Clarendon

Three Arlington Metro Stations to Close Thursday

By ARLnow.com
1/3

A trio of Metro stations in Arlington will close starting on Thursday, as Metro experiences low ridership and dwindling cleaning supplies during the coronavirus outbreak.

Closing are the Clarendon, Virginia Square and East Falls Church stations, along the Orange and Silver lines. They’re among 17 stations Metro is closing.

More from WMATA:

Metro’s Pandemic Task Force today announced the strategic closing of 17 additional stations, effective Thursday, March 26, 2020, in an effort to conserve critical resources and protect the health and safety of Metro employees and the public. This follows drastic measures already taken to reduce travel on Metro to essential trips only, leading to a Metrorail ridership decline of 90 percent.

These steps will help reduce the risk of exposure to employees and save critical cleaning supplies for the remaining stations. While Metro increased its on-hand warehouse inventory of essential supplies, such as hospital-grade disinfectant, wipes, hand sanitizer, and other items used by Metro’s frontline employees, suppliers are experiencing delivery delays. Metro is taking action to make its current 2-3 week warehouse supply stretch until massive orders placed in late January are received.

Each Metrorail station has multiple escalators, faregates and other high touch surfaces that are being cleaned daily, including some stations with multiple entrances. By reducing the number of entrances, Metro will be able to better protect its workforce and customers and prolong the inventory of these critical supplies needed to keep the system open.

Metro said the Virginia Square station is being closed due to its close proximity to the Ballston station, while the Clarendon and East Falls Church stations are closing due to low ridership — 299 and 239 trips on Monday, respectively.

The Arlington Cemetery Metro station was previously closed due to low ridership.

JUST IN: Bracket Room in Clarendon is Closing for Good

By ARLnow.com

Bracket Room, a sports bar in Clarendon co-owned by Chris Bukowski of Bachelor fame, is the latest victim of the coronavirus outbreak.

“Due to the national crisis from the COVID-19 pandemic, it is with a heavy heart that Bracket Room in Arlington has decided to close its doors,” the restaurant said on Instagram Tuesday afternoon. “We want to sincerely thank all of our patrons and employees for all their support over the years. We are going to miss each and every one of you.”

The bar opened in the fall of 2013, offering a “higher-end, ‘female-friendly’ experience.” Located at 1210 N. Garfield Street, Bracket Room closed a week ago, after a weekend St. Patrick’s Day celebration, for everything other than take-out and delivery.

In today’s Instagram post, Bracket Room promised to honor its earlier promotion to refund all receipts since November if the Washington Nationals win the World Series again this year.

ARLnow’s list of other Arlington restaurants offering delivery and takeout can be found here.

View this post on Instagram

Due to the National crisis from the COVID-19 pandemic, it is with a heavy heart that Bracket Room in Arlington has decided to close its doors. We want to sincerely thank all of our patrons and employees for all their support over the years. We are going to miss each and every one of you. Our promotion of reimbursement of every purchase if the Nationals win the World Series is still in effect. If the Nationals are lucky enough to win the 2021 World Series and you have all your receipts, we will honor it. Please contact one of our owners, Jeff Greenberg, at 703-307-9600, and he will personally make sure you get your refunds. It’s been a wonderful few years, please everyone stay healthy & stay safe!

A post shared by Bracket Room (@bracketroomva) on

Photos: Tiny House Built Near Clarendon

By ARLnow.com
1/10

An open house is currently scheduled this weekend to tour a new “tiny house” built in the Clarendon area.

Tours will be offered to interested members of the public from 2-4 p.m. on Sunday, according to local home builder Arlington Designer Homes. The 860 square foot house, at 1031 N. Cleveland Street, was “custom designed and built for an environmentally-conscious family that values smaller, simpler living.”

“This sensibly-organized, energy-efficient home could be a model for accessory dwelling units throughout the county,” said Andrew Moore, President of Arlington Designer Homes. “The home offers the latest in energy saving technology, including energy efficient Jeld-Wen windows and doors, Hardie siding, low VOC paints, and LED lights,”

The tiny house — which, to be clear, is not for sale — is expected to be certified under the Arlington Green Home Choice Program.

“Proving that good things do come in small packages, this tiny home features two bedrooms, two baths, a full galley kitchen, a front porch, tons of light, and is walking distance from restaurants, shops and Metro,” a press release noted.

“Home trends in Northern Virginia are changing. More and more of our clients are looking for smaller, well-designed and well-organized spaces – especially in Arlington,” Moore said. “This tiny house demonstrates that you can build smaller and smarter, without sacrificing style or comfort.”

TTT in Clarendon Now Offering Bottomless Brunch, Unlimited ‘Taco Tuesday’

By ARLnow.com

If you like tacos — and lots of them — a Clarendon restaurant is rolling out a trio of new food promotions that may be of interest.

TTT Mexican Diner (2900 Wilson Blvd) is about to celebrate its first anniversary in Clarendon. It also just announced this week that it is now offering an unlimited lunch menu, unlimited weekend brunch, and an unlimited “Taco Tuesday.”

Unlimited Taco Tuesday will be available all day on Tuesdays. For $29, minus tax and tip, diners get two margaritas and as many tacos as they can fit in their stomachs.

Additionally, an unlimited lunch menu is now available from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday through Friday, for $16.99 per person.

“Guests can look forward to Portabella Mushroom, Chicken Milanesa and Pulled Pork Tortas and a diverse selection of tacos made with pork, steak, fish, cheese and vegetable,” a press release notes. “To share with the table, a variety of nachos are on the menu including the Chicken Nachos, with grilled chicken, cream cheese and Chihuahua cheese.”

Unlimited brunch, available from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday and also $16.99 per person, includes “salsas, guacamole, nachos, tacos, and a variety of burritos and quesadillas.”

If you’re dining with guests, everyone at the table also has to get in on the unlimited deal, however. And don’t expect bottomless drinks: that is verboten in Virginia.

“The new unlimited menu offerings feature authentic Mexican fare with a modern twist,” the press release touts, noting that “guests may order items a la carte as well.”

TTT, part of a three-level Mexican food complex called La Esquina de Clarendon, is owned by the same company as Ambar across the street.

Photo courtesy Street Guys Hospitality

Northside Social: The Epicenter of the Arlington Dating Scene?

By Ashley Hopko
1/2

(Updated at 11:15 a.m.) Dating can be awkward, but Northside Social in Clarendon seems to ease anxiety when it comes to the search for love.

While the Arlington eatery doesn’t go out of its way to promote the location as an ideal date spot, it may be the epicenter of local dating activity.

From coffee to wine to food like vegan pastries and gluten-free scones, the spot has a wide range of offerings throughout the day to suit various needs, preferences or cravings. That makes it a pretty safe bet for a first or second date.

Northside offers an “easy, approachable and comfortable” environment, Northside Social’s Wine Director Karin Logan told ARLnow. “None of the staff are particularly overbearing, which can I know can be difficult with a first, second or even third date atmosphere.”

“I don’t think I have a single friend who hasn’t been to at least one of our restaurants on a date,” said Logan, referencing Northside’s sister restaurants of Liberty Tavern and Lyon Hall in Clarendon. She said she sees plenty of first dates and can often recognize first-time meetups driven by apps like Tinder or Bumble.

Apart from app-driven dates, there are also some honest-to-goodness meet cutes happening at Northside. Logan can recall instances where people have ended up meeting potential partners there.

“All of the regulars I know have at least met one or two people there because of its a welcoming place and all of my regulars are friends with one another,” Logan said. “It’s conducive to meeting people.”

Over the two years that Logan has held her position, she said she’s also witnessed at least five or six engagement photoshoots at Northside, which is more than any other restaurant she has worked for during her 18 years in the restaurant industry.

“And those just happened to be the days I was working,” she added.

There have been actual engagements as well. Arlington resident Kayla Laubach was at a Friday happy hour at Don Tito in July of 2017 when she received a text from her boyfriend Nick, asking her to stop by Northside Social, a block away.

Confused, she agreed and walked up the stairs into the wine bar to find Nick with candles scattered throughout the room and a bottle of champagne on a single stand-up table.

“It was really cute,” she said. “I was so focused going up the stairs I didn’t even notice they had a little chalkboard sign that said ‘Congrats Kayla and Nick.'”

Shortly after, all of the couple’s family and friends gathered in the space to celebrate their engagement with an after-party. The venue was chosen because Northside was where Kayla and Nick would meet while she was living in Arlington and he was living in Maryland, earlier in their relationship.

Kayla, a regular, says she chose it because she knew Nick would love the sausage and poached egg breakfast sandwich.

“When we were in Arlington we would go there every Saturday and Sunday. It was crazy how often we went there,” she said. “It was the place we fell in love.”

Northside Social has plenty of competition among newer Clarendon area coffee shops like East West Coffee and Wine and This Is Fine Coffee. But Logan doesn’t seem concerned for the future of the hangout. It’s hard to duplicate the community that has formed around a place like Northside — and special features like the dog-friendly outdoor patio and charcuterie boards done just so don’t hurt either.

As for people looking for a place with fewer first dates, there’s always the newer Northside Social in Falls Church, which opened in 2018.

Photos courtesy Kayla Laubach

ACPD to Hold St. Patrick’s Day Anti-DUI Event Next Weekend

By ARLnow.com

Getting a DUI “could cost you a pot of gold.”

That’s one of the messages Arlington County Police are looking to send at an upcoming St. Patrick’s Day-themed anti-drunk driving event. Another: “don’t press your luck” by driving buzzed.

The event is scheduled to take place from 8-10 p.m. on Saturday, March 14 in Clarendon’s bar district. A portion of N. Hudson Street near Wilson Blvd will be closed for the free event, which will include activities “designed to highlight the impact alcohol has on motor skills.”

Police have held similar anti-DUI events in the recent past around St. Patrick’s Day and Halloween. Before that, earlier anti-drunk driving efforts have included appearances by a superhero named Soberman.

More from an ACPD press release:

Green beer, leprechauns, and elusive pots of gold are all hallmarks of St. Patrick’s Day. Make sure you and your friends celebrate responsibly by remembering one important piece of advice: Buzzed Driving Is Drunk Driving. This means that if you plan to drink any alcoholic beverage, even a watered-down green beer, it’s essential that you plan for a designated driver.

In 2018 alone, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Safety Administration reports 73 people were killed in drunk-driving crashes over the St. Patrick’s Day holiday period (6 p.m. March 16 to 5:59 a.m. March 18). For this reason, the Arlington County Police Department is hosting an interactive event highlighting the dangers of impaired driving. Because even one drink can be one too many.

Don’t Press Your Luck Event Information

On Saturday, March 14 from 8-10 p.m., join officers on N. Hudson Street at Wilson Boulevard in Clarendon for the Don’t Press Your Luck anti-drunk driving event. This free event is open to the public and designed to highlight the impact alcohol has on motor skills.

Motorists should be on the lookout for temporary “No Parking” signs in the event area. Illegally parked vehicles may be ticketed or towed. If your vehicle is towed from a public street, call the Emergency Communications Center at 703-558-2222.

A Safe Way Home

As you continue your celebrations, the Washington Regional Alcohol Program’s 2020 St. Patrick’s Day SoberRide® program, in partnership with Lyft, will be offered from 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday, March 17 until 4:00 a.m. Wednesday, March 18, 2020. For additional information on WRAP’s program to ensure area residents have a safe way home on high-risk holidays, visit their website.

Daycare Closure Signals Clarendon Development May Be Nearing Construction

By ARLnow.com
1/7

(Updated at 4:15 p.m.) A residential development in Clarendon originally approved in 2015 may be nearing fruition.

The Arlington County Board previously approved a 580-unit, mixed-use development project in western Clarendon in October 2015. Set to replace the former Red Top Cab headquarters and dispatch center, and a pair of small commercial buildings, the development has shown few signs of progress since then.

That may be about to change. The KinderCare daycare center, located in one of the buildings to be replaced in the first of two planned construction phases, informed parents last week that it would be closing in June.

“Today I have some sad news to share: our center will close on June 5,” the center’s director wrote in a Feb. 20 letter. “As some of you may know, our center has been on short term leases for the last few years due to a new development project awaiting approval with the city. We recently learned that the project is moving forward.”

The letter went on to suggest that no replacement is currently planned for the center.

“I know this news may be unexpected and difficult to hear… Please know that all of us at KinderCare will do everything we can to support you and your child and to make this transition as stress-free as possible,” the letter says. “Since 2017, we’ve been diligently exploring all additional options for centers in the area… we are continuing to seek out additional child care solutions for families in Arlington.”

Facing a relatively tight turnaround for finding new childcare arrangements, some parents are incensed.

“This is incredibly short notice in an area that commands 6 months+ of wait lists for daycare services,” one parent told ARLnow. “Our understanding is that the teachers and director were blindsided as well.”

KinderCare is planning a town hall meeting for parents Tuesday night. The company says it will assist the center’s staff in finding new positions, potentially at other KinderCare centers in the D.C. area.

There’s no word on when developer Shooshan might be kicking off construction on the project, the first phase of which will also replace the Red Top Cab dispatch center. A company representative did not respond to several emails from ARLnow.

Shooshan is currently wrapping up construction of 4040 Wilson Blvd, the tallest building in Ballston and future home of VIDA Fitness, The Salt Line restaurant and the corporate headquarters of AvalonBay.

A host of new development in Clarendon is on the way, prompting county planners to reexamine the circa-2006 plan for the neighborhood.

With Lots of Redevelopment Coming, County Expected to Re-Examine Clarendon Plan

By ARLnow.com

(Updated at 4:30 p.m.) A bevy of new development is coming to Clarendon and Virginia Square, prompting Arlington County to update its plan for the former.

The county’s busy planning division, which is working its way through a crush of post-Amazon HQ2 development applications, is also gearing up to review and perhaps refine the 2006 Clarendon Sector Plan.

In a presentation to the County Board this afternoon on its Fiscal Year 2021 work plan, planning staff is expected to detail a number of initiatives, including a study of the 14-year-old sector plan.

“In anticipation of multiple site plan applications and emerging public facility needs in Clarendon, a staff team will review the recommendations in the 2006 Clarendon Sector Plan (CSP), including those for County facilities, a new park along 10th Street, and nearby private development sites,” the presentation says.

“Given the connection between the Plan and zoning regulations, and the importance of the public facility needs to be achieved in Clarendon, refinement of Sector Plan policies and amendments to the Zoning Ordinance may be necessary,” the presentation continues. “A plan for public engagement on this planning study is being developed.”

Among other things, the 2006 sector plan calls for a new, 50,000 square foot park on the site of the current Clarendon fire station and the Verizon switching station, which is expected to be redeveloped soon. It also calls for the fire station to be relocated.

The presentation notes three major, residential development projects that have already been approved — the American Legion and Kirkwood sites in Virginia Square, and the Red Top redevelopment in Clarendon, all of which are pending construction.

It also lists the proposed redevelopment of the Joyce Motors site along 10th Street N. and the planned George Mason University expansion, plus the following four “anticipated” redevelopment proposals, in making the case for a review of the neighborhood plan.

The Silver Diner and Wells Fargo/Verizon developments are expected to be considered by the County Board by the end of the year, the county says.

In addition to looking at the Clarendon neighborhood plan, the planning division is involved in current land use planning for Shirlington and the Lee Highway corridor. County planners also expect to process 15 major site plan applications during calendar year 2020.

Clarendon Mardi Gras Parade Permanently On Hold

By Vernon Miles

Mardi Gras is cancelled for Clarendon — again — and it seems increasingly likely that cancellation is permanent.

Elizabeth Crocker, executive director of the Clarendon Alliance, confirmed to ARLnow that there will be no Mardi Gras parade for Fat Tuesday (Feb. 25) this year.

The tempestuous February weather takes some of the blame. Crocker said the parade has been frequently cancelled or postponed because of bad weather, and the organization lost money it had spent. Given this year’s damp winter, unfavorable conditions seem likely to repeat.

The parade has gone on despite bad weather before, but has also recently faced competition from other Mardi Gras events around the area.

While the parade is cancelled, Green Pig Bistro in Clarendon (1025 N. Fillmore Street) is still planning a Fat Tuesday celebration at 5 p.m.

“Italy is Coming” to Former Alto Fumo in Clarendon

By Vernon Miles

It looks like shuttered Italian restaurant Alto Fumo (2909 Wilson Blvd) is being replaced by another Italian restaurant.

The restaurant closed earlier this month and, while at least one manager said the location was planning to reopen, the closure was permanent. Signs outside the building indicate that the new restaurant will offer options similar to Alto Fumo, however, and will open sometime this spring.

Alto Fumo itself was born in a similar situation when it replaced Italian restaurant Faccia Luna in 2017.

The restaurant windows are full of Italian iconography, the promise of “a modern Italian experience,” and a slogan “Italy is Coming.” The website listed on the banner does not currently exist.

The owner of a nearby store said the new restaurant was going to be an “upgraded” Italian restaurant with new ownership.

G.O.A.T. Sports Bar to Host Fundraiser for Australian Wildlife

By Shreeya Aranake

(Updated at 10:45 a.m.) The G.O.A.T. Sports Bar in Clarendon will be hosting a fundraiser to help animals affected by the recent, devastating wildfires in Australia next week.

The event will kick off at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, February 11, and run through closing. Entrance to the event will cost $10, which includes two drink tickets. The proceeds will go to Animals Australia, an animal protection nonprofit.

“Animals Australia is providing resources and support to expert veterinarians and caretakers tending to needs of affected wildlife,” the sports bar said in a press release.

The sports bar and lounge is located at 3028 Wilson Blvd, across from the Clarendon Metro station.

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