Mother’s Day

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Sunrise on Route 50 (photo by J.D. Moore)

Rosslyn to Lose ‘Tallest Building’ Crown — Rosslyn may eventually lose its distinction as the home of the tallest building in the D.C. region. The under-construction 1812 N. Moore Street office building in Rosslyn will soon claim the ‘tallest building’ crown, but a planned tower in Alexandria and a proposed skyscraper in Tysons will be taller. [Greater Greater Washington]

Bicycle ‘Hibernation’ is Over — The number of bicyclists on local trails is spiking as the weather becomes warmer. Bike Arlington says of the seasonal ridership spike: “Winter hibernation for Arlingtonian riders is over.” [Bike Arlington]

Books for ‘Mummy’ — Just in time for Mother’s Day, Arlington Public Library is out with some suggested reading and viewing on the topic of “mummies.” [Arlington Public Library]

Flickr pool photo by J.D. Moore

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Mother’s Day Weekend — Sunday is Mother’s Day and, just in case you’re the type to make last minute plans, here are some brunch ideas from around Arlington.

Route 1 Streetcar Compromise? — Arlington and Alexandria officials are considering a compromise that could end their reported impasse over the planned Route 1 streetcar project. Under the compromise, the streetcar line that starts in Crystal City would end at the new Potomac Yard Metro station in Alexandria, instead of at the Braddock Road Metro station, as originally proposed. [Connection Newspapers]

Employee Fired Over Rosslyn Derailment — A Metro track worker has been fired following last month’s derailment at the Rosslyn Metro station. [WTOP]

Cocaine Trafficking Ring Busted — Twenty-eight individuals have been arrested and charged with operating a cocaine trafficking ring in Northern Virginia. Five of those arrested are said to be Arlington residents. The Arlington County Police Department and other local agencies assisted the FBI in the investigation. [U.S. Attorney’s Office]

MMA Studio Coming to Columbia Pike — A new mixed martial arts studio called Pentagon MMA is coming to the former Kayak Station space on S. Edgewood Street, along Columbia Pike. [Along the Pike]

Morning Poll: Mother’s Day Spending

By ARLnow.com

Mother’s Day is big business in the U.S.

Between the cards, the flowers, the brunches and all the other accoutrements, Sunday’s little holiday for mom will have many local businesses seeing green. Of course, it’s the thought that counts, not the price tag — but we were wondering how much you were planning on spending on your own mother this weekend.

(If your mother is no longer with us, you may tell us how much you’re planning on spending on your wife or any other important mom in your life.)

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Affordable Apartments Get Green Certification — The 36-unit Macedonian apartment complex in Green Valley has become the first EarthCraft-certified new multifamily building in Arlington and the most energy-efficient EarthCraft building in Northern Virginia. The affordable apartments, at 2229 Shirlington Road, received the green building certification thanks to a special central heating and cooling system, foam insulation and other high-efficiency components. The building is a partnership between affordable housing nonprofit AHC Inc. and the Macedonia Baptist Church. [AHC Inc.]

Jail to Host Mother’s Day Event — The Arlington Sheriff’s Office will be hosting its bi-annual Incarcerated Mother’s Holiday Program at the county lockup Monday night, one day after Mother’s Day. From 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., female inmates will get the chance to have a “contact visit” with their children within the jail. The event will feature a card exchange, dinner and bonding time. “The program is designed to strengthen and encourage mothers to have positive relationships with their minor children to help lessen the impact and effects of separation,” the Sheriff’s Office said in a press release.

New Site Fixes and Features — We made some fixes and added some features to the site overnight. Among the changes: the comment problem we described yesterday has been resolved, we’ve added new fields to your user profiles, and the forums are now operational. Note that there are still some bugs to be worked out with the forums and with user profiles, especially for Internet Explorer users. Please let us know what you think of the changes in the comments.

Last-Minute Mother’s Day Ideas

By Ashley Houghton

Your mother deserves more than a phone call and a picture frame made of Popsicle sticks on Mother’s Day. A card and flowers are a nice start. But there are also some mom-friendly gifts and activities to consider this weekend.

For the crafty mother: The first day of the Ballston Arts & Crafts Market (in Welburn Square, between N. 9th and N. Stuart Streets) is on Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Expect plenty of delightful, handmade gifts that will impress your mother much more than anything YOU could have put together at the last minute.

For the musical mother: The Opera Guild of Northern Virginia is holding a benefit concert for the children of Haiti from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m. on Sunday at the NRECA Building (4301 Wilson Blvd).  The music will range from arias to swing and there will also be an art sale — a great opportunity to show that your mother raised a charitable, thoughtful son or daughter.

For the hungry mother: The Sunday brunch at Eatbar (2761 Washington Blvd), featuring popular G-rated movies on the restaurant’s big screen, is a local family favorite. Instead of breakfast in bed (so clichéd), mom can be watching The Incredibles, eating some eggs Benedict, and drinking mimosas as you reminisce about your childhood.

For the green thumb mother: Don’t want to buy flowers? Crystal City is holding its very intensely-named “Floral Frenzy Bulb Blitz” on Friday. From 9:00 and 11:00 a.m., the fine folks at Crystal City BID will provide you with a trowel so you can dig up tulip bulbs from the area between the 2100 and 2200 blocks of Crystal Drive. Several thousand bulbs must be removed to make way for new landscaping. Why not take ’em home and plant them around mom’s house?

For the outdoorsy mother: Sunday is supposed to be sunny and gorgeous.  Take your mother out for a picnic or a walk at one of Arlington’s many parks. It’s not just a great opportunity to spend quality time with your mother, it’s also FREE.

For the really, really last-minute gift: Modern Companies, which owns a day spa and a number of local nail salons, is holding a contest for Mother’s Day. Anyone who follows Modern Companies on Twitter or Facebook over the next four days could win a $100 manicure/spa gift card.  The only downside is that you find out whether you win the gift card ON Mother’s Day.  (We suggest a backup gift, just to be on the safe side.)

Photo by Dr. Case.