Crystal City

Crystal City Launches ‘Food Truck Thursdays’

By ARLnow.com

Amid the continued debate in Rosslyn and across the county about how to balance the interests of restaurants and food trucks, Crystal City is moving forward this week with a plan that attempts to find a “win-win” solution.

The Crystal City Business Improvement District (BID) announced this morning that it is launching a pilot program called “Food Truck Thursdays.”

The lunchtime event — kicking off tomorrow, June 7 — will draw food trucks to a parking lot near the Crystal City Metro station for what BID president Angela Fox describes as “a fun and energetic dining option that will enhance the food truck and overall lunchtime experience.”

From a press release:

Beginning June 7th, the first Thursday in June and then happening weekly, the event will host local Food Trucks in the surface parking lot at the corner of Crystal Drive and 18th Streets (in the same location as Crystal City’s successful weekly farmers market on Tuesdays). Food Trucks that sign up get free reserved parking and patrons get one convenient location with ample options and old favorites. The following Food Trucks have already signed up to participate with many others expressing interest:

Hot People Food
Red Hook Lobster
Willie’s Po’Boy

In launching the program, the BID “hopes to balance existing business concerns while ensuring that area workers, residents, and visitors continue to enjoy from the diversity of food truck offerings,” according to the press release.

Trucks participating in the program agree to make Thursdays the only day of the week they come to Crystal City. In exchange, the truck operators get a free, reserved parking space and free marketing from the BID.

“We have enjoyed working with property owners and food truck vendors to create what we hope is a win-win Food Truck solution and are excited to launch this pilot,” Fox said.

Update at 4:00 p.m. — The Doug the Food Dude truck has also signed up for Food Truck Thursdays, according to Crystal City BID.

Disclosure: Crystal City BID is an ARLnow.com advertiser

Air Force Cycling Classic to Roll into Arlington

By Katie Pyzyk

(Updated at 1:55 p.m.) Thousands of spectators will line the streets of Arlington this weekend, as bicyclists roll through for The Air Force Cycling Classic.

This Saturday, June 9, the event kicks off with the Clarendon Cup, near the Clarendon Metro. There will be a number of races throughout the day for men and women of various abilities. There will also be a children’s event. On Sunday, June 10, the action moves to Crystal Drive in Crystal City.

Registration can be found online, and the schedule is as follows:

Saturday, June 9

  • 8:00 a.m. — Men’s Masters Amateur Race
  • 8:55 a.m. — Men’s Elite Amateur Race
  • 9:55 a.m. — Women’s Elite Race:
  • 11:35 a.m. — Kids’ Race
  • 12:00 p.m. — Men’s Pro Race

Sunday, June 10

  • 7:30 a.m. — Crystal Ride
  • 11:15 a.m. — Kids’ Race
  • 11:30 a.m. — Men’s Pro Race
  • 1:25 p.m. — Women’s Elite Race
  • 2:30 p.m. — Men’s Elite Amateur Race (Category 3 racing license)
  • 3:25 p.m. — Men’s Elite Amateur Race (Category 4 racing license)

A number of roads will be closed for the races, and the Arlington County Police will be helping to direct traffic. Parking may be restricted in the affected areas, so residents should look for temporary “No Parking” signs. Illegally parked vehicles may be ticketed or towed. The closures are below:

Saturday, June 9, from 4:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.

  • Wilson Blvd from N. Fillmore Street to Washington Blvd
  • Clarendon Blvd from Washington Blvd to N. Fillmore Street
  • Washington Blvd from Wilson Blvd to N. Highland Street
  • Highland Street from Wilson Blvd to Washington Blvd
  • Garfield Street and Fillmore Street from Wilson Blvd to Washington Blvd
Sunday, June 10, from 5:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m.
  • Joyce Street from Army Navy Drive to Columbia Pike
  • Columbia Pike from Oak Street to Pentagon South Parking (access to Pentagon, Eads and Fern Street)
  • South Gate Road, no access to Columbia Pike
  • Eastbound Washington Blvd at I-395
  • Westbound Washington Blvd from Memorial Bridge
  • Boundary Channel Drive
  • Crystal Drive from 23rd Street to Army Navy Drive- no vehicle traffic permitted northbound or southbound on Crystal Drive Access (will be granted to Clark Street from 12th Street)
  • 15th Street and Jefferson Davis Highway – no traffic permitted east of Jefferson Davis Highway. All traffic that comes east of Eads Street must use Route 1.
  • 18th and Clark Street – no vehicle traffic permitted eastbound towards Crystal Drive unless parking. All traffic will be detoured southbound on Bell Street.
  • 20th and Jefferson Davis Highway – no traffic permitted from Jefferson Davis Highway to 20th Street or to the access road that parallels Jefferson Davis Highway to the east.
  • 23rd and Jefferson Davis Highway – All traffic coming from or across Jefferson Davis Highway will be sent south on Clark Street. The normal lanes of traffic on 23rd Street coming from Crystal Drive will be used for the race route. Traffic coming from Crystal Drive on 23rd Street will be using the eastbound lanes.
  • Southbound Route 110 ramp to northbound I-395 will be closed until noon.
  • Southbound Route 110 from Rosslyn to S. 15th Street will be closed until noon.

Disclosure: Crystal City BID is an ARLnow.com advertiser

Crystal City Outdoor Movies Highlight Romance

By Katie Pyzyk

Love will be in the air for Crystal City’s outdoor movie nights, which start next week. This year’s series will feature romantic comedies.

Starting next Monday, June 4, the movies will be shown in the courtyard at 1850 S. Bell Street. They’ll run every Monday through August 27, starting at sundown.

Attendees are encouraged to make the event a date night by bringing a blanket and picnic gear. Short chairs are allowed, but courtesy for other visitors trying to see the movie is requested. Organizers are asking that moviegoers leave their pets at home.

As with Rosslyn’s free outdoor movies, these will be shown rain or shine, unless weather becomes too severe. Should there be a cancellation, information will be posted online, but organizers hope for a continuation of the good weather they’ve generally enjoyed during the event’s six year history.

“We’ve had great weather karma,” said Crystal City Business Improvement District President Angela Fox. “Even one year when we started getting a deluge, we were able to cover the equipment and show the movie after.”

The schedule is as follows:

  • Sex and the City — June 4
  • The Wedding Singer — June 11
  • Sweet Home Alabama — June 18
  • Hitch — June 25
  • My Big Fat Greek Wedding — July 2
  • Sleepless in Seattle — July 9
  • Bridget Jones’s Diary — July 16
  • The Proposal — July 23
  • You’ve Got Mail — July 30
  • How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days —  August 6
  • Pretty Woman — August 13
  • Love Actually — August 20
  • When Harry Met Sally — August 27

Disclosure: Crystal City BID is an ARLnow.com advertiser.

California Tortilla to Open Crystal City Location

By Katie Pyzyk

Work is underway at the site of a new California Tortilla restaurant coming to Crystal City.

The eatery is going in on the 2400 block of Crystal Drive, right next to Buffalo Wild Wings. The Mexican restaurant will compete with a Chipotle right down the street, at 2231 Crystal Drive.

This will be the Bethesda chain’s third Arlington location, joining the ones in Courthouse (2057 Wilson Blvd) and Reagan National Airport.

A sign in the window says the company is currently hiring for this location. We’re told the restaurant is expected to open in the late summer or early fall.

Police Investigate Shooting Outside Crystal City Hotel

By ARLnow.com

Arlington County police are investigating a shooting that occurred early Sunday morning in Crystal City.

The incident happened just after 3:00 a.m. According to police, four people were posing for photos behind a vehicle parked in front of a hotel on the 2700 block of Jefferson Davis Highway when an unknown suspect fired between 3 and 6 gunshots. The hotel desk staff heard the shots and called police.

Responding units found a male victim shot in both ankles. The man was treated by medics and taken to George Washington University Hospital, according to police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck. Four bullet casings were found at the scene.

The victim and his three friends claimed that they had only heard the gunshots and had not seen the shooter. Sternbeck said there was “not much cooperation” from the group, and that the investigation is ongoing.

The incident is not believed to be connected to the Rolling Thunder motorcycle rally, Sternbeck said. The Hyatt Regency Crystal City hotel at 2799 Jefferson Davis Highway is the rally’s official hotel.

Mary Hynes Pens Op-Ed Supporting Streetcars

By ARLnow.com

A streetcar line in Crystal City is essential for keeping the area from becoming clogged with traffic as the population and workforce grows over the next 30 years, Arlington County Board Chair Mary Hynes said in an opinion piece published in the Arlington Connection on Wednesday.

Making a case for the large investment required to build a streetcar system, Hynes argued that the streetcar is part of Arlington’s “smart growth” philosophy.

“Traffic on many major Arlington streets is less than it was in 1970, even though our population has doubled in that time,” Hynes wrote. “The secret sauce is Arlington’s commitment to ‘smart growth’ planning — our commitment to transit-oriented development that keeps density along our transit corridors, while preserving neighborhoods. In fact, more than half of Arlington’s real property values are on just 11 percent of our land — our Metrorail corridors. It is a philosophy that is the backbone to Arlington’s success, the envy of many in the region and the nation.”

Hynes said that by 2040, Crystal City and Pentagon City are collectively expected to add 8,500 residents to the existing population of 17,400. Through the Crystal City Sector Plan, Hynes also expects the neighborhoods to add 35,500 jobs during that time.

That growth doesn’t necessarily have to result in additional traffic headaches, but it will if investments are not made in transit, according to Hynes.

“The modern streetcar for Crystal City — a line that will initially connect Crystal City, Pentagon City and Potomac Yard — is an important first step,” Hynes wrote.

“Eventually, this ‘Route 1′ line will meet up in Pentagon City with the planned streetcar line on Columbia Pike, providing riders with a one-seat option to travel from Potomac Yard to the Skyline area in our partner jurisdiction, Fairfax County,” Hynes continued. “Without these strategic investments, our streets could become clogged with traffic, our quality of life could decline, and our robust economy could be at risk — the exact opposite of what we’ve achieved since the 1960s and what we know is possible when a community plans carefully.”

Hynes’ op-ed comes at a time when the county is seeking public comment on the planned Columbia Pike streetcar line. It also comes as Arlington and Alexandria engage in a mini war of words over federal funding for the potential Alexandria portion of the Route 1 streetcar line.

“We hope [the streetcar] may even stretch further south into Alexandria one day,” Hynes wrote.

Rolling Thunder Arrives Tomorrow

By ARLnow.com

Thousands of bikers will begin to arrive in Arlington tomorrow afternoon for the annual Rolling Thunder motorcycle rally.

Residents who live along I-395 and Route 1 can expect to hear the roar of motorcycle engines tomorrow, May 25, as the bikers head to hotels in Crystal City — including the rally’s official hotel, the Hyatt Regency at 2799 Jefferson Davis Highway — and to a candlelight vigil at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in D.C.

On Sunday, Rolling Thunder will rumble over to the Pentagon parking lot at 6:45 a.m. for an event that will be followed by a convoy into D.C. at noon. In order to safely accommodate the rally, Arlington County Police will close Washington Boulevard from I-395 to the Memorial Bridge from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., according to a press release. During that time, Arlington National Cemetery will only be accessible from southbound George Washington Memorial Parkway or northbound Route 110.

“Motorists should expect large numbers of motorcyclists in Northern Virginia and the entire Washington Metropolitan area this weekend,” the police department advised. In the past, Rolling Thunder has drawn criticism for the amount of noise it generates for those who live along major roadways.

A complete list of Rolling Thunder events is available on the rally’s website.

Photos: Artomatic Comes to Crystal City

By ARLnow.com

After a big opening weekend, Artomatic is back open today in Crystal City.

Billed as “the Washington area’s biggest free creative arts event,” Artomatic is the collective, unjuried work of more than 1,300 artists, spread across 10 floors of a former Department of Defense office building at 1851 S. Bell Street.

The sheer scale of Artomatic is mind-boggling: 5,000+ pieces of art (much of it for sale by the artists) in 380,000 square feet of office space. There are also more than 300 planned performances by more than 750 performers on 6 separate stages. Some 80,000 visitors are expected over the festival’s five week run, and they will have 3 cafes at which to buy food and drink. Artomatic is made possible by sponsors and an estimated 27,325 volunteer hours, much of which is put in by the artists themselves.

The most recent Artomatic was held in 2009 in the District. The event was last held in Crystal City in 2007.

“We are thrilled to welcome Artomatic back to Crystal City,” Crystal City BID President Angela Fox said in a statement. “We know that the artists and the audiences will have their biggest and best Artomatic experience ever.”

Arlington County Board Chair Mary Hynes said the event’s return to Crystal City is an important step in the continued rebranding of the neighborhood.

“People are going to discover this is a great place to be,” Hynes said.

Special exhibits and events this year include PostSecret post cards, the Washington Post’s Peeps diorama contest finalists, the Zombie Prom, Box Racing, body paint shows, and a “no-holds-barred Art in Fashion Show.”

Artomatic runs through Saturday, June 23. It’s open to the public from noon to 10:00 p.m. on Wednesdays and Thursdays, noon to 1:00 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, and noon to 5:00 p.m. on Sundays. The festival is closed on Mondays and Tuesday.

A list of concerts, workshops, tastings, readings and other activities being held at Artomatic is available on the festival’s website.

Disclosure: Crystal City BID is an ARLnow.com advertiser.

1/39

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Artomatic Starts Tonight — Artomatic, described as “the D.C. area’s biggest unjuried arts extravaganza,” will kick off in Crystal City tonight. The five-week event is being held in a former Department of Defense office building at 1851 S. Bell Street, and will feature 10 floors of work by local artists. Artomatic was last held in the District in 2009. [Express]

Affordable Housing Push — A coalition of Arlington affordable housing advocates are preparing a public relations push to make the case for more affordable housing in Arlington. Supporters will be attending community events over the next six month to educate residents about the loss of affordable housing in the county. Currently, affordable housing initiatives are about 5 percent of Arlington County’s $1 billion budget. [Sun Gazette]

Arlington Company Makes Bomb-Proof Underwear — An Arlington company called Secure Planet is manufacturing tens of thousands of pairs of “shrapnel shorts,” which are designed to protect the pelvic region of military service members in the event of a bomb blast. [WJLA]

Four Arlington Stops for Bike to Work Day Tomorrow

By ARLnow.com

Tomorrow, May 18, is Bike to Work Day in the D.C. area. Arlington will be participating with four different “pit stops” for bike commuters around the county.

Bike to Work Day was created in 1956 to encourage commuters to try riding their bike to work as a healthy alternative to sitting in traffic. In metro D.C., participation has ballooned from a few hundred riders to 11,000 last year.

Arlington County is hosting three pit stops tomorrow: Rosslyn (Rosslyn Gateway Park, 1300 Lee Highway), Ballston (FreshBikes Bike Shop, 3924 Wilson Blvd) and Crystal City (Crystal City Water Park, 1750 Crystal Drive).

The Rosslyn and Ballston stops will open at 6:30 a.m. and will feature DJ entertainment and roving unicyclists. The Crystal City stop will open at 7:00 a.m. All three stops will remain open through 9:00 a.m. and will offer free food, beverages, prizes and giveaways.

A fourth pit stop will be held tomorrow afternoon from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. along the W&OD Trail at Washington Blvd & Lee Highway. The stop is sponsored by the new Tri360 bike shop in East Falls Church.

Tomorrow’s weather is predicted to be mostly sunny with a high of 76 degrees.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Good Stuff Eatery Opens Tonight — The new Good Stuff Eatery location at 2110 Crystal Drive in Crystal City will open to the general public for the first time tonight. The burger and shake restaurant will be open for dinner only today; it will start opening for lunch and dinner tomorrow. A television production crew is expected to be filming at the restaurant tonight for an upcoming episode of ‘Life After Top Chef.’

Potomac Overlook Naturalist Retiring — Martin Ogle, who is retiring next week after 27 years as chief naturalist at Potomac Overlook Regional Park, is being credited with playing a key role in a number of environmental initiatives in Arlington over the years. [Falls Church News-Press]

Moran Challenger Worries About GOP Inclusiveness — Patrick Murray, the Republican who will be trying again to unseat incumbent Rep. Jim Moran (D) in November, is concerned that the GOP is straying from Ronald Reagan’s belief in a ‘Big Tent.’ Murray issued a statement following Ric Grenell’s resignation from Mitt Romney’s Republican presidential campaign. Grenell resigned as a spokesman for the campaign after social conservative groups began criticizing the campaign because Grenell is openly gay. Murray said he was “disappointed” to learn that Grenell stepped down. [Sun Gazette]

View More Stories