The weather forecast predicts a mostly cloudy day that will gradually transition to sunny conditions with a high temperature of around 78°F. Winds will come from the northeast at speeds of 11 to 13 mph, and gusts may reach up to 22 mph. Thursday night is expected to be mostly clear with a low temperature of approximately 60°F and a north wind blowing at a speed of 7 to 9 mph. See more from Weather.gov.
💡 Quote of the Day
“There is no charm equal to tenderness of heart.” – Jane Austen
🌅 Tonight’s sunset
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Daniel Bode and Megan Mazel (courtesy of Dave Bode)
Boy Scout Troop 164 works to update World Trade Center beam memorial (courtesy of Dave Bode)
Work by Boy Scout Troop 164 on a World Trade Center beam memorial (courtesy of Dave Bode)
Capt. Joshua Milfeit and members of the Arlington County Fire Department (courtesy of Dave Bode)
Two years after Eagle Scout Megan Mazel started building a memorial around a World Trade Center steel beam in Pentagon City, a fellow scout is finishing what she started.
In 2010, the New York City Fire Department gave a warped and rusted steel beam — salvaged from the wreckage of World Trade Center’s North Tower after 9/11 — to the Arlington County Fire Department. The county held a ceremony and pledged to build a memorial.
For more than a decade, however, the beam sat unadorned outside Arlington County Fire Station 5 in Pentagon City. Mazel, then a member of Boy Scout Troop 164, approached ACFD about giving the beam a more fitting tribute.
“Coming from a military family and first responder family, I was a little taken aback at the fact that they just dropped this significant piece of metal on the lawn near the fire department… and they didn’t do anything for the first 10 years of it being there,” Mazel told ARLnow.
In August 2020, Mazel began drafting a proposal. She envisioned a pentagon-shaped walking path surrounding the steel beam, with one point oriented north toward the Pentagon.
Since the beam was on county property, however, she encountered a lot of red tape. It took nearly a year for her designs to be approved, leaving Mazel three weeks to meet her deadline: the 20th anniversary of the attacks.
In that time, she managed to build railroad ties around the beam, add mulch and install three ground sleeves for flag poles.
“I think it turned out well for the time that I had in the situation that I was in,” she said. “But I wish that I could have done more to it.”
Now, Daniel Bode, a Wakefield High School student and scout with Troop 164, is adding to her vision.
Working around the county’s plans for the site, Bode said he secured approval to add flower beds and benches around the steel beam “to further enhance the experience” of the memorial.
“I wanted to add benches because there should be a seating area around the area, just so you’re not standing and looking down on it,” Bode told ARLnow.
Last weekend, Bode, Mazel, other scouts and Arlington firefighters started installing the flower beds and laying the concrete for the benches. This Saturday, Bode and his fellow scouts intend to install the benches.
He aims to have the site ready for a commemoration ceremony by military personnel on Sept. 9.
“We will come back and even out the mulch a bit. Clean up the concrete pillars. Make the area look nice and bolt in the benches. And then that should be it,” he said.
Capt. Joshua Milfeit, who assisted both scouts with their individual projects, said he is excited to see Bode finish what Mazel started.
“There is a plan of some sort from the county to make it a more permanent memorial,” he said. “Until there is a permanent memorial, we can still make it something nicer than it used to be, which was two wood stanchions with a piece of steel.”
For Bode, the project honors those who lost their lives on 9/11 and holds personal significance for him.
“I didn’t have any family members that were lost,” he said. “But, of course, having military parents and a lot of friends and family who are in EMT service, or police officers, or the fire department, it just touches close to home,” he said.
As for Mazel, she said she hopes that other scouts will continue carrying out what she and Bode have done so far.
“If people keep adding to it, and it keeps being an Eagle Scout project that keeps getting bigger and more generation of kids get to do research about 9/11, I’ll be perfectly fine with that,” Mazel said.
Arlington Cinema Drafthouse at night (Flickr pool photo by TheBeltWalk)
Real comedians will go toe-to-toe with AI at Arlington Cinema and Drafthouse on Columbia Pike.
On Friday, the old-school theater will host an interactive comedy show called “Comedy GPT.” Audience members will be able to spar with comedians and see if AI is as funny as they are.
Rahmein Mostafavi, a local comedian and a guest host on ARLnow’s upcoming podcast, will host the event.
In addition to Mostafavi, the event will feature local comedians Jamal Russell and Winston Hodges. Mostafavi shared that there will be stand-up comedy, improv, AI-generated poetry, karaoke and sketches.
“I have a few different facets in there to see if Chat GPT can keep up, if it’s funny — you know, if the written words are funny, or if it’s just comedic watching GPT kind of fail,” Mostafavi said. “We will discover that as we go.”
At one point in the show, audience members can volunteer to perform Chat GPT’s jokes and go head-to-head with a stand-up comedian.
While Mostafavi says that AI has yet to affect comic performers, the show aims to address concerns that the technology could replace jobs in specialized industries.
“When it really comes down to it, the intricacies thus far of human nature — our responsiveness, our sensitivities, our inflections — are still very important, but this is the beginning,” Mostafavi said.
Showers are likely mainly before 8am, accompanied by patchy fog. The day will be partly sunny with a high near 85 and a northwest wind at 7-11 mph. Precipitation chance is 60%, with minimal new rainfall amounts. Wednesday night will begin partly cloudy before turning cloudy, with a low around 63 and a north wind of about 10 mph. See more from Weather.gov.
💡 Quote of the Day
“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts.” – Winston Churchill
🌅 Tonight’s sunset
Thanks for reading! Feel free to discuss the day’s happenings in the comments.
Robots in a local newsroom (AI generated image by ARLnow via Midjourney)
ARLnow’s flagship Afternoon Update email newsletter gives you links to all of the local headlines of the day — up until 4 p.m., at least.
But what if you wanted a quicker way to breeze through local news stories for the previous day?
Now there’s an official option for that (in addition to the Early Morning Notes email for ARLnow Press Club members).
Today ARLnow is officially rolling out its AI-written morning summary email. You can get it in addition to — or instead of — the Afternoon Update here.
For existing subscribers, click “Update your profile” at the bottom of any email and select the option of “Add morning AI email.”
The morning email goes out weekdays at 8 a.m. and is completely written via AI, with only minor human intervention when necessary. Despite tweaks over the past few months, it remains somewhat overwrought and corny in its approach, but it does summarize stories pretty well.
This is, admittedly, a bit of a novelty for now. You shouldn’t use the AI-written email alone for decision-making purposes. But if you want to see an interesting showcase of current AI capabilities, while getting a quick summary of local news in Arlington, sign up here.
Mezeh sign at Fashion Centre in Pentagon City (staff photo by James Jarvis)
Mezeh seems to be proceeding with its plans to open a new location at Fashion Centre at Pentagon City.
The fast-casual Mediterranean grill had originally announced plans to open in 2020, but the opening was postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Coming soon” signs are now up for the restaurant, on the same level as the food court and across from the Fast Fix Jewelry and Watch Repairs. That’s the former location of Harry’s Tap Room, which a bloggier iteration of ARLnow once dubbed “Arlington’s favorite watering hole for midwestern tourists.”
A spokesperson for the mall said they “do not have an update on timing.”
Mezeh previously opened a location at Ballston Quarter mall in February 2020. The company’s first stand-alone restaurant opened in Crystal City (2450 Crystal Drive) in 2015 and a National Airport outpost opened in 2021.
Mezeh, which draws comparisons to assembly-line-style Mediterranean eateries like Roti and Cava, now has more than 50 locations up and down the Eastern Seaboard that are either open or coming soon.
There is a 50% chance of intermittent showers and thunderstorms throughout the day, with mostly cloudy skies and a high of 84°F. Winds will shift from northeast to southeast at 6 mph in the afternoon. On Tuesday night, expect a 70% chance of showers and possible thunderstorms, along with mostly cloudy skies and a low of 70°F. Light winds and a quarter to half an inch of new rainfall are anticipated. See more from Weather.gov.
💡 Quote of the Day
“The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt
🌅 Tonight’s sunset
Thanks for reading! Feel free to discuss the day’s happenings in the comments.
Interior design rendering of the upcoming Makers Union restaurant in Pentagon City (courtesy of Thompson Hospitality)
Interior design rendering of the upcoming Makers Union restaurant in Pentagon City (courtesy of Thompson Hospitality)
Makers Union Alfredo Pasta, Salmon and Steak Salad (courtesy of Thompson Hospitality)
Makers Union brunch options (courtesy of Thompson Hospitality)
More food options offered at Makers Union restaurant (courtesy of Thompson Hospitality)
(Updated at 4:40 p.m.) Get ready to raise your forks and pint glasses.
Makers Union, a gastropub known for its upscale menu, is coming to Amazon’s second headquarters in Pentagon City this fall.
Alex Brown, the restaurant’s director of operations, tells ARLnow doors will open by mid-October, though a specific opening date has yet to be confirmed.
“I’ll put it at 90% — unless something comes up,” he told ARLnow.
This will be the third location for Makers Union, which first opened in Reston three years ago and is planning to open a second location in D.C. at the Wharf in September.
Makers Union joins a variety of new businesses and dining establishments slated to get in on the ground floor of the first phase of Amazon’s HQ2, known as Metropolitan Park, which opened earlier this summer.
“[Makers Union] is all about having fun with different events and just being that place where guests can celebrate any of life’s occasions,” Brown said.
Guests can “grab wings and a beer at the bar,” partake in bottomless brunch or celebrate a birthday or anniversary with “elevated options” such as crab cakes and ribeye steaks, he added.
The pub’s owner, Thompson Hospitality, also operates Matchbox, Big Buns Damn Good Burgers and Wiseguy Pizza, among several other local restaurant concepts.
Thompson Hospitality launched three decades ago with the purchase of several Bob’s Big Boys. It has since become a nearly billion-dollar company, with most of its restaurants still in the D.C. area., including Matchbox and Wise Guys Pizza.
Chip City’s new location in Shirlington (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
(Updated at 4:55 p.m.) Cookie shop Chip City is making its move into Shirlington.
The New York-based cookie purveyor is opening a location in Shirlington at 4014 Campbell Avenue, next to Best Buns Bread Company. That’s the former home of Yogi Castle, which closed last year.
The 1,023-square-foot-shop is set to open in January 2024, the company tells ARLnow. The possibility of Chip City raising its flag in Shirlington was noted in May when ownership announced it was also moving into Clarendon. That location is set to open later in November of this year, we’re told.
“We liked Shirlington because it is a great neighborhood with lots of families and restaurant co-tenants,” a Chip City spokesperson wrote in an email.
Chip City is known for its “big, gooey five and half ounce cookie,” as CEO Peter Phillips told ARLnow earlier this year. It has a rotating weekly menu encompassing 40 different flavors, including classics like Chocolate Chip and Triple Chocolate and more unique flavors like Pina Colada, S’Mores, and Italian Rainbow.
Chip City’s rotating weekly menu (image via Instagram/Chip City)
Shirlington has recently seen a mini-boom in notable eateries opening in the private, open-air development. Jeni’s Ice Cream, Our Mom Eugenia and Taco Bamba all have opened within the last nine months, while Astro Beer Hall in the old Capital City Brewing Co. space is aiming for next month.
Amir Mostafavi greets customers at the Rosslyn location (courtesy of Amir Mostafavi)
South Block’s newest store at Amazon HQ2 (courtesy South Block)
Amir Mostafavi helps package vegetables for Fruitful Planet (courtesy Amir Mostafavi)
(Updated at 4:25 p.m.) Fueled by its signature açai bowls, local juice bar South Block is hitting a growth spurt.
The smoothie, juice and açai bowl spot opened its newest location in Amazon’s HQ2 in July, marking its 15th storefront in the D.C. area and fifth in Arlington in the last 12 years.
Its founder, Amir Mostafavi, says he has no intentions of slowing down, either. Armed with the company’s first capital raise, he aims to add another 15 locations to the D.C. area while exploring other regions of the U.S., as well.
“I still think there’s there’s opportunities in Arlington County alone, let alone the [D.C. area],” he said. “But, you know, we do we do have aspirations to go into new markets as well.”
ARLnow caught up with Mostafavi to discuss the wave of success South Block is riding and the new course he is charting. He says the key is not growing so quickly the brand loses sight of its mission to make a positive impact on customers, the environment and employees.
“We’re going to grow [South Block] at whatever pace we can keep up with to maintain the same quality of product and company culture, because I’ve seen too many awesome brands fail because they try to grow too fast,” the founder said.
For instance, Mostafavi says he will continue using fair trade açai and will not take shortcuts for cheaper ingredients or labor. The booming popularity of the antioxidant rich fruit in the United States has resulted in cheaper product tied to child labor flooding the market.
Mostafavi also emphasizes leadership development and guest experience because of his negative experiences in the food service industry.
“I really strive, even to this day, for perfection in the quality of the product, but mainly in what we stand for and how we treat our people — the people that work for us [and] the people that come through our doors,” he said.
These are lessons Mostafavi said he and his team learned because South Block got its start in Arlington — which continues to lead the nation as the fittest “city.”
“Customers in Arlington, they know what they’re looking for,” Mostafavi said. “They’re health conscious, and they will ask questions, and so, you know, if you’re trying to take shortcuts or if your product is inferior, I think Arlington customers are very savvy and aware of that.”
Mostafavi started South Block after five years of running a popular juice bar called Campus Fresh at George Washington University. He chose a 700 square-foot space on the south block of a new building at 3019 11th Street N. to house the new business.
“The name ‘South Block’ kind of represents that idea of building a community on your block,” Mostafavi said, referencing the company’s mission.
Mostafavi says he did not open the smoothie shop with expansion plans. About two years in, when lines were stretching out the door, he realized it was time for South Block to grow.
As South Block continued adding locations, Mostafavi considered ways to give back as well.
In 2019, he started the nonprofit Fruitful Planet, which provides fresh produce to people in need. A percentage of all of South Block’s proceeds, are put towards the initiative. The Fruitful Planet Cafe, which operated during pandemic, gave 100% of its proceeds to the nonprofit. Fruitful Planet says it has donated nearly 65,000 pounds of produce.
“Our mission statement is to build healthier communities one block at a time,” Mostafavi said. “So the way I look at that is that’s everyone in our community, not just people that can afford, you know, a $10 smoothie.”
Arlington couple places signs outside their home warning of rental fraud scheme (courtesy John Antonelli)
House on S. Wayne Street (courtesy John Antonelli)
Signs outside house on S. Wayne Street warning of rental fraud scheme (courtesy John Antonelli)
When Penrose resident Pete Giannino answered his doorbell one day this March, he was surprised to see his neighbors standing there, looking concerned.
“They said, ‘Hey, are you guys planning on renting your home?’ And I said, ‘No. Why do you ask?’ And they pointed out there was a listing on Zillow or Redfin for our home that we own,” Giannino told ARLnow.
Now, the local couple is sounding the alarm on an internet rental scam falsely advertising that their 3-bedroom, 2-bathroom home on the 600 block of S. Wayne Street is on the market. They say the scam appears to target people who are lower-income or who speak limited English and has defrauded several people and families.
In the last six months, Giannino and his wife, Kate Colwell, said upwards of 20 people have come to their door asking to tour the house while another half-dozen have contacted them via social media. They say the home is listed as available for rent, for $2,400 a month, on real estate and social media platforms, including Zillow and Facebook.
Giannino and his wife have gotten many fraudulent listings removed from mainstream real estate websites. Despite seeking help from law enforcement, they’ve struggled to eliminate listings on Facebook Marketplace, where scammers continue messaging potential renters.
“We’re just really angry that this person on the internet is cheating people, stealing from people,” Colwell said. “There’s no accountability and we really want them to be stopped.”
Rental scam depicting house on S. Wayne Street on Facebook Marketplace (courtesy Kate Colwell)
Giannino and Colwell are convinced they are not the only ones to whom this is happening. When Giannino filed a police report in late March, an Arlington County Police Department detective told the couple he had heard of similar scams happening to other newer homeowners in the area.
On April 5, Giannino said he got his hopes up after the detective said the department’s financial crimes unit would handle the case. About a month later, he got a letter in the mail from the police department stating that their case was closed.
The department did not immediately respond to ARLnow’s request for comment.
“In a rage, I was like, ‘Are you kidding me?’And just like, I threw it away because I was just so upset by the fact that they were turning a blind eye to this,” he said.
Meanwhile, strangers asking to tour their home continue knocking on their door. So far, Giannino and Colwell say most do not speak English as their first language and there will typically be a translator with them.
Colwell noted that one Hispanic couple who came to their door in early April said they paid a $1,800 security deposit.
“She had like text conversations with the scammer. She had phone conversations with the scammer… and they showed up for the tour. And we’re like, ‘Oh, we’re here for the tour,” Colwell said.
While it’s been emotionally draining to keep turning away hopeful renters, Colwell said that any “annoyance or discomfort we feel with people wanting a tour of the house… pales in comparison to how it feels actually to lose your hard-earned savings.”
Giannino said he had filed an addendum to the initial police report to try and get ACPD to reopen the case.
But, just in case, the couple has also filed a complaint with the FBI.
In the interim, Giannino and Colwell have posted signs in front of their house and spreading the word to prevent more people from falling victim.
“It’s a good thing to shine a light on it, too, because it’s harder for an internet criminal to operate [than in the] darkness,” Colwell said.
