Around Town

ARLnow Daily Debrief for Jun 15, 2023

By ARLnow.com

Good Thursday evening, Arlington. Today we published articles that were read a total of 11483 times… so far.

📈 Top stories

The following are the most-read articles for today — Jun 15, 2023.

  1. WaPo: Arlington restaurant has one of the best burgers in the area
  2. Amazon unveils first buildings in HQ2 with pomp and circumstance
  3. Clarendon’s B Live to have more karaoke, shift away from hosting original acts
  4. Second-ever Arlington Pride Festival expanded to entire weekend

📅 Upcoming events

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

⛈️ Friday’s forecast

A chance of showers before 11am, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm between 11am and 5pm, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 5pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 82. Light and variable wind becoming southwest 5 to 9 mph in the morning. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. At night: A chance of showers and thunderstorms before 8pm, then a slight chance of showers between 8pm and 2am. Partly cloudy, with a low around 62. Northwest wind 7 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. See more from Weather.gov.

💡 Quote of the Day

“It’s not about what it is, it’s about what it can become.”
– Dr. Seuss, The Lorax

🌅 Tonight’s sunset

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

Smallest and largest homes sold in Arlington (May-Jun 2023)

By ARLnow.com

This past week saw 41 homes sold in Arlington.

The least expensive condo, single-family home or townhouse sale over the past seven days was $225,000 while the most expensive was $2,250,000.

Over the past month, meanwhile, a total of 258 homes were sold. Let’s take a look at some of the smallest and largest homes sold over the past month.

Largest homes sold

  1. 5608 33rd Street N — $2,800,000 (7 Beds | 7.5 Baths | 7,470 SQ FT)
  2. 5040 36th Street N — $2,525,000 (5 Beds | 5.5 Baths | 7,429 SQ FT)
  3. 4308 Lorcom Lane — $1,900,000 (5 Beds | 4.5 Baths | 6,451 SQ FT)

Smallest homes sold

  1. 1805 Crystal Drive #503S — $380,000 (1 Bed | 1 Bath | 676 SQ FT)
  2. 1515 S George Mason Drive #13 — $225,000 (1 Bed | 1 Bath | 687 SQ FT)
  3. 1511 S George Mason Drive #20 — $245,000 (1 Bed | 1 Bath | 687 SQ FT)

Adoptable Pet of the Week: Shelby

By ARLnow.com
1/2

Meet the newest Adoptable Pet of the Week, Shelby!

Her friends at the Animal Welfare League of Arlington had this to say:

Shelby is the softest girl who will look at you adoringly with her pensive blue eyes.

She loves pets, particularly under her chin and on her butt. While she isn’t a total lap kitty yet, she likes to check in for a cuddle and some biscuit-making when she’s in the right mood. Shelby is still a bit nervous about new people, so she’ll probably benefit from a family that is happy to give her the time that she needs to settle in and gain her confidence.

She hasn’t shown much interest in toys or her feline foster sister, but she does really enjoy looking out the window and snoozing under pieces of furniture.

Read Shelby’s entire profile to learn how to start the adoption process!

Want your pet to be considered for the Arlington Pet of the Week? Email [email protected] with a 2-3 paragraph bio and at least 3-4 horizontally-oriented photos of your pet. Please don’t send vertical photos — they don’t fit in our photo gallery!

Clarendon’s B Live to have more karaoke, shift away from hosting original acts

By Matt Blitz
1/3

B Live “has decided to pivot” to having live band karaoke for most of the weekend, decreasing the number of live original acts the local music venue will be hosting going forward.

Co-owner Christal Bramson tells ARLnow that the restaurant and live music venue, at 2854 Wilson Blvd in Clarendon, is shifting away from hosting a full slate of original musical acts all week long and towards more live karaoke.

The reason, Bramson said, is that Thursday night’s karaoke has proven to be so popular and has garnered so much “positive feedback” that it made sense for B Live to lean into it.

“We will still have live bands, but will have more nights of live karaoke,” she wrote. “Our Thursday evenings, we have received a lot of positive feedback on the live karaoke band.”

Bramson said B Live is “responding to demand” since there is no other dedicated live karaoke venue in Clarendon.

It’s unclear when this shift in programming might happen. The June calendar still has a number of weekend shows listed to appear later this month. Bramson said her team is “currently working on the calendar”

B Live, owned by wife and husband team of Christal and Mike Bramson, opened just over a year ago in the long-time space of Whitlow’s — which has since moved to the District — with a promise of allowing guests to “engage with the local music scene.”

In an interview last June, Mike Bramson told ARLnow that they wanted to open B Live in Clarendon because of the neighborhood’s long history of being home to live music venues. With several closing in recent years, including the beloved Iota Club in 2017, the hope was to fill that live music void for locals.

B Live is also making several other changes in the coming weeks. This coming weekend, the venue is opening an outdoor/lawn space complete with a “launch party.”

And, by the end of the month, a restaurant pop-up will be launching out of B Live. Wicked Buns from local chef Nacho Olivera, who also has worked at Detour Coffee and the Rebel Taco food truck at the Lot, will  be serving double-patty burgers, kobe beef hot dogs, and fried chicken sandwiches at the venue.

The long-planned “tropical glam” bar coming to B Live’s rooftop is also planning a much-anticipated debut next month. Coco B’s, as the rooftop venue will be called, is described by  Christal Bramson as the “female version” of B Live.

“We are awaiting a couple more inspections,” Bramson said. “But anticipate an early July opening date.”

WaPo: Arlington restaurant has one of the best burgers in the area

By ARLnow.com
1/3

(Updated at noon) It’s not even the highlight of the Arlington eatery’s menu, but the burger at Sloppy Mama’s has been named one of the best in the D.C. area.

That’s according to Washington Post food critic Tim Carman, who sampled 45 burgers around the region and compiled a list of the top 10. Many of the top burgers were at restaurants in the District which specialize in burgers.

But not Sloppy Mama’s, the barbecue joint at 5731 Langston Blvd.

The $6 cheeseburger is a recent addition to a menu that’s more focused on brisket than burgers. Nonetheless, it placed No. 3 on Carman’s list.

“The first time I tried the cheeseburger at Sloppy Mama’s, it was during the pandemic,” Carman wrote. “I had ordered a variety of smoked meats for takeaway — back when we were keeping the world at arm’s length — and owners Joe and Mandy Neuman tossed in a couple of burgers as a thank you. They had just put the burgers on the menu, one more hedge against an uncertain future for restaurants at the time. To be honest, I wasn’t sure I’d even try one.”

But the burger blew him away, perhaps due to the meat that’s used.

“[Joe Neuman’s] patties are made with the trimmings from prime briskets,” Carman noted, adding that the taste “probably boils down to animal fat, and lots of it. These burgers are not afraid to revel in the richness that can only come from good beef.”

Only one other Arlington restaurant was mentioned in the article, as an honorable mention: Bob and Edith’s Diner and its B&E burger.

ARLnow Daily Debrief for Jun 14, 2023

By ARLnow.com

Good Wednesday evening, Arlington. Today we published articles that were read a total of 8875 times… so far.

📈 Top stories

The following are the most-read articles for today — Jun 14, 2023.

  1. Morning Notes
  2. Just Reduced Properties in Arlington
  3. Pedestrian crash near Ballston prompts a stop sign and temporary police presence
  4. Four Courts still on track for August reopening as renovations continue

📅 Upcoming events

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

☀️ Thursday’s forecast

Sunny, with a high near 84. Northwest wind around 8 mph. At night: A slight chance of showers after 2am. Partly cloudy, with a low around 65. West wind around 6 mph becoming light and variable. Chance of precipitation is 20%. See more from Weather.gov.

💡 Quote of the Day

“The difficulties of life are intended to make us better, not bitter.”
– Dan Reeves

🌅 Tonight’s sunset

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

Pair of military flyovers planned Thursday

By ARLnow.com
An Osprey flyover on a gray morning in September 2022 (staff photo)

Get ready for the roar of military aircraft tomorrow.

Two separate military flyovers of Arlington National Cemetery are planned for Thursday, one in the morning and one in the afternoon.

“The US Navy will conduct a military flyover at the Arlington National Cemetery on Thursday, June 15, 2023 at 9:15 AM,” according to the District of Columbia’s AlertDC system. “The US Air Force will conduct a military flyover… at 1:10 PM.”

Despite being quite commonplace, such flyovers of the cemetery, arranged for certain military funerals, often catch Arlington residents off guard, leading to emails and social media inquiries to ARLnow.

Part of the reason for that is a lack of notice before flyovers. While some are noted in advance by the cemetery on social media or via email by AlertDC, others come as a surprise.

There is a push for more transparency around ceremonial flyovers,  journalist Rob Pegoraro reported last week for Greater Greater Washington.

“People in the region have all kinds of reasons for wanting to know ahead of time when a loud flyover’s about to happen, from calming infants and pets, to transparency about military activity, to pure appreciation,” wrote Pegoraro.

Juice shop now opening two new locations, in Ballston and Courthouse

By Matt Blitz
1/2

A growing Northern Virginia juice shop chain is now coming to Courthouse, in addition to a previously-announced location in Ballston.

The Ballston shop will be squeezing itself into the former home of Philz at 4121 Wilson Blvd, which closed late last year. The hope is that it will open next month, perhaps by July 15, co-owner Reese Gardner tells ARLnow.

The second Arlington location is set for Courthouse, moving into the one-time home of Rāko Coffee at 2016 Wilson Blvd. That shop quietly closed late last year as well, claiming it was just temporary due to a “out of order” espresso machine. The next month, however, pieces of equipment and furniture were put up for public auction by the county, with the money going towards the company’s tax bill.

It’s not clear when Greenheart will open in Courthouse, though signage is now in place above the door.

This will be the juice shop’s fourth and fifth locations, with other shops in Vienna, Leesburg, and Aldie, Virginia. The menu is focused on cold pressed juices, smoothies, salads, and bowls.

In addition to co-owning the juice shop, which he acquired a few months ago, Gardner also owns a number of other local bars and restaurants. That includes Dudley’s Sport and Ale in Shirlington, Quinn’s on the Corner in Rosslyn, and Brass Rabbit Pub in Clarendon.

Four Courts still on track for August reopening as renovations continue

By ARLnow.com
1/5

Ireland’s Four Courts says it’s still on track to reopen in August.

The longtime Courthouse watering hole has been closed since a rideshare driver plowed into the front of the pub last August, sparking a raging fire and seriously injuring several people.

The driver, who was reportedly suffering a medical emergency, was not charged. A number of first responders who responded to the chaotic scene were recently recognized for their heroism.

The pub released a video Tuesday evening providing a tour of the ongoing construction inside. The one-minute video shows the interior totally gutted and lined with new plywood.

“I know it looks a little different than how we’re used to seeing it, but today we’re here to give you a sneak peak at all the construction and renovations that have been going on over the past few months, in prep for our grand reopening in August,” the video’s host says.

Only a few items salvaged from the original pub are seen in the video, including the large wooden fireplace and some stained glass windows.

While the layout of the pub will be more or less the same as it was before the crash and fire, there will be some new features, notably a new draft beer system, the host says.

ARLnow Daily Debrief for Jun 13, 2023

By ARLnow.com

Good Tuesday evening, Arlington. Today we published articles that were read a total of 7096 times… so far.

📈 Top stories

The following are the most-read articles for today — Jun 13, 2023.

  1. Morning Poll: Which of these noise complaints has the most merit?
  2. Shop selling snacks “from all seven continents” opens at Pentagon City mall
  3. Morning Notes
  4. VHC Health opens outpatient pavilion after some three years of construction

📅 Upcoming events

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

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

⛈️ Wednesday’s forecast

A chance of showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 2pm. Cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly sunny, with a high near 78. Southwest wind 9 to 17 mph, with gusts as high as 29 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%. At night: Mostly clear, with a low around 60. West wind 6 to 10 mph. See more from Weather.gov.

💡 Quote of the Day

“You can never cross the ocean unless you have the courage to lose sight of the shore.”
– Christopher Columbus

🌅 Tonight’s sunset

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

ARLnow Daily Debrief for Jun 12, 2023

By ARLnow.com

Good Monday evening, Arlington. Today we published articles that were read a total of 11069 times… so far.

📈 Top stories

The following are the most-read articles for today — Jun 12, 2023.

  1. Power outage and road closure after tree falls on utility lines
  2. A half-dozen affordable garden apartment buildings near Rosslyn are set to be renovated
  3. Morning Notes
  4. Arlington Career Center project approved despite some resident concerns

📅 Upcoming events

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

☀️ Tuesday’s forecast

Sunny, with a high near 80. Northwest wind 6 to 9 mph becoming southwest in the afternoon. At night: A slight chance of showers after 2am. Mostly clear, with a low around 60. South wind around 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%. See more from Weather.gov.

💡 Quote of the Day

“The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today.”
– Franklin D. Roosevelt

🌅 Tonight’s sunset

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

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