Events
2015 Notorious ARL Bike Ride in Rosslyn (courtesy of BikeArlington)

After a four-year hiatus, BikeArlington is reviving its 18-mile bicycle tour showcasing Arlington’s most “notorious” historical sites this Sunday.

However, there is currently a waiting list.

Initially launched in 2015, the Notorious ARL Bike Ride aims to educate residents about Arlington county’s most infamous figures and places, while also helping people build confidence doing longer rides.

While on the tour, participants will visit notable places, including the spot where ex-spy Robert Hanssen collected a trash bag filled with $50,000 from Russian agents; the former workplace of Lorena Bobbit; and the famous Rosslyn parking garage where the informant “Deep Throat” met with Washington Post journalist Bob Woodward, who reported on the Watergate scandal.

Guiding the tour is longtime Arlington resident and former BikeArlington staffer Henry Dunbar. Having previously led three Notorious ARL Bike Ride in 2015, 2018 and 2019, Dunbar is set to guide his fourth tour on Sunday, Jan. 7.

Cyclists will meet at Barcroft Sports and Fitness Center at 4200 S. Four Mile Run Drive at 1 p.m. The tour is expected to last about three hours, concluding at around 4 p.m.

In 2020, Dunbar put the tour on “pause” after the onset of the pandemic, citing health risks and a desire to promote shorter, beginner-friendly rides.

“This particular ride is now 18 miles long, with several hilly sections, so it tends to attract riders who are already riding,” Dunbar told ARLnow.

The tour was brought back after repeated calls for its revival.

“So, I asked Henry if he’d be willing to lead it again this year and he said he would,” WalkArlington and BikeArlington’s program director Mary Dallao told ARLnow.

While the tour largely follows its original format, Dunbar said he has introduced minor changes to the route. Dallao emphasized that participants should be comfortable with hilly terrain and cycling on busier streets.

Although the current tour is fully booked, Dallao confirmed there is a waiting list. Dunbar said he is open to the idea of another extended tour later in the year, but made no firm commitments.


News
Rosslyn at twilight (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Flyover Planned This Morning — From AlertDC: “The US Military will be conducting a Flyover at Arlington National Cemetery on Friday January 5, 2024 at 9:10 AM.”

Protest at Blinken’s House — “Pro-Palestinian protesters targeted Secretary of State Antony Blinken with ‘fake blood’ outside his suburban Virginia home on Thursday. Activists surrounded his SUV as it rolled through the gates of his house in [Arlington, near the McLean border] and spilled red paint on the driveway as he left for work. The demonstrators shouted ‘shame on you’ and ‘war criminal’ and told the U.S. to stop the ‘genocide’ Gaza.” ACPD responded to the scene to assist the Diplomatic Security Service around 7:30 a.m. Thursday. [Daily Mail]

Public Safety Radio Issues — From Dave Statter: “Arlington County’s public safety radio system failed tonight. They went to a backup system, switching over to Fairfax County’s radio channels. That’s an important advantage of the long-standing interoperability in much of the region. It appeared to go down shortly after 6:30 p.m. This also impacted the Falls Church Police Department. FCPD shares Arlington’s radio system.” [Twitter]

Errant SUV Busted Bike Box — A driver who rammed into the Chase Bank in Pentagon City on Wednesday night “also completely took out the covered bicycle boxes that were there.” [Twitter, Twitter]

Final Report on Metro Derailment — “The National Transportation Safety Board has released its final report on the October 2021 Blue Line train derailment, which led to more than half of Metro’s fleet of trains being pulled off the tracks and drastically reduced rail service.
The NTSB’s final report said Metro was aware of a problem that caused the wheelsets on its new 7000-series trains to drift too far apart but that officials in the transit agency didn’t properly address the hazard before a Blue Line train derailed near the Rosslyn Metro Station.” [WTOP]

Significant Snow Unlikely — “Earlier in the week, we said the odds favored more rain than snow for a storm expected in the D.C. region this weekend. That remains the case, with most areas probably only seeing a little snow and sleet Saturday morning before changing to mostly rain in the afternoon.” [Capital Weather Gang]

It’s Friday — Expect a sunny day with a high around 42 and a northwest wind around 6 mph, shifting to southwest in the afternoon. As night falls, anticipate increasing clouds and a low temperature of approximately 30, accompanied by a gentle south wind. [Weather.gov]


News

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Around Town

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 — Jan 4, 2024.

📅 Upcoming events

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

☀️ Friday’s forecast

Expect sunshine and a high of 42 degrees, with northwest winds at 6 mph shifting to southwest by the afternoon. For Friday night, anticipate increasing cloudiness and a low of 29 degrees accompanied by a south wind at 3 to 5 mph. See more from Weather.gov.

💡 Quote of the Day

“Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better.”
– Samuel Beckett

🌅 Tonight’s sunset

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


Announcement

Still looking for a summer camp or two for your creative kiddos? There is space in some camps here at MoCA Arlington. From pottery to sculpture to painting and much more! Art camps are a wonderful way to get your kids off of screens, use their fine motor skills, and challenge their creative minds! Sign-up today!

Photo Credit to Dawn Whitmore and Lia Ferro.


Around Town

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

Most expensive single-family homes sold

  1. 2503 16th St N — Lyon Village — $3,700,000 (7 beds | 7.5 baths | 7,700 sq. ft.)
  2. 3162 N Pollard St — Bellevue Forest — $2,674,200 (6 beds | 8 baths | 6,463 sq. ft.)
  3. 4012 Vacation Ln — Cherrydale — $2,660,000 (6 beds | 6.5 baths | 5,805 sq. ft.)
  4. 1507 N Hartford St — Lyon Village — $2,540,000 (5 beds | 4.5 baths | 3,973 sq. ft.)
  5. 3914 17th St N — Cherrydale — $2,332,845 (6 beds | 6.5 baths | 6,255 sq. ft.)

Least expensive single-family homes sold*

  1. 3709 3rd St S — Alcova Heights — $649,000 (2 beds | 2 baths | 864 sq. ft.)
  2. 612 S Barton St — Penrose — $730,000 (3 beds | 3 baths | 1,568 sq. ft.)
  3. 1727 N Cameron St — High View Park — $750,000 (3 beds | 1.5 baths | 1,248 sq. ft.)

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


Announcement

Walsh, Colucci, Lubeley & Walsh, P.C., a leading multi-practice law firm focusing on commercial real estate services and business transactions, proudly announces its 40th anniversary.

Founded in 1983 by Martin “Art” Walsh, Thomas Colucci, Nicholas Malinchak, and Jerry Emrich, the firm has been committed to providing exceptional legal guidance and fostering long-term relationships with clients across Northern Virginia.