Crystal City

Crime Report: Cash Briefcase Edition

By ARLnow.com

A would-be crime victim said “no deal” to a criminal who tried to steal his briefcase full of cash.

The attempted robbery took place in a Crystal City parking garage. According to this week’s Arlington County crime report, the victim was able to hang on to his briefcase even after the suspect struck him in the back of the head.

ATTEMPTED ROBBERY, 04/02/12, 2400 block of S. Crystal Drive. At 5 am on April 2, a victim was walking from his car to his place of work, when he was struck in the back of the head by an unknown object by a subject. The suspect attempted to steal the victim’s briefcase, which was carrying approximately $1,000 cash, but was unable to get the victim to release his grip. The suspect fled the scene on foot and the victim alerted a building security guard. The suspect is described as a black male, approximately 5’9″ tall and 250 lbs. At the time of the attempted robbery, the suspect was wearing all black, with a black ski mask covering his face.

The rest of this week’s crime report, after the jump.

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Crystal City 5K Fridays to Start This Week

By ARLnow.com

An annual springtime athletic tradition is coming back to Crystal City this week.

Crystal City’s 5K Fridays will start this coming Friday, April 6 — the first of four Friday races that will run through April 27. The race, organized by Pacers Events, will take runners on a looped course up and down Crystal Drive, starting at 6:30 p.m.

Registration is $20 per race or $60 for all four races. Runners can register online or in person, before the race.

Arlington County Police will be blocking off lanes of several Crystal City-area roads between 6:15 and 7:45 p.m. on race days. Among them:

  • Northbound lanes of Crystal Drive between 23rd Street and 12th Street (one northbound lane of Crystal Drive will remain open between 15th and 12th Street)
  • Northbound lanes of Crystal Drive between 26th Street and Potomac Avenue/27th Street
  • Northbound lanes of Potomac Avenue between 27th Street and 33rd Street
  • One southbound lane of Potomac Avenue between 27th and 33rd Street
  • Two westbound lanes (one lane to remain open) of 12th Street between Crystal Drive and Old Jefferson Davis Highway/Clark Street
  • One northbound lane of Old Jefferson Davis Highway will be closed for approximately 100 feet (one lane to remain open)

Disclosure: Crystal City BID is an ARLnow.com advertiser

Fundraiser Offers Chance to Rappel Down Crystal City Hotel

By ARLnow.com

If you’ve ever dreamed of rappelling down a tall building, here’s your chance to actually do it, legally.

The Special Olympics of Virginia is holding a fundraising challenge called “Over the Edge,” and the prize for raising at least $1,000 is the opportunity to rappel off the roof of the Hilton Crystal City hotel on Friday, June 22.

Fundraisers can either sign up to repel down the 15-story building themselves, or nominate someone else to be “tossed” off the building — a boss, for instance. Registration is limited to the first 75 rappellers.

In addition to the fundraisers, several media personalities and VIPs will be rappelling down the side of the hotel on Thursday, June 21, in an effort to bring additional attention to the cause. The rappelling is being supervised by a company that specializes in running such fundraisers.

Coming Soon to Crystal City: Black Lime Cafe

By ARLnow.com

A new fast-casual Mediterranean restaurant concept is coming to Crystal City.

Building permit applications are in for Black Lime Mediterranean Cafe, which will be built on the ground floor of 2450 Crystal Drive, near Jimmy John’s. According to a menu on the restaurant’s website, customers will choose a base — either a pita, a salad bowl or a baked potato — then add a protein — chicken, steak, shrimp, falafel or grilled veggies — followed by a selection of toppings and sauces. Side dishes include eggplant fries, sweet potato fries, roasted veggies and chips and hummus.

Per the name of the restaurant, the website explains:

Black Lime is an authentic mediterranean spice, and it’s integral to our menu. Taste its flavor in our Grilled Black Lime Chicken, Home-made Black Lime Hummus and the Black Lime Aioli Sauce that will have you coming back for more. Black Lime is a flavor that is seldom found without a passport.

Though the restaurant has no official opening date planned, we expect it to open at some point this summer. In addition to opening in Crystal City, it appears that the Maryland-based owners are seeking to launch additional restaurant via franchising.

Crystal City Wine Shop Now Open

By ARLnow.com

Crystal City’s only gourmet wine shop is now open for business.

The Crystal City Wine Shop, at the corner of Army Navy Drive and 12th Street S. on the ground floor of the Lenox Club apartments, quietly opened on Thursday and is operating under reduced hours this week while management hires employees and kicks the business into gear.

For the time being, the wine shop is stocking about a third of the wine and beer selection that will eventually be offered for sale. As they start ramping up sales and restocking, managers hope to offer some 150-200 types of beer and about 800 individual wines. There will be a special emphasis on Virginia wines, we’re told. In addition to wine and beer, the store is selling meats, cheeses, sauces, crackers, potato chips and chocolates.

Through Saturday, the store will be open daily from 4:00 to 8:00 p.m. Eventually, the store’s hours are expected to be 12:00 to 8:00 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 12:00 to 9:00 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 12:00 to 5:00 p.m. on Sunday. The store does not yet have a website, though one is on the way.

The shop is wholly owned by the nonprofit Washington Wine Academy, which has offices in a building across the street. Alex Evans, the academy’s director of education, says the store was conceived after attendees at academy-run events — like the Crystal City 1K Wine Walk — started asking where they could buy some of the unique wines they were tasting.

“Now we can give them a definitive answer,” Evans said.

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Firefighters Battle Restaurant Blaze in Crystal City

By ARLnow.com

(Updated at 3:35 p.m.) Arlington County, Alexandria and Fort Myer firefighters are battling a restaurant fire in Crystal City.

A fire that broke out in the kitchen of the Matsutake Hibachi Steak and Sushi restaurant (320 23rd Street S.) spread to the duct work, making firefighting efforts more difficult than usual. Half an hour after the initial fire dispatch, no flames could be seen from inside the restaurant but light smoke was still billowing out of the doors and vents.

A crowd of onlookers gathered to watch the fire response. S. Clark Street has been shut down at 23rd Street due to emergency equipment in the roadway. Meanwhile, smoky conditions have been reported in the nearby Buchanan apartment building as a result of the fire.

As of 3:35 p.m., firefighters were starting to pack up their gear and most of the smoke had dissipated.

Update at 4:55 p.m. — Per Arlington Alerts, S. Clark Street has reopened.

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New Location for Artomatic 2012

By Katie Pyzyk

Artomatic is changing locations. It’s still going to be in Crystal City, as announced in January, but the location will be a few blocks away from the originally named venue.

Instead of taking place at 2511 S. Clark St, the event will be held at 1851 S. Bell St. Crystal City Business Improvement District President Angela Fox explained that while the agreement to use the Clark Street location was being finalized, Vornado announced plans to replace the Bell Street venue with a new building. Vornado then put forth an offer to hold Artomatic at the old building before it’s torn down.

“This presented an amazing opportunity to showcase the transformation of Crystal City,” Fox said in a press release.

The new location is closer to the Crystal City metro and has an extra 50,000 square feet of space compared to the original venue.

Artomatic is a free event and starts on May 18.

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

Crystal City Streetcar May Get Built Before Pike Streetcar

By ARLnow.com

There has been much discussion about the planned Columbia Pike streetcar, but there’s another streetcar project in Arlington that’s looking more likely to get built sooner than the Pike streetcar.

Arlington and Alexandria are jointly planning a five-mile streetcar line to run from the Pentagon City Metro station, across 12th Street to Crystal Drive, down Crystal Drive to Potomac Yard, and then down Route 1 to the Braddock Road Metro Station.

The Route 1 Corridor Streetcar Conversion Project, as it’s called, is currently in the environmental assessment, alternative analysis and conceptual engineering phase. That phase of the project should wrap up around mid-2013, we’re told. Roadwork on Crystal Drive set to begin this summer, meanwhile, will quietly begin to set the stage for what will eventually be a dedicated bus transitway along Crystal Drive, an interim step before the streetcar becomes operational.

Work on the Crystal City and Columbia Pike streetcar projects is running in parallel, meaning construction on each could theoretically take place at the same time. The projects are separate in an organizational sense, but connected physically. The streetcar lines will connect at the Pentagon City Metro station.

One big difference between the streetcar projects is financing. The $250 million Columbia Pike streetcar plan relies heavily on financing from the federal government, which is far from certain given the current budget crunch on Capitol Hill. Financing for the Crystal City streetcar, meanwhile, is more or less in place — it’s coming from the Crystal City tax increment financing area (TIF) that was approved by the County Board in 2010.

In a recent interview with ARLnow.com, Arlington County Board Chair Mary Hynes said the Crystal City streetcar could very well open before the more-publicized Columbia Pike line.

“I think it’s actually more likely that we’ll get the Crystal City segment built first, because we know how we’re paying for it.” Hynes said. “We were hoping 2016, 2017 to have that segment open.”

Arlington County Director of Transportation Dennis Leach says work on the Crystal City streetcar is moving forward, and that a project to construct certain facilities that will be used by the streetcar will be going out for bid this summer. Leach, however, refused to speculate on when the project may be completed.

High-Rise Apartment Proposed for Crystal City Post Office Site

By ARLnow.com

The former Crystal City Post Office will be transformed into an 11-story apartment complex under a plan announced by local real estate development firm Kettler today.

Located at the corner of 18th Street and S. Eads Street, the $50 million high-rise apartment building will have more than 200 residences, and will be built under the new Crystal City Zoning District. The building’s closest neighbors will be several older high-rise apartment complexes and a pair of high-rise hotels.

“The livable luxury community will offer residents a boutique hotel experience with a wide variety of amenities,” Kettler said in a press release. “The lobby ‘great room’ will be the central gathering space bridging Crystal City’s bustling 18th Street with the building’s tranquil outdoor courtyard. The Wi-Fi enabled common areas will include a state-of-art fitness center, media lounge and conference room. The rooftop terrace will be a place  to both relax and entertain, offering residents a pool with sun deck, kitchen with bar and BBQ grills, and an entertainment lounge centered around  a fireplace.”

The apartment building is proposed to be LEED Silver certified, with a number of sustainable features including recharging stations for electric cars.

“Our plans for the redevelopment of the former post office will catalyze the transformation of Crystal City’s western gateway,” said Stephan Rodiger, Vice President of Multifamily for Kettler, in a statement. “We envision the new development providing an anchor to the revitalizing western gateway, bringing a younger urban professional demographic to an area that is poised to be a truly livable and dynamic neighborhood.”

Assuming its plans are ultimately approved by Arlington County, Kettler hopes to break ground on the new building by the end of 2013.

Einstein Bros. Bagels Offering Grand Opening Freebies

By Katie Pyzyk

Einstein Bros. Bagels is officially opening its first store in the area tomorrow. To celebrate, it’s giving away free bagels for a year to some lucky visitors.

The restaurant will be located in the Crystal Gateway Marriott (1700 Jefferson Davis Hwy) and will open to the public at 6:00 a.m.

“We are excited to present Einstein Bros. Bagels to the Crystal City neighborhood,” said Crystal Gateway Marriott General Manager Sharon Lockwood in a press release. “With over 2,000 guests walking through our lobby each day, we are proud to provide them with a quick and convenient meal.”

The first 100 people in line when the restaurant opens tomorrow will receive coupons for one free breakfast sandwich each week for one year. To be eligible, customers must be at least 18 years old and have a valid photo ID. The coupons are valid only at the new Crystal Gateway location.

Bicycle Derby to Take Over Crystal City Parking Garage

By Katie Pyzyk

Expect to see a lot more bicycles in Crystal City this weekend. Saturday is the inaugural Crystal City Diamond Derby.

Unlike most other bike races, this one takes place indoors at the parking garage at 1850 Crystal Drive. Both amateur and competitive cyclists will take part in events and attempt to win awards and prize money.

Spectators can enjoy a free party throughout the day at the lounge, which includes a large screen to watch the action, live music and a cash bar. An outdoor midway will be set up with vendors, food and a bicyclist sprint lane.

Activities start at 2:00 p.m., but the major competitions take place from 4:30-9:30 p.m. They’re immediately followed by an awards ceremony, then the Diamond Derby Ball which runs from 10:30 p.m. to midnight.

Although the event is free and open to the public, registration and fees are required for competitors.

Disclosure: Crystal City BID is an ARLnow.com advertiser

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