Clarendon

Indoor Cycling Studio Coming to Clarendon

By ARLnow.com

Stand-alone indoor cycling studios are becoming trendy across the country, and soon Arlington will have one such facility to call its own.

Revolve, which describes itself as a “high-end specialized indoor cycling studio,” is hoping to open at 1025 N. Fillmore Street in Clarendon by the end of the month. The studio, which is currently under construction in the ground floor of the Zoso Flats building, will eventually feature 40 Schwinn exercise bikes in a room surrounded by nearly a dozen speakers — to help pump in music to keep participants energized.

Revolve will offer three different types of classes classes, which will last 45 to 60 minutes and cost $17 to $20 per session. From a press release:

Revolve’s Fitness Consultant, Christianne Phillips, has designed three revolutionary classes to be featured exclusively at Revolve: Real Ride, Complete Body Ride and Barre Ride. A more traditional cycle class focusing on endurance, the Real Ride class will provide participants with an indoor journey that feels like an outdoor ride. Complete Body Ride is a full-body workout that incorporates cardio, strength and flexibility, and keeps participants moving while engaging in upper body weight training. Barre Ride is a revolutionary hybrid workout that combines cardio with toning barre-based exercises. In a Barre Ride class, participants will burn calories while sculpting muscles, using the bikes’ handlebars as a ballet-style bar.

Sylvan Garfunkel, who left the “rat race” of his job as a corporate attorney in New York City to run the studio as a co-owner, says what will set Revolve apart from the “big box gyms” is more personal service and an emphasis on camaraderie among the cyclists.

“Group fitness enthusiasts, especially indoor cyclists, feel a special kinship with their fellow participants,” Garfunkel said. “We want our studio to offer a community-like atmosphere, where bonds with instructors and fellow riders grow beyond the cycle room.”

In addition to regularly-scheduled classes, Revolve will offer special events like charity rides, private corporate and group rides and a monthly event featuring a live DJ. The business, which counts two college-aged brothers among its other co-owners, is hoping to do a “soft opening” by the end of this month, with a full opening expected by mid-December.

More Live Entertainment Coming to Clarendon?

By ARLnow.com

Bands, karaoke, DJs and other forms of live entertainment may soon be coming to two Clarendon restaurants.

Mad Rose Tavern (3100 Clarendon Blvd) and Mexicali Blues (2933 Wilson Blvd) both have live entertainment permit applications that are scheduled to be considered by the County Board this weekend. County staff has recommended that both applications be approved.

Mad Rose Tavern is asking for permission to host bands and karaoke between 9:00 p.m. and 1:30 a.m. Thursday through Saturday and between 9:00 p.m. and 12:30 a.m. Sunday through Wednesday. The restaurant is also asking for permission to erect an additional street-facing sign — but the Board is expected to defer that request until its December meeting.

Mexicali Blue is similarly asking for permission to host bands, karaoke and DJs. Since the restaurant is located on the corner of a residential street, however, its managers have agreed to additional time restrictions. Mexicali is asking for amplified music between 10:00 p.m. and 12:30 a.m. on Fridays and Saturday, and acoustic music from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. seven days a week.

While staff is recommending that Mexicali’s request be approved, it’s not without a bit of controversy. The Clarendon-Courthouse Civic Association complained in an email to the county that representatives from the restaurant declined to meet with the civic association. CCCA also expressed concern about the proposed live entertainment hours — ultimately expressing opposition to the permit request.

Numerous Garfield Street neighbors, however, signed on to a petition in support of the request.

Mexicali Blues held a live entertainment permit from 2003 to 2010, but it was discontinued due to lack of use. The permit restricted live entertainment to three nights per week, for no more than two hours at a time, and limited it to “primarily acoustic” music.

“The applicant’s current request would expand the intensity of live entertainment at the site by allowing acoustic music during ‘happy hour’ on weekdays, and by allowing amplified music on weekends for slightly longer than two hours,” county staff noted. “Staff believes that with the proposed conditions, there will be no undue impact to adjacent neighborhoods. Staff is recommending a short adadministrative review to monitor the operation of live entertainment.”

Clarendon Trader Joe’s to Open Friday Morning

By ARLnow.com

It’s official: the long-awaited Trader Joe’s store in Clarendon will open at 8:00 a.m. on Friday morning. The company will celebrate the opening with a “ceremonial lei cutting” featuring Trader Joe’s officials and “local dignitaries.”

Trader Joe’s a press release about the opening tonight.

Trader Joe’s, a unique, neighborhood grocery store with foods and beverages from the exotic to the basic, will celebrate the grand opening a new store located in Clarendon on Friday, November 18 at 8AM. To commensurate the official opening Trader Joe’s Captain (store manager) Perry Zettersten, Regional Vice President Scott Lane, local dignitaries and the crew will gather at 8:00AM for a ceremonial lei cutting to welcome new customers– Trader Joe’s style. The celebration will continue throughout the day with live music, food demonstrations, balloon artist and face painters.

The store is located at 1109 North Highland Street and is approximately 12,300 square feet. The grocery store will be open from 8:00 am until 9:00 pm, daily. Inside will feature a festive décor mixing traditional Trader Joe’s cedar covered walls, Hawaiian inspired elements throughout the store combined with a local flare including art that celebrates the neighborhood. Throughout the grocery store there are several amazing hand painted murals that pay homage to the old Clarendon Trolley, hot air balloons used during the Civil War, the Clarendon Metro and more.

Trader Joe’s is pleased to announce the appointment of Perry Zettersten, as Captain (Store Manager). Perry comes to the new store from the Trader Joe’s in Washington D.C. and has been with the company approximately 15 years.

Trader Joe’s was originally named in recognition of its distinct grocery buying process, because they search the world for great values and distinctive products. Crew members (store employees) consider themselves “traders on the culinary seas.” Crewmembers sport brightly colored Hawaiian-themed shirts, adding to the light-hearted air of the store.

Opening Day Nearing for Trader Joe’s

By ARLnow.com

Shelves are being stocked at the new Trader Joe’s in Clarendon, a sign that the store’s long-anticipated opening day may be nearing.

Interior construction on the 12,300 square foot grocery store appears to be wrapping up. Multiple calls and emails to Trader Joe’s HQ have gone unreturned in recent days, but several tipsters tell us that staff members have been saying the store will open on Friday, Nov. 18, in time for Thanksgiving.

The new Trader Joe’s store is located at 1109 N. Highland Street.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

GOP Will Likely Control Va. Senate — Despite the clean sweep by Arlington Democrats, it looks like Republicans will pick up the two Virginia Senate seats they needed to wrest control of the state Senate from Democrats. “If the results hold, Republicans will have complete control of state government for only the second time since the Civil War,” the Washington Post reported. Meanwhile, Republicans will now have a two-thirds majority in the House of Delegates after picking up six seats there. Gov. Bob McDonnell said the GOP-controlled General Assembly will be more likely to push a “pro-life, pro-family, pro-marriage” agenda.

Hawaiians Protest Bail of Arlington Resident — Dozens of demonstrators marched through Honolulu last night to protest the release of State Department Special Agent Christopher Deedy, an Arlington resident, on $250,000 bail. Deedy, 27, is charged with second-degree murder after shooting a man in the chest during a late-night argument inside a McDonald’s in Waikiki. [Associated Press]

Closures Planned for Tuckahoe 5K — The third annual Tuckahoe 5K run will be held on Saturday morning. Rolling street closures are planned in the East Falls Church neighborhood between 8:30 and 9:30 a.m. For interested runners, limited race day registration will be available at Tuckahoe Elementary School. [Tuckahoe 5K].

Cookie Within a Cookie in Clarendon — What do you get when you place an Oreo cookie within a chocolate chip cookie? You get an ‘Oreo in a Blanket,’ which is being offered by Bakeshop in Clarendon (1025 N. Fillmore Street). [Clarendon Culture]

Fundraiser at Whitlow’s Will Feature Mechanical Bull

By ARLnow.com

Whitlow’s (2854 Wilson Blvd) is inviting bar-goers to take the bull by the horns, so to speak, to raise money for the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA).

The Clarendon watering hole is holding a fundraiser for IAVA tomorrow from 6:00 to 11:00 p.m., complete with food and drink specials and a mechanical bull. There’s no cover for the event, but bull rides are $10. Proceeds will benefit IAVA.

See the event’s Facebook page for more information.

Photo via Facebook

President Obama Dines in Clarendon

By ARLnow.com

(Updated at 10:20 p.m.) Clarendon buzzed even more than usual this evening, thanks to a presidential visit.

President Obama dined at Liberty Tavern (3195 Wilson Blvd.) tonight with four supporters who won a campaign raffle contest.

People passing through the Clarendon area started hanging around and watching once they saw the blocked-off perimeter, dozens of police and security personnel for blocks and a telltale special event tent on N. Irving Street, next to Liberty Tavern. The president finally arrived in his black limousine around 6:50 p.m., as Arlington County police helped set up rolling roadblocks.

Liberty Tavern co-owner Stephen Fedorchak said he had an inkling on Tuesday that President Obama might be stopping by, and the confirmation came on Wednesday. As with all such presidential visits, Fedorchak had to keep quiet until tonight.

“As an Arlington restaurant and independent business people, we’re just extremely flattered,” Fedorchak said. “It’s an honor. We understand the magnitude of it but we wanted to have fun with it as well. We offered the same hospitality we strive for with every guest that comes in our restaurant.”

Server Randi Milton said although the dinner group discussed serious topics, such as the economy, there was much laughter. She said the president asked about each of his guests’ lives and families. Milton said she didn’t get to talk to President Obama very much because he was so focused on his guests.

“Obviously, he was not there to interact with us,” she said. “I shook his hand, took his order, and he chatted with us a little after dinner. But the point was not to talk to us, it was to talk to them.”

The president’s team had researched the menu at Liberty Tavern and didn’t want to limit themselves by just requesting one special item. The guests all ordered off of the regular menu, and the President dined on swordfish with white beans and lamb sausage.

When asked about the possibility of increased business from this event, Fedorchak said, “We want to be respectful of the fact that the President dined in our restaurant in terms of how we market it. But we’ll gladly accept any additional business as a result.”

Media and passersby gathered on nearby street corners to attempt catching a glimpse of President Obama as he left Liberty Tavern. Many tried in vain to snap pictures, but the security perimeter kept most people too far away to land a good shot. Traffic crawled through Clarendon and the already tough intersection of Washington Boulevard and Wilson Boulevard, at a couple times completely stopping as the presidential motorcade passed through.

The president left the restaurant just before 8:00 p.m. and was met outside with dozens of cheering onlookers.

“This is really cool,” one woman said. “I’ve lived here 17 years and I’ve never seen anything like this.”

The last time President Obama came to Arlington for a meal was June 24, 2010, when he and Russian president Dmitry Medvedev grabbed lunch at Ray’s Hell Burger (1713 Wilson Blvd).

South Block Smoothie to Add Espresso, Change Menu

By Katie Pyzyk

(Updated at 10:35 p.m. on 10/27/11) South Block Smoothie and Wrap Co. (3011 11th St. N.) in Clarendon is adding to its list of offerings.

South Block’s new espresso machine just arrived today (Oct. 26), and the eatery plans on serving coffee drinks brewed with Intelligentsia Black Cat Espresso starting in November.

A manager tells ARLnow.com that the staff and atmosphere at the newly opened shop will remain the same, but owner Amir Mostafavi is tweaking the menu. In addition to serving coffee drinks, certain menu items — like Boar’s Head deli meat paninis — will be added.

There’s no specific launch date for the coffee bar and changed menu, but apparently it’s going to happen “sometime before Thanksgiving.”

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Elliot Hosts Halloween Event in Clarendon — DC101’s Elliot in the Morning is hosting a Halloween Bash at Clarendon Ballroom on Friday night. [Clarendon Nights]

Arlington Seeks More Notable Trees — Arlington County is asking residents to help it identify more unusual, historic or special trees for its Notable Tree registry. [Sun Gazette]

Arlington Biz Group Ponders Silver Line — Is the opening of the Silver Line to Tyson’s Corner a threat or an opportunity for businesses in Arlington? That’s what a group of local business owners discussed yesterday at a meeting organized by Leadership Arlington. [Washington Examiner]

More Swanson Students Riding Bikes to School — Bike ridership at Swanson Middle School is on the rise, according to the CommuterPageBlog. There are now nearly twice as many bikes parked outside the school as two years ago. [CommuterPageBlog]

New Salon Coming to Clarendon — A new salon called Smitten is coming to Clarendon. [Northern Virginia Magazine]

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Arlington Wages High, Growth Low — Arlington residents earn some of the highest weekly wages in the nation ($1,549/week), but the county’s wage growth is slowing. [Sun Gazette]

Songwriters Come to Iota Club — A group of 9 singer-songwriters from around the region will be performing at Iota Club in Clarendon (2832 Wilson Blvd) tonight. Among the musicians scheduled to take the stage are Brittany Jean and Justin Trawick. [Facebook, Clarendon Nights]

Health Care Company Signs Clarendon Lease — A behavioral health care company called ValueOptions has signed a lease for 37,250 square feet of office space in the heart of Clarendon. [CityBiz Real Estate]

Flickr pool by Reid Kasprowicz

CORRECTION: NOVA Fashion Week Canceled

By Katie Pyzyk

Update at 3:58 p.m. — Northern Virginia Fashion Week was supposed to start today, but the week-long event was scrapped.

A source told ARLnow.com about the event, but hadn’t been informed of the cancellation. She was surprised she hadn’t heard of the change and apologized for the confusion.

The event was slated to kick off at Clarendon Ballroom (3185 Wilson Blvd.), but General Manager Nick Langman says he was informed a couple weeks ago the event wouldn’t happen. Langman isn’t sure why the event was cancelled.

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