holiday starting in 1885. Nearly a century later, in 1971, the holiday was shifted to the third Monday in February to also celebrate the birthday of Abraham Lincoln, who was born Feb. 12. Hence, the rise of “Presidents Day.”

But here in Virginia, the federal holiday and free parking is specifically in honor of the Commonwealth’s native son, George Washington.

Running shoe shop in Pentagon City is at the starting line, looking to open next week

By Matt Blitz
1/2

Specialty athletic shoe store Road Runner Sports is sprinting towards opening next week in Pentagon City.

It will be the first Arlington location for the running shoe retailer, with its next closest store being in Falls Church. It’s filling the 4,500 square-foot space at 1101 S. Joyce Street once occupied by Unleashed. The Petco off-shoot closed more than a year ago.

This is the store’s 42nd U.S. brick and mortar location.

“We’ve enjoyed serving customers in our Falls Church location and know our opening in Arlington will provide us with the opportunity to help even more consumers achieve their running, walking and fitness goals,” the company’s director of customer acquisition Sean Peterson tells ARLnow.

As part of its planned opening on Friday, Feb. 25, the store is partnering with Project Sole, which will donate three dollars to the nonprofit Athletes Helping Athletes (AHA) for every used or unwanted shoe collected. AHA helps provide free adaptive bikes to children with permanent physical disabilities.

The store was first announced in October. Back in November, a spokesperson for Federal Realty Investment Trust, which owns Westpost, told ARLnow that Road Runner was on track for May or “possibly earlier.” It appears the shoe store will end up opening several months sooner than expected, a rarity as supply chain woes delay many retail and restaurant openings.

Westpost, formerly known as Pentagon Row, is in the midst of a bit of a transformation, with a number of new businesses, restaurants, and stores moving in.

This includes Nighthawk Pizza, a beer and pizza hall with a “90s vibe,” which is aiming for a late March opening. The Baltimore-based Banditos Bar & Kitchen, at last check, is hoping to open by April.

Korean fast casual restaurant SeoulSpice opening in Rosslyn next week with free food

By Matt Blitz
1/5

Korean fast casual eatery SeoulSpice is opening a new location in Rosslyn next week and offering free food for its first customers.

The spot at 1735 N. Lynn Street, on the ground floor of the International Place building, will be SeoulSpice’s sixth location and first in Virginia. It is set to open its doors on Wednesday, Feb. 23, and will be open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.

On opening day, each in-store customer can get a “complimentary entrée bowl” while supplies last. Customers must physically be in the restaurant to get the bowl.

The growing restaurant chain, which serves Korean comfort food including rice bowls and japchae noodle bowls, was founded by a world-class percussionist.

“Like all musicians, I’m a foodie,” owner Eric Shin tells ARLnow.

Shin became the principal percussionist with the National Symphony Orchestra about a decade ago. So, when friends came to visit, he would often play “tour guide” taking them to all the popular Korean restaurants in the area.

He soon realized there was a need in the D.C. area for fresh Korean flavors in a more simple, fast-casual format.

So, taking what he learned from his mom who opened a restaurant in Atlanta, he opened his own restaurant in 2016. SeoulSpice’s first location was in D.C. and has since expanded to Maryland.

Over the years, Shin says he’s learned a lot, particularly about how his careers intersect. He’s also a faculty member at the music school at the University of Maryland.

“Food, like music, is this pursuit of perfection,” he says. “There’s so many parallels in music and food, both being incredible ways to learn about culture.”

Food runs in Shin’s family. Many of the recipes come from family members, passed down over generations, with nearly all ingredients prepped and made in-house. The menu includes Korean-style burritos, bibimbap, japchae, bulgogi, kimchi, and sauces, which are all made from scratch.

In fact, Shin ran the entire menu by his grandmother, who approved it save for one item.

“[We] offer cilantro-lime ranch, which is one of my favorite sauces… I’m a ranch addict. But my grandma was so pissed off when we showed her this on the menu,” Shin laughs. “But the flavors really work. It took a lot of convincing… to win [her] over.”

SeoulSpice also ended up being gluten-free, not because Shin intended it to be but because he preferred the complexity of tamari as a soy sauce alternative, which is naturally free of gluten.

The lease was signed for the Rosslyn location prior to the pandemic, Shin says, so it has taken a while to open. Plus, it’s a bit of a challenging space, having operated as a dry cleaning business prior and being under a thousand square feet.

Shin is excited for the opening, though, since Arlington was the most requested location for a new restaurant.

“Practically every week, we got emails from someone in Northern Virginia saying, ‘please come out here!'” he says.

Shin believes that his work as a percussionist is in some ways his “secret sauce” for his success as a restaurateur.

“When you’re practicing in music,” Shin says. “You’re always finding interesting ways to do new things.”

JUST IN: Amazon Fresh grocery store opening in Crystal City, company confirms

By Matt Blitz
1/6

(Updated at 2:25 p.m.) The mystery on Crystal Drive is now solved. A new grocery store that’s been under construction in Crystal City is set to be an Amazon Fresh, a company spokesperson confirmed to ARLnow.

First announced in 2020 as a “specialty grocery store,” the large retail space at 1550 Crystal Drive has been somewhat-secretly transforming for more than a year into an Amazon-owned store. But the company has kept mum about its Amazon Fresh plans in Arlington until now.

“I can confirm Amazon will open an Amazon Fresh grocery store in Arlington, VA on Crystal Drive,” an Amazon spokesperson told ARLnow in a statement. “In addition to traditional checkouts, this store will also have Just Walk Out technology, which gives customers the option to skip the checkout line.”

The new store will also have anti-graffiti window film, according to building permits. The spokesperson could not provide an expected opening date.

Amazon and property owner JBG Smith previously declined to confirm or comment on what was coming to the retro-looking ground floor storefront along Crystal Drive despite obvious clues, like permits describing “a new retail shop providing packaged salads, sandwiches, entrees, soups & various beverages [and] self app check-out.”

Crystal City technically has been without a grocery store for more than 15 years, ever since Safeway closed in 2005. There are Harris Teeter stores in Pentagon City and Potomac Yard and an Amazon-owned Whole Foods in Pentagon City, next to the under-construction HQ2. And, less than two miles away, there will be another Amazon Fresh in Potomac Yard which was announced this past spring.

The company is quickly expanding its grocery footprint across the D.C. area, with stores in Franconia and Chevy Chase having both opened since July. There are also more on the way.

That could include another Arlington Amazon Fresh.

The approaching redevelopment of Fillmore Gardens Shopping Center on Columbia Pike into “The Elliott” will come with 50,000 square feet of ground floor retail, a revamped CVS, and a grocery store. There are rumors that this grocery store will also be an Amazon Fresh, but so far no confirmation.

“Amazon doesn’t comment on rumors or speculation,” the company spokesperson said.

The original Five Guys was located in a strip mall along Columbia Pike

By Matt Blitz
Jim Murrell, son of Jerry and one of the “five guys,” in front of the original Five Guys on Columbia Pike (photo courtesy of Five Guys Burgers & Fries)

Before Five Guys was a big burger chain, it was a small fry tucked away in a shopping center on Columbia Pike.

Today, Five Guys Burgers & Fries has more than 1,500 locations worldwide and grosses nearly a billion dollars in revenue. But 35 years ago, it was nothing more than a tiny beloved burger joint at the corner of S. Glebe Road and Columbia Pike in Westmont Shopping Center, a strip mall that’s now rubble and in the midst of redevelopment.

“It was the only place that would lease us space. Seriously, we were brand new, without any restaurant experience, selling burgers and fries,” Five Guys founder Jerry Murrell tells ARLnow via email. “They were willing to rent us space and it was also pretty inexpensive. We liked that it was tucked back and hard to get to. We knew that if we could survive and grow there, then we might really have something.”

It was 1986 and Murrell was struggling. Living in Alexandria at the time, he had tried — and failed — at several different business ventures. But, as he recollected to Guy Raz in a 2017 episode of “How I Built This,” there was one thing he knew how to do: Grill a hamburger.

So, he made the bold decision of using his children’s college funds (with their permission, of course) to open a burger and fry stand.

“Something was telling us it was the right thing to do,” he told Raz in 2017.

The banks wouldn’t lend Murrell the money, so he took the $35,000 cash meant for his kids’ education and rented the spot. He called the shop “Five Guys,” after his four sons and himself, with every intention of changing the name later. But Murrell never did.

Next door to Five Guys was what Murrell describes as “one of the best bakeries in Northern Virginia.”

“Janie [Murrell’s wife] and I had been going to Brenner’s Bakery for a long time,” Murrell says. “They baked what we considered to be the best bread, which was high quality and expensive.”

Brenner’s had been there since 1946 and was a beloved landmark itself. Despite paying about seven times more for a hamburger bun than McDonald’s, Murrell bought all of his buns from the Arlington baker. While Brenner’s Bakery went out of business in 2001, Murrell says that Five Guys still employs two of the shop’s bakers.

The fries were also what made Five Guys special. The trick, as Murrell described to Raz, was that they used the same small Idaho potato dealer that was used for the famous beach fries at Thrasher’s in Ocean City, Maryland.

When the doors opened that first morning in 1986, Five Guys had no customers.

“We opened at 11 a.m. and no one came in until 11:30 — that was a stressful half hour,” Murrell says. “However, once the first person came in, then everyone seemed to follow.”

By the end of that first day, there was a line out the door — though, that may have had more to do with how small the restaurant was.

Westmont Shopping Center was a perfect spot for Five Guys to grow: out of the way, next to a baker, and very well supported in Arlington. Murrell says that local press coverage was always positive and generous, to the point that he felt like everyone was “really rooting for us.” One local publication even called the burger joint “downright primitive.”

“We thought that was the best,” writes Murrell. “It made us feel like people understood us.”

Murrell and his other four guys — which, now, includes a fifth son and his wife, Janie — continued to grill up burgers on the Pike until 1998, when the original shop closed. But, by then, Five Guys had expanded to several other locations in the D.C. area.

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Mason’s Famous Lobster Rolls in Shirlington hoping to open by early fall

By Matt Blitz
1/3

(Updated, 11:20 am) It’s still likely going to be at least six more months before diners can get some fresh catch in Shirlington.

Annapolis-based Mason’s Famous Lobster Rolls is readying itself for a potential late summer or early fall opening at 4017 Campbell Avenue in the Village at Shirlington, a company spokesperson told ARLnow.

Mason’s is moving into the 1,334-square-foot space formerly occupied by Nirvana Reflexology Spa, which closed late last year.

With construction plans all but finalized, the spokesperson said, the restaurant is now applying for county permits. Records show the restaurant started applying for permits in November.

Mason’s first announced its Arlington arrival in December, its first such location in the county and third in Virginia. The other Northern Virginia location is at Reston Town Center, which opened in 2018. There are also three locations in D.C., in Dupont Circle, Georgetown and Foggy Bottom.

The company has scouted Arlington for a long time, the spokesperson said, particularly Shirlington due to its “town center atmosphere” and abundance of foot traffic. Shirlington has continued to be a hot spot for new businesses with a number of openings announced in recent months, including Astro Beer Hall and CHIKO. Also nearby, The Cookery announced it was closing after the owner choose not to renew the store’s lease.

Opening its Arlington restaurant is part of the lobster roll eatery’s continued expansion, with a number of locations opening recently across the country. With Reston and, soon, Arlington, though, there are no current plans to open more locations in Northern Virginia, we’re told

The menu at Mason’s Famous Lobster Rolls consists of, yes, lobster rolls, but also a number of variations of the red crustacean, including lobster bisque, lobster grilled cheese, lobster mac and cheese and lobster salad. There’s also shrimp salad, clam chowder and hot dogs (for the kids).

New historic marker at Bluemont Junction Park speaks to impact of Jim Crow laws

By Matt Blitz
1/2

A new interpretive sign is being installed near Bluemont Junction Park to explain how Jim Crow laws impacted passengers riding the Washington & Old Dominion (W&OD) train line.

The sign is being installed by NOVA Parks and will be outside of the retired train caboose along what is now the W&OD trail. The historic marker is a few minutes walk from Bluemont Junction Park’s parking lot at 601 N. Manchester Street.

First in operation in 1859, the W&OD was one of the most popular train lines in the region. It began in Alexandria, cut through Arlington, and terminated in what is today Loudoun County. The railroad closed in 1968, but not before helping to establish a number of Northern Virginia suburbs.

Like other forms of public transportation at the time, the trains were required by Virginia state law to be segregated. A number of these discriminatory laws in the Commonwealth were technically still on the books until early 2020.

As the new sign details, Black passengers (as well as Native Americans) were often forced to sit in the back of the train and curtains were sometimes installed to further separate passengers of different races. Passengers who didn’t adhere to this law were fined and arrested, much like Barbara Pope, who was arrested in Falls Church in 1906 for not sitting in a certain section.

“Knowing our past is important to understanding the present. Injustice and inequity were built into the law and part of everyday life not that long ago,” said Julius D. Spain, NAACP Arlington Branch President, in a press release. “The Arlington Chapter of the NAACP is pleased to partner with NOVA Parks to tell the story of how segregation was part of the rail service that is now the most popular trail in Virginia.”

While a temporary sign was first placed last week, a permanent marker is being installed this week, a NOVA Parks spokesperson tells ARLnow.

A formal unveiling is happening at 10 a.m. this Saturday (Feb. 19). Spain, NOVA Parks leaders, as well as some Arlington County Board members are expected to be in attendance.

“Efforts that educate about the impact of segregationist Jim Crow laws in our community are essential: They remind us of our responsibility to ensure that our parks, transit and other services are inclusive and equitable for the present, and for generations to come,” said County Board Chair Katie Cristol. “I’m honored to join NOVA Parks in recognizing the history of the W&OD railroad and renewing the commitment to make the W&OD trail a welcoming space for everyone.”

Similar signs are being placed along the W&OD trail in Fairfax and Loudoun Counties. Each sign cost about $1,165 to make and install.

After operating as a railroad for nearly a century, the W&OD was converted into a park and trail starting in 1974. Completed in 1988, the trail stretches about 45 miles from Shirlington to Purcellville.

Today, the W&OD is a popular thoroughfare for walkers, joggers, and bikers so much so that separate paths were created for cyclists and pedestrians in Falls Church. There’s talk of that happening for the trail’s Arlington section as well.

Asian street food eatery Hawkers looking to open in Ballston this summer

By Matt Blitz
1/2

Hawkers, a growing Asian street food restaurant chain, is looking to start serving in Ballston this summer.

First announced in July 2020, Hawkers had hoped to open its first Arlington location by the spring of 2021. But equipment and supply chain challenges delayed that goal by nearly an entire year, a Hawkers spokesperson tells ARLnow. The eatery is now targeting a June 2022 opening.

The restaurant, which applied for a Virginia ABC permit earlier this month, is located at 4201 Wilson Blvd — on the ground floor of the Ballston Exchange office complex, across from Philz and next to the new El Rey taqueria, which just started slinging tacos in December.

There will also be a walk-up takeout window, a first for Hawkers.

“We think it will be a fun and engaging option that caters to the heavy foot traffic within the Ballston neighborhood,” said the spokesperson.

Orlando-based Hawkers has nearly a dozen open locations, a majority of which are concentrated in Florida. There are also locations in North Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Texas, and — nearby — in Bethesda. That location opened in late 2020, marking the first in the D.C. region.

The menu highlights Asian street food, including dim sum, baos, pad Thai, noodle dishes, fried rice, and crispy pork belly.

Hawkers in Ballston is also currently hiring, particularly for management positions.

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