Crystal City

How George W. Bush Helped Make a Street Art Exhibit Possible

By ARLnow.com

As G-40: The Summit, Crystal City’s ambitious street art exhibit, comes to a close this weekend, it’s worthwhile to look back and see how it came about.

Much of the credit can be given to Art Whino and Shane Pomajambo, who curated the massive 75,000 square foot show, and to the Crystal City Business Improvement District, which came up with the initial concept and brought together Pomajambo, funding, and the space at 223 23rd Street South.

But there’s someone else who deserves some credit: former president George W. Bush. It was Bush who approved the recommendations of the Base Realignment and Closure Commission in 2005. BRAC required many of the military agencies that inhabit office buildings in Crystal City to move to cheaper, more secure locations.

By BRAC law, about four million square feet of office space in Crystal City must be vacated by September 2011. Along with the offices will go thousands of jobs, a serious economic blow that the federal, state and county governments are trying to cushion.

Crystal City BID, formed in 2006, was essentially an off-shoot of BRAC. A business improvement district for Crystal City had been discussed prior to BRAC, but BRAC was the catalyst for the county to take action to reverse Crystal City’s stodgy, unfashionable image and to attract new residents and businesses.

Around the time of Crystal City BID’s founding, an Arlington BRAC Transition Task Force recommended the establishment of a marketing arm for Crystal City. That role was filled by the BID.

Ever since, the BID has been organizing events intended to make Crystal City a hipper, more livable place — a “destination” rather than a place that empties out after quittin’ time.

A perfect event to show off Crystal City’s new “edgy, provocative and engaging” side, to convince prospective residents and businesses that the neighborhood is no longer a drab stretch of nondescript government offices? A street art exhibit.

So celebrate the irony of a Republican president and a multi-billion dollar Department of Defense initiative helping to facilitate a decidedly R-rated art exhibition (there are some things you definitely don’t want the kids to see) by attending the G-40 closing party Saturday night. See our events calendar for more information. If you can’t make it Saturday, the exhibit will also be open Tuesday Wednesday night.

G-40 Artist Alexa Meade Blowing Up

By ARLnow.com

Three weeks ago, 23-year-old Alexa Meade was passing out business cards to reporters  gathered for the media preview night of G-40: The Summit in Crystal City. Now, she’s somewhat of an “it” girl in the art world. Her acrylic on flesh work, a fascinating study in the intersection of art and reality, is winning copious praise in the media and on the internet.

Between the Washington Post profile, the exhibit at the famous London art gallery, and the social networking hype, Meade has become an overnight sensation.

Did it happen thanks to the exposure from G-40? That would certainly make for a good story for organizers Art Whino and Crystal City BID.

Alas, Meade says G-40 — where she created this surreal scene — actually happened before she hit the blogosphere.

“It wasn’t relevant to the big spike,” she said in an email.

Oh, well. The well-received exhibit will have to rest on its own laurels.

G-40 is now in the home stretch before closing night. Check it out between 5:00 and 10:00 tonight, at 223 23rd Street South in Crystal City.

G-40 Artists Arrested Before Show

By ARLnow.com

Two artists invited to showcase their work at the G-40: The Summit exhibition in Crystal City were arrested last month after allegedly defacing the roof of the building where the show is now being held.

Maura Judkis of the Washington City Paper reports that two street artists known as Scotch and Jik spent four days in the Arlington County lockup. Police said they caused more than $1,000 in damage to the Plaza Five building at 223 S. 23rd Street.

More from the Washington City Paper.

Melting Snow Reveals Dirt, Electronics

By ARLnow.com

Succumbing to 60 degree temperatures, melting snow piles are revealing their secrets, giving way to dirt and some interesting debris.

In the parking lot of the defunct Crystal City Motel, what was once a mountain of snow that almost reached the building’s second floor is rapidly becoming a wide expanse of wet filth.

Elsewhere in Crystal City, a battered digital camera sat in the middle of a traffic lane where a pile of snow one stood. How it got there is anyone’s guess, but it’s clear it was run over, perhaps multiple times. Assumedly, it had been there, covered with snow, for at least a month.

Riding the Mt. Vernon Trail With Gary Fisher

By ARLnow.com

It was a bit of a surreal experience. Nearly 30 cyclists, bike lights leading the way, heading down the darkened Mt. Vernon Trail. One rider in the convoy is on her Gary Fisher bike. Another rider is Gary Fisher.

Fisher arrived at Revolution Cycles City Hub in Crystal City shortly after 7:00 Tuesday night. Dressed in a horizontal stripe  suit, high argyle socks and a cap befitting someone on a fox hunt, Mr. Fisher cordially greeted the Revolution employees, Crystal City BID honchos and cycling enthusiasts who gathered outside the store. He signed bikes and bike parts, and posed for more photos than should have reasonably been asked of him.

The ride only went as far as the Humpback Bridge before turning off for an impromptu, bike light-fueled “campfire” near the Potomac. Then, despite the unusually pleasant weather, it was back to Crystal City.

It was neither an endurance challenge nor a race, but the ride was exhilarating for the sheer novelty of riding a mountain bike next to the guy who literally invented mountain bikes.

More photos, after the jump.

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Bike Legend Gary Fisher Leading Ride in Crystal City Tonight

By ARLnow.com

The first customer of Revolution Cycles City Hub, a brand new bike rental store in Crystal City, was no less than Gary Fisher himself. The legendary bike maker is in town this week for the National Bike Summit.

“At first we didn’t believe it,” said Revolution Cycles marketing manager Chris Huller. “We couldn’t ask for a better person to kick this off.”

Fisher, who rented a Trek bike with a polka dot saddlebag, told the staff he’d return tonight to lead a “tweet ride,” a group ride promoted on Twitter.

The ride will leave the City Hub store at 220 20th Street South, near the McCormick and Schmick’s, around 7:00 tonight, Huller said. The destination has not yet been set, but it’s likely to head into the District, possibly ending up at a bar.

City Hub, meanwhile, will have its “semi-official” opening tomorrow at 11:00 a.m. The store will rent bikes for $5 per hour or $35 per day.

City Hub will only rent bikes; it will not sell bikes. Huller says the store’s concept of “a bikeless bike shop” is new for the industry.

Beam Me Up, Crystal City

By ARLnow.com

Crystal City’s Crystal Screen series is returning this summer with a theme that all generations of sci-fi fans will surely cheer. Every Monday night, starting on June 7, Crystal City will screen a different Star Trek movie.

The series will start with 1979’s original Star Trek: The Motion Picture, and will conclude on August 16 with last year’s Star Trek, J. J. Abrams’ well-received, contemporary take on the franchise.

Like last year, the big screen will be set up at 18th and Bell Street, across from the Crystal City Metro Station. Crystal City BID has more information.

Grand Opening Giveaway At New Crystal City Spa

By ARLnow.com

About a year and a half ago, the local and national news media went gaga for a delightfully quirky new service: fish pedicures. It was offered by Yvonne’s, a hair salon and day spa in Alexandria. Fish pedicure stories appeared on numerous network and cable news shows, as reporters and anchors debated the pedicure’s sanitary merits.

Well, now Crystal City residents don’t have to drive down to Alexandria to have their toes nipped at by tiny flesh-eating fish. Yvonne’s is opening up a new location in the Market Square at Potomac Yard development (3650 S. Glebe Road), near the Harris Teeter.

For their grand opening celebration tomorrow (Saturday), Yvonne’s is giving away $50 gift cards to the first 100 customers. The gift cards are going fast but, if you don’t make it in time, a small block of gift cards is being set aside for ARLnow.com readers. Just be sure to say that you heard about the promotion here.

I-395 Exit to Rt. 1 Still Closed

By ARLnow.com

Update at 8:00 p.m. — All lanes are now open.

Traffic is backing up on I-395 South as confused drivers slow down at what is usually the busy exit to Route 1. Instead of an exit, commuters are encountering orange barrels.

Even though Arlington County road crews have opened up one left lane of southbound Jefferson Davis Highway (Rt. 1) in Crystal City following last night’s water main breaks, VDOT is keeping the I-395 exit closed, perhaps out of worries about the thoroughfare being able to handle rush hour commuter traffic.

Arlington County says the middle lane of southbound Jeff Davis should open around 6:00 p.m. tonight. The far right lane “may also open later.”

The faulty water pressure regulator that caused last night’s water main breaks has been turned off, according to the county. Meanwhile, crews are still working to repair a water main break on South Eads Street.

Traffic Trouble: Only One Lane of SB Rt. 1 Will Be Open Tonight

By ARLnow.com

Update at 2:10 p.m. — South Eads Street, which runs parallel to Route 1 from Pentagon City to S. Glebe Road, is not a viable option as an alternate route past 23rd Street. Eads is currently closed between Ft. Scott Drive and S. Glebe Road while crews work to fix another water main break.

Arlington County is warning that only one lane of southbound Jefferson Davis Highway (Rt. 1) in Crystal City will be open in time for tonight’s evening rush hour. The continued lane closures will likely cause major backups for commuters throughout South Arlington.

A series of water main breaks last night caused sections of Route 1 between 23rd St. and 27th St. (near the ramp to Reagan National Airport) to collapse. The breaks have been fixed, but road repair work has gone more slowly than originally anticipated.

Late last night, the county said they were working to reopen southbound Route 1 by the morning rush hour. This morning, engineers said they hoped to have all lanes open by 4:00 p.m. Now, we’re told that one left lane will be open, hopefully by 3:30 p.m.

In otherwise light traffic this afternoon, the closure pushed cars onto side streets, backing up exits and turn lanes off of northbound Jefferson Davis Highway.

Drivers should consider the George Washington Parkway or I-395 as an alternate route tonight, but those already-busy thoroughfares will likely see backups due to increased traffic volume.

South Clark Street, which can be accessed via the I-395 South exit to Boundary Channel Drive, is another option, but it too will likely be backed up.

Commuters coming into Virginia via I-395 can also consider taking Arlington Ridge Road to S. Glebe Road to Route 1 as an alternate route.

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