Ballston

Taste of Arlington Street Closures

By ARLnow.com

Taste of Arlington hits the streets of Ballston on Sunday and police are planning a series of street closures to accommodate the event.

Among the closures, as announced by Arlington County Police:

  • Wilson Blvd will be closed eastbound at Glebe Rd. Eastbound traffic will be diverted south on Glebe Rd.
  • Wilson Blvd will be closed westbound at N Randolph St (north and south bound Randolph will remain open)
  • N. Stuart Street will be closed between N. 9th Street and Wilson Blvd. Buses will be allowed on N. Stuart St. between Fairfax Drive and N. 9th Street.
  • North 9th Street will remain open to METRO BUS TRAFFIC only between North Stafford and North Stuart Street.
  • All traffic coming southbound on N. Taylor St. from Fairfax Drive will be forced to go westbound at Wilson Blvd.
  • Access to the Macy’s parking spaces at 4300 Wilson will be via N. Glebe Road only.

With warm and sunny weather in the forecast, organizers are expecting a crowd of more than 10,000 for the annual food festival — Arlington’s largest. Tickets are still on sale online for 20 percent off the walk-up price.

In addition to food from more than 30 Arlington restaurants and vendors, as well as a selection of craft beers, a number of local musical acts are scheduled to perform at the event, which will take place from noon to 5:00 p.m.

UPDATED: Widespread Power Outage in Arlington

By ARLnow.com

(Updated at 2:25 p.m.) Power has been restored after a widespread outage in Arlington, Dominion says.

Power was restored just after 1:50 p.m., according to Dominion spokeswoman Le-Ha Anderson. She said the outage, which lasted 38 minutes, was caused by a malfunctioning piece of equipment at the company’s Clarendon power substation.

Nearly 8,000 Dominion customers in Arlington lost power at the height of the outage, Anderson said.

Several traffic lights went dark in the Clarendon, Virginia Square and Ballston areas around 1:15 p.m. Police directed traffic at the busy intersection of Washington Boulevard and N. Quincy Street — near the Arlington Central Library — during the outage.

There were also several reports of people who were stuck in elevators that stopped when then the power went out.

Coming Soon: Live Entertainment, Sidewalk Cafe, Metro Kiosk

By ARLnow.com

On Saturday, the County Board is expected to approve a sidewalk cafe for Mad Rose Tavern, live entertainment for Samuel Beckett’s Irish Gastro Pub, and a Commuter Store kiosk outside the Ballston Metro Station.

The three items are all part of the board’s site plan amendment agenda.

County staff is recommending the board approve Samuel Beckett’s request for live entertainment from 8:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and 8:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m. on Fridays, Saturdays and federal holidays. The Shirlington pub, at 2800 S. Randolph Street, has said that it wants to host traditional Irish music.

Staff is also recommending a sidewalk cafe for the struggling Mad Rose Tavern in Clarendon (3100 Clarendon Blvd). The sidewalk seating would wrap around the restaurant from Washington Boulevard to Clarendon Boulevard, and would operate from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 a.m. seven days per week. Staff says the cafe “would serve to activate the streetscape at this major intersection” and is consistent with other sidewalk cafes in the area.

Finally, the board will consider whether to place a county-run Commuter Store kiosk at the Ballston Metro Station. Currently, there are Commuter Stores in the Ballston Common Mall, Crystal City Shops, Rosslyn Metro Center Mall and at the Shirlington Bus Station — in addition to a mobile Commuter Store RV.

Armed Robbery at Ballston Quiznos

By ARLnow.com

We’re just finding out about a brazen armed robbery in the middle of Ballston Wednesday evening.

A man held up the Quiznos in the National Science Foundation building (4201 Wilson Blvd) around 5:45 p.m., according to police and passersby. Police say the man entered the store, displayed a handgun and demanded money. He then locked the employees in the back of the store, took their cell phones and fled.

No injuries were reported.

Police describe the suspect as “an African American male in his 30’s, 5’8”-5’10”, wearing a black baseball cap, black hooded sweatshirt, black ‘fanny pack’ and jeans.”

Ballston’s Buzz Bakery Will Open Monday

By ARLnow.com

Buzz Bakery will open its new Ballston location on Monday.

That’s the word from Neighborhood Restaurant Group, the company that runs Buzz and its next door neighbor on the 4000 block of Wilson Boulevard, Rustico. Buzz is expected to open its doors as early as 7:00 a.m. on Monday, with plenty of free samples of coffee and baked goods.

The 2,000 square foot shop will have many of the same features and menu items of the original Buzz location on Slaters Lane in Alexandria, but will add treats like breakfast pop tarts, made-to-order waffles, individual serving quiches, homemade ice cream, sorbets, popsicles and “take-and-bake” products.

See more information on Buzz’s Ballston location from the company’s press release, after the jump.

Photo courtesy Neighborhood Restaurant Group

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Manhattan Bagel Closed for Renovations in Ballston

By ARLnow.com

Manhattan Bagel (4201 Wilson Blvd) remains closed as it undergoes renovations and a management change.

Ballston bagel lovers are being forced to cross Wilson Blvd to get their bagel fix at Panera Bread in Ballston Common Mall while the store remains closed.

A half dozen workers were busy inside the store when we stopped by this afternoon. A woman who identified herself as the outgoing manager said the newly-revamped eatery should reopen next week.

Buzz Bakery in Ballston Opening Next Month

By ARLnow.com

There’s finally an opening date in sight for Buzz Bakery in Ballston.

“Coming soon” signs have been up at the storefront on the 4000 block of Wilson Boulevard for almost a year now. Next-door sister eatery Rustico opened in October while Buzz remained closed. Now, at long last, comes word that Buzz will start serving cupcakes and cappuccinos early next month.

Neighborhood Restaurant Group spokeswoman Jennifer Eberline says the company expects to announce an official May opening date “very, very soon.”

The will be NRG’s second Buzz Bakery. The first, on Slaters Lane in Alexandria, serves breakfast, baked goods, paninis, coffee, tea, wine and beer.

New Crew at the Ballston Chipotle?

By ARLnow.com

One thing’s clear: Chipotle has been doing a lot of hiring lately.

This month alone, the restaurant chain has held ‘open house’ hiring events in Ballston, Rosslyn, Falls Church, Seven Corners, Reston, Sterling, Herndon and Ashburn.

Why the sudden hiring push?

A Chipotle spokesperson told us that they’re “in an industry where turnover is high.” But recent news reports suggest something else may be going on.

“The feds are cracking down on undocumented workers at Chipotle restaurants in Virginia and the District,” TBD reported last month. “After the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement reportedly warned Chipotle it would be targeted… the Chipotles in Columbia Heights and Woodley Park fired 40 employees who could not prove they were legally authorized to work.”

No such mass firings have been publicly reported in Virginia, but one local says there are a lot of unfamiliar faces among the crew at the Ballston Chipotle (4300 Wilson Blvd).

“I’ve been going there for 5+ years and literally most of the same people worked there till a few weeks ago,” Chipotle regular Jamie Cave told ARLnow.com. “When I went in the other night, it was a whole new crew and barely any Hispanic workers (mostly white or Indian). Others have been mentioning that they don’t recognize most of the workers there now.”

A visit to the Ballston Chipotle last night confirmed that, at the very least, the location is understaffed. The line for a burrito around 7:30 p.m. extended nearly out the door.

Chris Arnold, the Chipotle spokesperson, confirmed the Immigrations and Customs Enforcement investigation into the restaurant’s hiring practices in the Washington area, but denied that there has been a mass exodus of employees.

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Zoë’s Kitchen Coming to Ballston

By ARLnow.com

Greek-inspired soup, salad and sandwich restaurant Zoë’s Kitchen is coming to Ballston.

According to the company’s web site, the new Zoë’s will be located near the Ballston Metro station at 4245 Fairfax Drive, formerly home to do-it-yourself stir fry restaurant Flat Top Grill.

Founded in 1995, Alabama-based Zoë’s is a rapidly-growing chain with restaurants from Arizona to Florida. It has three D.C.-area locations: Fairfax, Woodbridge and Potomac, Md. Its menu includes kabobs, sandwiches, pitas and a variety of soups and salads.

No word yet on when the restaurant will open.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Free Coffee for Earth Day — To celebrate Earth Day, Starbucks is offering a free coffee or tea to anybody who brings a reusable mug or tumbler. Caribou Coffee, which has locations in Shirlington and Crystal City, is also offering free coffee for those who bring reusable drinkware. [Starbucks, Shirlington Village Blogspot]

Ballston Recognized for Environmental Efforts — Ballston has been named one of the top 10 “green” neighborhoods in the Washington area by real estate listing service MRIS. [Prince of Petworth]

Lawsuit May Be Filed to Stop Mark Center Moves — Rep. Jim Moran is urging Virginia officials to sue the federal government after the Department of Defense’s inspector general found big potential traffic problems with the new Mark Center in Alexandria. According to the inspector general’s report, the Army misled local officials about traffic issues at the site. A lawsuit could keep hundreds or even thousands of jobs in Arlington while improvements are made to the Mark Center’s transportation infrastructure. [Washington Examiner]

Post Tackles Twilight Convention — In an amusing but sadly photo-less write-up of last weekend’s Twilight fan convention at the Sheraton National Hotel on Columbia Pike, a Washington Post reporter discovers that most die-hard Twilight convention-goers are 25 to 50 year-old women. There are, however, a few male fans, who may or may not have been more interested in the female fans than in the movie itself. [Washington Post]

Shirlington Village Trades Escalator for Stairs — Eschewing the normal progression of technology, Shirlington Village has completed a project that removed an escalator and replaced it with a set of stairs. [Shirlington Village Blog]

Flickr pool photo by Philliefan99

http://www.flickr.com/photos/74104660@N00/5639010401/in/pool-arlnow#/photos/74104660@N00/5639010401/in/pool-1412700@N22/

Conte’s Group Rides Start in Two Weeks

By ARLnow.com

Conte’s (3924 Wilson Blvd) in Ballston will hold its first group ride of the summer on Tuesday, May 3.

The group rides take about 350 cyclists on an hour-long route through local neighborhoods. The course can get hilly, but the rides are open to cyclists of all skills and abilities.

“No one will be left behind,” Conte’s says. The store also offers an “introduction to group riding skills” course for group ride beginners.

The rides are held every Tuesday, with the second Tuesday of every month reserved for a fast-paced, 15-mile women’s ride. A free Baja Fresh BBQ is provided on the first Tuesday of every month.

The rides depart from Mosaic Park, behind the store, at 6:30 p.m. Helmets are required A police escort is usually provided for safety.

Flickr pool photo by Chris Rief

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