End of the Rainbow Found — During yesterday’s sunny downpour in Pentagon City, we spotted the actual end of the rainbow. Turns out it’s the shuttered Crystal City Motel on Old Jefferson Davis Highway. Bad news for anyone wanting to search for a pot of gold: you’ll first have to scale the high fence around the decaying property.
Library Book Sale This Weekend — Central Library (1015 N. Quincy St.) is holding its two-day Friends of the Library Summer Book Sale this coming Friday and Saturday. The sale will take place outside, next to the garden and the tennis courts. See the Library Blog for more info.
Crystal City Apartment Building Sold — The Hampton Apartments at 1425 South Eads Street have been sold for a cool $33.5 million to Arlington-based MRP Realty and New York City-based Angelo, Gordon & Co. This article about the sale suggests that the relatively moderately-priced apartments may be ripe for renovation, which could turn the building into “a Class A asset in one of the top D.C. submarkets.”
That’s right, we have yet another new restaurant in Crystal City to tell you about. Following in the mold of the others (Jimmy John’s, Chick-Fil-A, Buffalo Wild Wings, Pizza Autentica) this one has a loyal following and will likely attract a large lunchtime crowd.
Bozzelli’s Italian Deli will be opening next to the Starbucks at 2600 Crystal Drive, on the ground floor of the Concord apartment building. It will serve the same fresh Italian fare — subs, salads, pasta and pizza — that has generated some intense customer loyalty at its original Springfield, Va. location.
A building permit and a “coming soon” sign are posted at the front of the future storefront.
A big thank you to Doug Wendt for the tip and the photo.
Update on 7/30: We’re told to expect a late September or early October opening.
Chick-Fil-A, Buffalo Wild Wings, Pizza Autentica, and now… Jimmy John’s Gourmet Sandwiches. The Illinois-based chain will be joining the increasingly vibrant casual restaurant scene in Crystal City, ARLnow.com has learned. It will be the chain’s first Arlington restaurant.
The new Jimmy John’s will be located on 23rd Street, next to the future Buffalo Wild Wings and Pizza Autentica restaurants. No word yet on when it will open.
Jimmy John’s has a short and simple menu but a large and loyal following, much like Chick-Fil-A, which is expected to open next month just down the road on Crystal Drive.
Over the weekend, an ugly and outmoded pedestrian bridge over 18th Street in Crystal City was torn down with little fanfare or community objection. The bridge’s fate is symbolic of the changes that will be taking place in Crystal City over the next 40 years.
Tonight the County Board is expected to advertise public hearings on the blandly-named but far-reaching Crystal City Sector Plan 2050.
A new entrance to the Crystal City Metro Station, to be built at the corner of 18th Street and Crystal Drive (see video below).
A Crystal Drive streetcar line that will run to the Potomac Yard shopping center in Alexandria. The line will also connect with the planned Columbia Pike streetcar line in Pentagon City.
Removal of a number of older buildings.
Realignment of Clark and Bell Streets and pedestrian improvements.
Creation of additional green space.
Improved streetscapes and public art.
Attracting a grocery store and additional residential development, including affordable housing.
The improvements are expected to cost $163 million during the first two phases of the project, from 2011 to 2020. Expected new tax revenues as a result of the improvements are expected to bring in $200 million during that time frame, more than offsetting the costs. The federal government and the state are also expected to chip in with funds for the development.
Since Crystal City is already a dense, urban neighborhood, the plan will likely face little of the public opposition currently dogging the East Falls Church development plan. Some residents of nearby Aurora Highlands have expressed concerns about increased traffic, but so far residents of Crystal City proper seem mostly unaware of the plan.
Another challenge — getting approval from the FAA for constructing new, taller buildings — has been partially accomplished. An FAA feasibility study has green-lit the first phases of the project, pending periodic reviews to see if building heights could interfere with aircraft and ground radar at Reagan National Airport.
We took a walking tour around Crystal City with County Board Vice-Chairman Chris Zimmerman and Crystal City Business Improvement District President Angela Fox to get an idea of what the new Crystal City will look like. Below we highlight the intersection of Crystal Drive and 18th Street. This is the first in a series of videos.
McGruff the Crime Dog has been encouraging kids to “Take a Bite Out of Crime” for 30 years now. To celebrate McGruff’s big anniversary, the Crystal City-based National Crime Prevention Council has spruced up the old dog’s look.
Perhaps sensing that a mascot who talks to children while wearing a trench coat with nothing underneath is a bit suspect, the new McGruff now sports a shirt and tie, along with less frumpy-looking slacks and shoes.
In addition to a new look, McGruff has a new mission: to help prevent bullying. And who better to talk about bullying than someone who got punched in the face by a Metrobus driver?
Just don’t expect McGruff to get “too preachy.”
“We knew that if our audience caught us talking down to them, we wouldn’t be effective,” said Adam Kline, who wrote the screenplay to McGruff’s new animated video. “So while we treated the subject earnestly, we always tried to inject some comedy.”
You heard right, kids — get ready for a wisecracking but earnest crime dog wearing business casual, coming to a school/computer screen/bus stop near you.
Two days after reporting that Buffalo Wild Wings will be bringing some nightlife to Crystal City, we can report that D.C. pizza chain Pizza Autentica will be one of BW3’s new neighbors.
Pizza Autentica, run by prolific casual restaurateur Hakan Ilhan, has leased a space in the same building at 23rd Street and Crystal Drive as Buffalo Wild Wings. In downtown D.C., Pizza Autentica is primarily a lunchtime destination. There’s no word so far whether this new location will also serve a nighttime crowd.
Don’t expect the gourmet, wood-fired treatment at Pizza Autentica, but it will be nice to have an above-ground pizza place in an increasingly vibrant portion of Crystal City.
Crystal City has been looking to attract just the right business — a bold-faced name that could convince local office workers to stay in the neighborhood for a drink or three while also drawing in people who don’t otherwise live or work in Crystal City.
They may have found just the right place.
Buffalo Wild Wings has just signed a lease for a currently-unoccupied retail space across from Jaleo at 23rd Street and Crystal Drive. The popular beer-wings-and-sports joint should attract quite a crowd.
It will be the sixth ‘BW3‘ in the area, one of two that are near a Metro station (in addition to the Rockville location), and the closest to D.C. proper.
No word yet on when the restaurant will be opening.
It will be a weekend full of bicycle racing and major street closures in Arlington, thanks to the Air Force Cycling Classic.
On Saturday, the 13th annual Clarendon Cup will feature races by amateur and professional cyclists. The amateur races will take place between 8:oo and 10:00 a.m. The Women’s Elite Race follows, with the Men’s Pro Race taking place between noon and 2:15 p.m.
On Sunday the action moves to Crystal City. There will be a non-competitive Crystal Ride for cycling enthusiasts of all abilities, from 7:30 to 11:00 a.m. The Men’s Pro Race will depart from the Air Force Memorial at 11:30 a.m. The Women’s Elite Race and a Amateur race will follow. A bike expo will be held in Crystal City throughout the festivities.
A Federation? A ghom? Whatever you want to call it, a heck of a lot of Star Trek fans attended the Crystal Screen showing of Star Trek: The Motion Picture last night on Bell Street in Crystal City.
Star Trek, featuring the swashbuckling William Shatner and measured voice-of-reason Leonard Nimoy, was the first film shown as part of Crystal City’s Star Trek-themed, summer-long outdoor film festival.
Each installment of the Star Trek series plays Monday evenings at dusk in chronological order, which means next week will spotlight the 1982 classic Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan*.
Audience members are encouraged to bring blankets and a few snacks. While a few Star Trek fans could be seen in Federation t-shirts, it seemed that most fans left their Spock ears and other costumes at home.
Following yesterday’s boffo Trekkie turnout, Crystal City announced today a new contest for residents who want to vote on which films will be featured during next year’s film film. The series will adopt the theme “By the Numbers” and feature twelve films with numbers in their title (for example: The Whole Nine Yards or The 40 Year Old Virgin).
Visit http://www.crystalcity.org/ to vote for your favorite numbered film (or suggest your own, although the existing list of numbered films is pretty exhaustive). Crystal City will announce the twelve winning films on August 16, before the last film of the season (last year’s Star Trek, the blockbuster J. J. Abrams relaunch of the franchise).
* Speaking of Wrath of Khan (fun fact), did you know that Marc Okrand of the Washington Shakespeare Company is the original inventor of the Klingon language? Furthermore, the Rosslyn Spectrum and Marc Okrand are producing the Shakespeare play By Any Other Name entirely in Klingon this September, and it will feature George Takei in person. Repeat:George Takei reciting Shakespeare in Klingon at the Rosslyn Spectrum this September.
Thousands of motorcyclists have flocked to the area for the annual Rolling Thunder “Ride For Freedom.” In addition to raising awareness to POW/MIA concerns, the bikers are also here to have some fun.
The epicenter for post-ride fun seems to be Crystal City’s Hyatt and Hilton hotels. Between blocking off part of the street to facilitate an impromptu Electric Slide line dance, chugging koozie-concealed beers and grabbing a bite to eat at the Chili’s outdoor patio, it’s like a big block party for those with Harleys and leather vests.
Crystal City has been looking to attract just the right business — a bold-faced name that could convince local office workers to stay in the neighborhood for a drink or three while also drawing in people who don’t otherwise live or work in Crystal City.
