Around Town

ARLnow Daily Debrief for Nov 20, 2023

By ARLnow.com

Good Monday evening, Arlington. Let’s take a look back at today’s stories and a look forward to tomorrow’s event calendar.

🕗 News recap

The following articles were published earlier today — Nov 20, 2023.

📅 Upcoming events

Here is what’s going on Tuesday in Arlington, from our event calendar.

  • No events today. Have one to promote? Submit it to the calendar.

🌧️ Tuesday’s forecast

Expect rain to begin after 9 am, with a high near 53 and breezy east winds at 9-14 mph, increasing to 15-20 mph in the afternoon with gusts up to 32 mph. The chance of precipitation is 100%, and we may see between a half and three-quarters of an inch of rainfall. Tuesday night, the rain will mainly occur before 1 am and could be heavy at times, with a low around 47. Southeast winds at 15-20 mph will shift to the west at 7-12 mph after midnight, with potential gusts up to 31 mph. The chance of precipitation remains 100%, and we may see an additional 1-2 inches of rain. See more from Weather.gov.

💡 Quote of the Day

“Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.”
– Albert Schweitzer

🌅 Tonight’s sunset

Thanks for reading! Feel free to discuss the day’s happenings in the comments.

Shirlington kicks off holiday season with tree lighting event next week

By James Jarvis

Shirlington will once again be illuminated for the holidays, starting next week.

The Village at Shirlington is set to host its annual “Light Up the Village” event on Thursday, Nov. 30, from 6-8:30 p.m.

The 20+ year annual yuletide celebration offers a variety of family-friendly activities, including horse-drawn carriage rides, face painting, balloon twisting, photo opportunities with Santa, a tree-lighting ceremony and musical performances by Signature Theatre and Bishop O’Connell High School.

Attendees can also enter a raffle to win a $150 gift card, usable at any business in Shirlington Village.

The event lineup up:

  • 6 p.m. — Holiday musical performance by Signature Theatre
  • 6:30 p.m. — Tree lighting celebration
  • 6:40 p.m. — Horse and carriage rides
  • 6:45 p.m. — Photos with Santa 

The event is free to attend, but guests are encouraged to donate non-perishable food items to the Arlington Food Assistance Center (AFAC).

The neighborhood’s “sip and stroll” feature, introduced in 2020, allows attendees to wander the Village grounds with alcoholic beverages.

Santa photos begin right after the tree lighting in front of Hardwood Artisans on Campbell Avenue, wrapping up at 8:30 p.m.

Adoptable Pet of the Week: Neville

By ARLnow.com

Searching for a unique and smart companion? Meet Neville, the newest Adoptable Pet of the Week!

Neville is currently up for adoption through the Animal Welfare League of Arlington.

His friends had this to say:

Neville is looking for home!

Yes, Neville is a pigeon. No, Neville is not a wild pigeon. Yes, Neville would make a great pet and companion!

Domestic pigeons can make wonderful pets — they are smart, social, and become very close with their people.

They tend to be very calm and easy-going, and can be comfortable around other pets (as long as they are kept safe and supervised).

Want your pet to be considered for the Arlington Pet of the Week? Email [email protected] with 2-3 paragraphs about your pet and at least 3-4 horizontally-oriented photos.

 

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Ballston Quarter to host charitable vending machines this holiday season

By James Jarvis
Giving Machines in Kensington, Maryland (courtesy of Daniel Laender)

Ballston Quarter is introducing some new vending machines with a benevolent twist.

From the Friday after Thanksgiving, Nov. 24 through New Year’s Day, visitors to the mall at 4238 Wilson Blvd can find what are called “#LighttheWorld Giving Machines,” near the Macy’s.

Unlike typical vending machines, these are designed to dispense aid to charity.

Customers select a charity, add the donation to a virtual cart, and then complete the transaction using a debit or credit card. In lieu of snacks or drinks, a card symbolizing the donation falls into a collection bin.

Launched in 2017 by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Giving Machines “have raised more than $22 million in donations for local and global charities,” according to a press release.

This year, patrons can choose to donate to one of several local or global charities, including American Red Cross, CARE, EcoAction Arlington, Volunteers of America, Willing Warriors and the Young Doctors Project.

With 52 locations across the globe, this is the second time the machines have been located in the D.C. area, per the release. Last year, the D.C. area machines were located in Kensington, Maryland.

The ARLnow Shop is giving away some free shirts in Ballston starting… now

By ARLnow.com
Ballstonian’s Isa Seyran holding an ARL t-shirt (staff photo)

You’ve seen the new arrivals at the ARLnow Shop. What you don’t see are the rejected designs.

We had high hopes for certain designs — the Flipped Car Postcard, for instance — but after trying it on we realized it didn’t quite work. Likewise, for some items we are selling, the first version needed some tweaks, from design placement to sizing to colors.

But we need to do something with those extra sample t-shirts, which were just sitting around the office. So we’re giving them away for free.

Run, don’t walk, to the Ballstonian coffee cart on the 4000 block of Wilson Blvd and ask proprietor Isa Seyran — seen above, elated to be taking part in this promotion — if he has any reject ARLnow shirts left. If so, one will be yours.

Note that most of the shirts are size XL. Good luck and say hello to Isa for us.

Arlington flipped car postcard

ARLnow Daily Debrief for Nov 17, 2023

By ARLnow.com

Good Friday evening, Arlington. Let’s take a look back at today’s stories and a look forward to tomorrow’s event calendar.

🕗 News recap

The following articles were published earlier today — Nov 17, 2023.

Since it’s Friday, we’ve also compiled a list of the most-read articles of the week, below.

  1. UPDATED: Police and fire department respond to bomb threat at middle school (31376 views)
  2. FDIC scrutinized for ‘toxic culture’ and ‘boozy hotel’ in Virginia Square (25726 views)
  3. JUST IN: Police investigating apparent shooting at Rosslyn Marriott site (22430 views)
  4. New docs show APS had no formal contract with Kaiser, which admits it ‘dropped the ball’ (20163 views)
  5. Cheesetique in Shirlington will become a new Italian restaurant next month (18800 views)
  6. Odd plaque near the Madison Community Center no longer includes antiquated Civil War reference (14615 views)
  7. NWS: Elevated fire danger in Northern Virginia today (13431 views)
  8. JUST IN: Gunston Middle School locked down due to threat (11942 views)
  9. New digital payment system in Ballston Quarter garage catches some drivers ‘off-guard’ (11031 views)
  10. JUST IN: Security guard charged with weekend shooting in Rosslyn (7370 views)
  11. Four Arlington startups rank among North America’s top 500 fastest-growing tech companies (6756 views)
  12. After several crashes, county fast-tracks intersection near Lubber Run Community Center for safety improvements (4778 views)
  13. NEW: County truck drives off bridge in local park (4258 views)

📅 Upcoming events

Here is what’s going on Saturday in Arlington, from our event calendar.

Here are the events planned for Sunday:

🌤️ Saturday’s forecast

Expect partly sunny skies that will gradually clear up, reaching a high of around 58 degrees. A northwest wind will blow at 8 to 15 mph, with gusts reaching up to 25 mph. Saturday night will be clear with a low near 37 degrees, accompanied by a northwest wind blowing at 7 to 10 mph. See more from Weather.gov.

💡 Quote of the Day

“It is during our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light.”
– Aristotle

🌅 Tonight’s sunset

We hope you have a great weekend, Arlington! Feel free to discuss the most-read stories of the week, the upcoming weekend events or anything else of local interest in the comments. 👋

Just in time for the holidays, here are some of the newer additions to the ARLnow Shop

By ARLnow.com
1/5

The holiday season is here and you’re probably wondering what to get those special Arlingtonians in your life. Lucky for you, the ARLnow Shop has plenty of gift options for savvy locals.

Among the offerings are some new, notable additions since the store launched in August, including:

Arlington Pet of the Week: Bruni

By ARLnow.com
1/4

Please give a warm welcome to Bruni aka Brunello Harris, the newest Arlington Pet of the Week!

This adorable fluffy guy is living his best life.

His mom had a few things to say about Bruni:

Bruni was born October 20 of 2020 and joined his Mommy as a pandemic puppy that December. Bruni’s full name is Brunello Harris. Brunello, after Mommy’s favorite wine, and Harris, after the first female VP.

Bruni’s favorite things are greeting people, chasing squirrels, and cuddles when he is tired. He also loves to check out new Arlington parks and trails — new places are so fun!

His favorite toys are Mr. Raccoon, his Easter tennis ball, and anything that makes mommy play too.

He likes tummy rubs, walking across the back of the couch, and watching dogs and people from his balcony.

Bruni has his own IG page @BruniTheHavi!

Want your pet to be considered for the Arlington Pet of the Week? Email [email protected] with 2-3 paragraphs about your pet and at least 3-4 horizontally-oriented photos.

ARLnow Daily Debrief for Nov 16, 2023

By ARLnow.com

Good Thursday evening, Arlington. Let’s take a look back at today’s stories and a look forward to tomorrow’s event calendar.

🕗 News recap

The following articles were published earlier today — Nov 16, 2023.

📅 Upcoming events

Here is what’s going on Friday in Arlington, from our event calendar.

🌤️ Friday’s forecast

Patchy fog is expected to clear by 9am, giving way to partly sunny conditions and a high near 69 degrees. South winds will range from 5 to 11 mph, with potential gusts up to 18 mph. Friday night, there is a slight chance of showers, with mostly cloudy skies and a low around 52 degrees. South winds will decrease to 5 to 7 mph before becoming light and variable, and the chance of precipitation stands at 20%. See more from Weather.gov.

💡 Quote of the Day

“Happiness is not something you postpone for the future; it is something you design for the present.”
– Jim Rohn

🌅 Tonight’s sunset

Thanks for reading! Feel free to discuss the day’s happenings in the comments.

Most and least expensive townhouses sold in Arlington (October 2023)

By ARLnow.com

Here in Arlington, real estate is a spectator sport. Let’s take a look at some of the most and least expensive townhouses sold last month (October 2023).

Most expensive townhouses sold

  1. 2117 21st Rd N — North Highland — $1,550,000 (3 beds | 5 baths | 3,532 sq. ft.)
  2. 5740 10th Rd N — Westover Village — $1,125,000 (4 beds | 5 baths | 2,420 sq. ft.)
  3. 1737 N Wakefield St — Waverly Hills– $990,000 (4 beds | 3.5 baths | 2,250 sq. ft.)

Least expensive townhouses sold*

  1. 1100 S Barton St Unit 297 — Arlington Village — $320,000 (1 beds | 1 baths | 800 sq. ft.)
  2. 1201 S Barton St Unit 151 — Arlington Village — $325,000 (1 beds | 1 baths | 800 sq. ft.)
  3. 1200 S Barton St Unit 318 — Arlington Village — $332,000 (1 beds | 1 baths | 840 sq. ft.)

*Minimum home value of $200,000 set to exclude certain land sales, retirement condos, properties with expiring ground leases, etc.

New Thai restaurant to replace Meridian Pint in Dominion Hills

By James Jarvis
The now-former home of Meridian Pint in Dominion Hills (staff photo by James Jarvis)

Meridian Pint in Dominion Hills is undergoing yet another change in ownership.

The family restaurant and taphouse closed on Oct. 31 after opening its doors in 2019. This wasn’t the last call for the restaurant space at 6035 Wilson Blvd, however. Next month, it will reopen as Soul Thai Kitchen & Bar.

This transition marks the third ownership change in four years. John Andrade, the original owner, passed the reins to Fitzgerald Lewis in 2021. Lewis, a noted figure in the local restaurant scene, has ownership stakes in about 20 eateries in the area, including Crafthouse Arlington in Ballston and Barley Mac in Rosslyn.

Lewis’s tenure was also short-lived, though, with the restaurateur citing the same reasons as Andrade for tapping out: financial losses.

“It was not making money,” he told ARLnow.

One of the co-owners of the new Thai restaurant, Nancy Kittitaraphan, said she has a long-standing relationship with Lewis, having worked as his server for eight years at another Thai restaurant in Clifton.

“He’s known me a long time and said he had this opportunity for me,” Kittitaraphan told ARLnow. “I said, ‘Okay, this is my chance to open my own restaurant.'”

Last month, Lewis sold Meridian Pint to Kittitaraphan and her partners — consisting of family and friends.

“I’ve known Nancy for like seven or eight years. She’s a great operator… I think she’ll do fantastic there because she’s a very hard worker,” Lewis said.

The restaurant began renovations on Oct. 31, with plans to reopen in the first week of December, according to Kittitaraphan.

While there will be some minor cosmetic changes, the restaurant’s aesthetic will largely remain the same, with new owners opting to keep the original furniture and leaving the bar — which features over 20 taps — untouched.

Hat tip to Andy Browne

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