A female escort was held against her will and sexually assaulted in a Crystal City hotel room last week, according to the latest Arlington County crime report.

ABDUCTION WITH INTENT TO DEFILE / SEXUAL ASSAULT, 01/19/12, 2000 block of S. Jefferson Davis Highway. On January 19, around 8 pm, a female escort was held against her will in a hotel room while an unknown male sexually assaulted her. The suspect is a black male, 30-39, 170 lbs.

This is the third time in recent memory that a crime against an escort has been reported in Crystal City. A local man was arrested on Nov. 4, 2010, after allegedly forcing two prostitutes to perform sex acts at gunpoint. Then on Dec. 15, 2011, a female escort was robbed of cash at gunpoint on the 2000 block of Jefferson Davis Highway.

Also in Crystal City last week, several men are accused of going to a 23rd Street nail salon, then skipping out on the bill. One suspect even allegedly took $1,500 from an employee’s purse.

GRAND LARCENY, 01/18/12, 500 block of S. 23rd Street. On January 17 at 4 pm, five suspects entered a nail salon, received service and left without paying. While distracting salon staff, one of the subjects stole $1,500 cash from an employee’s purse. All suspects were black males, 25-30 years of age; however three were dressed in female clothes and wore wigs.

Finally, a young woman is accused of robbing a juvenile at gunpoint during a pot deal in the East Falls Church area.

ARMED ROBBERY, 01/24/12, 2600 block of N. Winchester Street. Shortly after 6 pm on January 24, an unknown female suspect brandished a handgun and robbed a juvenile for $100 cash during a marijuana deal. Immediately after, the female fled the scene in a green SUV driven by another party. The suspect is described as an Asian female, approximately 18 years old, 5’5″, 120lbs, with a dark mole under her left eye.

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

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Crystal City will play host to Artomatic this year.

The popular, periodic arts event will take over the Transwestern Presidential Tower at 2511 S. Clark Street from May 18 to June 24. More than 76,000 visitors attended the last Artomatic, in 2009. The event featured more than 2,500 artists and performers. While the 2009 Artomatic was held in D.C., Crystal City hosted the event in 2007.

Described as an “open-entry creative arts showcase of visual art, music, film, performance, poetry and fashion,” Artomatic promises to transform the Transwestern tower into a “vibrant arts communit[y] that celebrate[s] creativity.”

Said a press release: “Every night of the event, thousands of people visit Artomatic to discover new art, grab a drink, listen to music, go on dates, and mingle with the creative community… No matter what kind of creative events you like, you’ll find something to like at Artomatic.”

The event is free for visitors and the process for submitting art is open on a first-come, first serve basis. Artomatic also features daytime art workshops for kids.

Organizers say they’re excited that the event is returning to Crystal City.

“Crystal City is the perfect partner to take Artomatic to the next level in 2012,” said co-founder George Koch. “With the largest exhibit space we’ve ever had, we’re excited to host the biggest event in Artomatic’s history.”


MLK Day in Arlington — Arlington County government offices, libraries, and schools will be closed today in observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. See the full list of closures here. ARLnow.com will return for a full day of news coverage on Tuesday.

GGW Endorses Bondi — The influential local blog Greater Greater Washington has endorsed Melissa Bondi in the upcoming Democratic caucus for Arlington County Board. GGW said Bondi’s “experience, openness to citizen input and dedication to smart urban development” outweighs her recent “tax controversies.” [Greater Greater Washington]

Wardian Runs Two Marathons in Two Days — Local marathoner Michael Wardian didn’t qualify for the 2012 London Olympics, but he did manage to run two marathons in two days, attracting some media attention in the process. [Houston Chronicle]

Tattoo Convention Comes to Crystal City — The Crystal Gateway Marriott in Crystal City hosted the second annual D.C. Tattoo Expo over the weekend. Organizers expected the event to attract about 10,000 tattoo aficionados. [Washington Post]

Flickr pool photo by mj*laflaca


If you’re looking to sip some wine without worrying too much about calories, this weekend’s 1K Wine Walk in Crystal City may be up your alley.

Walkers can sample more than 30 different wines while walking a 1K indoor course through the Crystal City Shops (2200 Crystal Drive). Participants can use their 20 tasting tickets on wine or snacks. Walkers also receive a t-shirt upon crossing the finish line.

Tickets are sold for different “heat” times that start every half hour from 2:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Many of the heats are already sold out, and organizers expect all heats to be filled by the time the weekend arrives.

Tickets are $35 and $40, and can be purchased online. Tickets for the inaugural 1K Beer Walk next weekend can be purchased on the same website.

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


(Updated at 2:20 p.m.) There’s no shortage of variety at Hee Been Asian Bistro Buffet, a new restaurant located between Crystal City and Potomac Yard at 3600 S. Glebe Road.

Hee Been’s nearly 80-foot-long dinner buffet features some 85 different items representing three different types of cuisine: Korean, Japanese and Thai. The buffet offerings include soups and salads, a wide selection of freshly-prepared sushi and sashimi, hot and cold noodle dishes, grilled-to-order steaks, various types of seafood and Korean specialties, plus fresh fruit and desserts (tip: try the cold cinnamon tea).

The family-owned restaurant has been off to a relatively slow start since its Christmas Day soft opening, thanks in part to its inconspicuous location. Hee Been is located at the back of the off-street cluster of eateries and shops on the ground floor of the relatively new Eclipse condominium building in the far southeast corner of Arlington County. Though in close proximity to busy Jefferson Davis Highway (Route 1), the restaurant’s existence is hardly noticeable to anybody who doesn’t live in the Eclipse.

Hee Been, with its modern interior and soft background music, is open for both lunch and dinner. The weekday all-you-can-eat buffet prices are $14.99 for lunch and $26.99 for dinner. Weekend prices are a couple of dollars higher. The lunch features most of the selection of the dinner buffet, we’re told, minus some of the higher end items like the crab legs and grilled-to-order steaks.

In addition to the buffet, Hee Been offers a la carte options like Bento boxes and bibimbap. The restaurant also has a full bar with beer, wine and cocktails. Among the specialties are Korean beers like Cass and OB and bottled drinks like Bek Se Ju and Chum-Churum. A happy hour menu, still in development, promises beers as low as $2, cocktails as low as $5 and half-priced wines.


A new coffee shop and a new eatery are coming soon to Crystal City.

Interior construction is underway at a new Seattle’s Best Coffee location at 2450 Crystal Drive. The owners were originally hoping to open the store, which is now hiring, in mid-November. No word yet on when the store is now expected to open.

Also coming soon to Crystal City: a new California Tortilla location. The local Mexican restaurant chain is planning on opening a location on the southern portion of Crystal Drive, according to a source familiar with the plans.

The new California Tortilla — which would join the company’s Courthouse and Reagan National Airport locations in Arlington — will compete with a nearby Chipotle at 2231 Crystal Drive and with the District Taco cart, which makes regular visits to Crystal City.


Crystal City is planning to transform an underground parking garage into a “distinctive cycling obstacle course” in March for the inaugural “Crystal City Diamond Derby.”

The derby will allow “competitive, casual and chic cyclists” alike to ride around an obstacle course in a massive parking garage under the Bureau of National Affairs building (1801 S. Bell Street) in Crystal City. The event will have an “edgy, glitzy” diamond theme, and participants will be encouraged to wear denim, rhinestones and derby caps.

To help organize the event, the Crystal City Business Improvement District is partnering with Dandies & Quaintrelles, the group that organizes the Tweed Ride and Seersucker Social, two annual vintage-inspired cycling events in D.C.

The derby — which is scheduled for Saturday, March 10 — will be open to both riders and spectators. For those not riding, there will be lounges and spectator viewing areas featuring music, food and drinks. There will also be diamond-themed art on display.

Registration is expected to open in early 2012.

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


Starting next year, two one-way portions of Crystal Drive are set to be converted to two-way roads — a move that planners hope will prepare the Crystal City area for future development and a proposed transitway.

The first phase of the project will add a southbound lane to the portion of Crystal Drive between 12th Street and 15th Street, just north of the Crystal City water park. It will also convert a one-way section of S. Clark Street between 12th and 15th Streets to a two-way road. Construction on this phase of the project is expected to begin in the spring of 2012 and wrap up in winter 2012.

A second phase is expected to begin construction in fall 2012. That phase will add a southbound lane to the one-way portion of Crystal Drive between 23rd Street and 27th Street. Changes will also be make to 27th Street, which runs between the Courtyard by Marriott and the Hyatt Regency hotels.

“The Crystal Drive Two-Way Conversion project will begin to establish the street network needed to support future development and transit improvements planned by the Crystal City Sector Plan and Crystal City Multimodal Study,” Arlington County said on the project website. “The intent of the project is to improve the navigability of Crystal City by converting Crystal Drive and the surrounding street network from a one-way to a two-way directional roadway.”

In addition to converting traffic lanes, the project will also add new traffic signals, street trees, ADA-compatible intersection upgrades and a new southbound bicycle lane.

Drivers can expect lane closures during the construction project.


Looming Defense Cuts Worry Some in Crystal City — Some Crystal City business owners are worried about the ripple effects that could be caused by billions in looming Defense Department cuts. Others, however, are more optimistic about the prospect of military-related offices moving out and a more diverse employment base moving in. [Public Radio International]

Zimmerman Endorses Bondi — Democratic County Board candidate Melissa Bondi has scored another relatively high-profile endorsement. County Board Chairman Chris Zimmerman has joined fellow Board member Walter Tejada in endorsing Bondi’s campaign. [Bondi for County Board]

Swearing-In Ceremonies Set — The dates are set for the swearing in of the winners of November’s county elections. Re-elected County Board members Walter Tejada and Mary Hynes will be sworn in on the evening of Tuesday, Dec. 13. New Commonwealth’s Attorney Theo Stamos, meanwhile, will be sworn in on the evening of Thursday, Dec. 15. That ceremony will also feature the swearing in of several re-elected county officials: Sheriff Beth Arthur, Commissioner of Revenue Ingrid Morroy, and Treasurer Frank O’Leary.


Via the Montreal Gazette, of all places, comes word that Capitals star Alex Ovechkin’s new girlfriend has been hanging around Arlington as of late.

Russian tennis star Maria Kirilenko has been photographed working out with the George Washington University tennis team, presumably at the indoor Sport & Health Club courts in Crystal City. She has also been spotted at Capitals practices, presumably at the Kettler Capitals Iceplex in Ballston, according to the Gazette.

Ovechkin, who lives in a $1.6 million home in Arlington’s Waycroft-Woodlawn neighborhood, recently confirmed the relationship by Tweeting out a photo of the happy couple (left). Before that Tweet, however, the Gazette could only speculate as to why Kirilenko seemed to be spending so much time in our fair county.

“In all seriousness, putting aside the fact that this is pretty good gossip, if you’re a Russian tennis player and you choose … Arlington, Va. for some indoor practice, it’s probably not because you’re an American history buff,” the paper said.

Let us know via email or the comments if you spot Ovie and his new GF out on the town.


A new gourmet wine shop is coming to the northern end of Crystal City, according to a permit application recently filed with the Virginia Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control.

The “Crystal City Wine Shop” — as the store is called in the application — will be located on the ground floor of the Lenox Club apartment building at 401 S. 12th Street.

A phone number listed for the Crystal City Wine Shop on Facebook is the same as that of the Washington Wine Academy, which operates a wine and beer education center at 1201 S. Eads Street, across the street from the future wine store.


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