A lit candle celebrating Diwali (via Wilson Matthew/Unsplash)
DC Dosa warm carrot pudding (courtesy of DC Dosa)
The Water Park in Crystal City will be illuminated tomorrow evening in celebration of the annual Hindu festival, Diwali.
On Friday, from 6-9 p.m., the park will transform into a luminous display of floating lanterns and sparklers, symbolizing the triumph of light over darkness in the Hindu religion.
The evening’s activities include a dance performance by Bethesda-based Kalanidhi Dance and music from a live DJ.
One of the food kiosks at the water park, DC Dosa, which specializes in South Indian street food, will serve a special Diwali treat: gajar halwa, a warm carrot pudding infused with almonds, raisins and cardamom.
The water park at 1601 Crystal Drive reopened last month after a 3-year renovation. The 1.6-acre outdoor food hall and park has 11 different food vendors as well as a bar and performance stage.
D.C.-based Falafel Inc. opened a new brick and mortar at the newly renovated Crystal City Water Park (staff photo by James Jarvis)
A $4 falafel sandwich and $4 za’atar fries from Falafel Inc. in Crystal City (staff photo by James Jarvis)
Crush Pizza and Wine opened its first location in the newly renovated Crystal City Water Park last week (staff photo by James Jarvis)
A slice of mushroom lemon cream pizza from Crush Pizza + Wine in Crystal City (staff photo by James Jarvis)
Stracciatella and espresso gelato served at Dolci Gelati in Crystal City (staff photo by James Jarvis))
A slice of pepperoni pizza from Crush Pizza + Wine in Crystal City (staff photo by James Jarvis)
People line up outside Cracked Eggery in Crystal City for lunch (staff photo by James Jarvis)
A take on huevos rancheros called “Rancheros Cucamonga” from Cracked Eggery in Crystal City (staff photo by James Jarvis)
Water Bar in Crystal City (staff photo by James Jarvis)
Water Bar in Crystal City held a soft opening the first week of October (staff photo by James Jarvis)
Broiled oysters with chorizo from Water Bar in Crystal City (staff photo by James Jarvis)
The “Middle Ground” and “Summer’s Child” cocktails from Water Bar (staff photos by James Jarvis)
The view from Water Bar in Crystal City (staff photo by James Jarvis)
The “Green Goddess Mussels” from Water Bar in Crystal City (staff photo by James Jarvis)
A patron sips on a cocktail at Water Bar in Crystal City while looking out over the park (staff photo by James Jarvis)
The “Oyster Mushroom” sandwich from Water Bar in Crystal City (staff photo by James Jarvis)
Tiki Thai in Crystal City takes dozens of orders during the afternoon lunch rush just days after opening (staff photo by James Jarvis)
Gai fried rice with crispy chicken (right) and drunken khao soi with grilled chicken from Tiki Thai in Crystal City (staff photo by James Jarvis)
Water Bar in Crystal City (staff photo by James Jarvis)
An oat milk vanilla latte and apple cinnamon muffin from Brij in Crystal City (staff photo by James Jarvis)
A yellow dosa with mango chutney and onion chutney from DC Dosa in Crystal City (staff photo by James Jarvis)
Starting today, all 11 food vendors and restaurants within Crystal City Water Park are officially open for business, following a soft opening two weeks ago.
Morning to night, the 1.6-acre outdoor food hall and park in Crystal City will serve everything from indulgent duck-fat fried chicken sandwiches to Indian-style crepes filled with lentils and chutney to gelato.
Tiki Thai, serving dishes inspired by Thai and Polynesian cuisine
Queen Mother’s, a fried chicken spot that previously operated on Columbia Pike
Perched atop a water wall at the back of the park, meanwhile, is the cocktail and oyster bar Water Bar.
Operated by Atlanta-based hospitality group STHRN, the restaurant offers light lunch and dinner options, ranging from salads, seafood sandwiches and oysters to ceviche and specialty cocktails.
For something more casual, STHRN operates a New York-style pizzeria that serves beer, wine and cocktails, called Crush Pizza.
The park’s owner, JBG Smith, aimed to provide a comprehensive dining experience from breakfast through dessert, Amy Rice, the company’s senior vice president of retail leasing, tells ARLnow.
“We were really deliberate in wanting to make sure we could create a bit of an 18-hour offering,” she said.
At the park’s grand opening tonight, attendees can sample from nine newly opened restaurant kiosks, a sit-down seafood restaurant and bar or a new pizza place, all while listening to music. A month-long live concert series kicks off next Friday.
The kiosks are home to several minority- and women-owned businesses that were “having a hard time making the jump from a farmers market or food truck into a traditional brick and mortar,” Rice said.
“Typically, if you were a retail-like, fast-casual restaurant, and you wanted to start a new restaurant in a new building, it would probably be upwards of a million-dollar-plus investment to actually get your business up and running in that location,” Rice said. “We removed both of those barriers by creating these turnkey kiosks for these operators.”
Those looking for recommendations can try Water Bar’s “Middle Ground” cocktail, a Mezcal-based drink with tepache, made from fermented pineapple, and grapefruit, lime and peppercorn. At Crush Pizza, the mushroom lemon cream pizza was memorable.
Live music performances from 5-7:30 p.m. will start at the venue next Friday, Oct. 13, and run through Nov. 3. A performance by Virginia native R&B artist Bryan Lee will kick the inaugural concert.
“This series is just the first of many engaging Water Park events that will celebrate our diverse and growing downtown,” Tracy Sayegh Gabriel, president and executive director of the National Landing Business Improvement District, said in a press release.
Crystal City Water Park at night (courtesy Scott Suchman)
Crystal City Water Park “Water Bar” on top of waterfall feature (courtesy Scott Suchman)
Crystal City Water Park at night (courtesy Scott Suchman)
Crystal City Water Park stage (courtesy Scott Suchman)
Crystal City Water Park kiosk (courtesy Scott Suchman)
After nearly three years of waiting, the Crystal City Water Park is slated to reopen next week, JBG Smith announced yesterday.
The newly renovated, privately owned 1.6-acre park will feature nine restaurant kiosks, a cocktail and oyster bar, seating areas, public art installations, new water features — including a water wall — and a live performance stage.
“Water Park is a manifestation of our vision for National Landing as a premier 18-hour community that warmly embraces families, workers, students and visitors of all ages,” Kai Reynolds, chief development officer at JBG Smith, said in a press release.
“In addition to creating an urban oasis where people can relax, linger and enjoy time spent together, we have intentionally curated Water Park to serve as a celebration of the region’s rich and diverse culinary traditions,” he continued.
JBG Smith says it plans to host a grand opening ceremony next Friday, Oct. 6, from 6-10 p.m.
After deferring an initial proposal due to concerns about pedestrian and cyclist safety, the Arlington County Board approved plans for the park in March 2021. Construction started in March 2022.
While the park previously had a small food and drink kiosk, the new iteration has nine kiosks for a variety of food vendors, with a focus on “local, minority- and women-owned businesses.”
The vendor lineup features:
Brij, D.C. a café and wine bar by Skyler Kelley, supporting single mothers, the LGBTQ+ community and people who are homeless
Bubbie’s Plant Burger, a Kosher, plant-based American eatery by the creators of D.C.’s Pow Pow, Margaux Riccio and Shaun Sharkey
Cracked Eggery, a D.C. food truck known for inventive egg dishes that now has two brick and mortar locations in Cleveland Park and Shaw
Dolci Gelati, a D.C.-based gelato shop offering over 450 seasonal, artisanal flavors, plus coffee and espresso
Falafel Inc., a Georgetown-based charitable eatery that offers hummus and falafel dishes
In addition to the kiosks, there is be a new cocktail and oyster bar, dubbed “Water Bar,” perched on top of the water wall at the back of the park.
The restaurant, operated by the Atlanta-based hospitality group STHRN, features a raw bar and an extensive cocktail list, according to JBG Smith. STHRN will also be opening an outpost of Crush Pizza, its New York-style pizzeria.
“We are excited to bring the delicious taste of Water Bar to life through unique, tasty cocktails and the deeply immersive flavors of the east coast,” Elizabeth Feichter, a partner at STHRN, said in the release.
A Metro sign at the corner of 18th St. S and Crystal Drive in Crystal City (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
18th Street S. and Crystal Drive, future site of a new entrance to the Crystal City Metro station (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
18th St. S and Crystal Drive, site of a new entrance to the Crystal City metro station (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Construction in Crystal City (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Construction in Crystal City (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
New high rise buildings in Crystal City (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Surreal restaurant under construction in Crystal City (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Surreal restaurant under construction in Crystal City (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
New high rises along Crystal Drive (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Construction along Crystal Drive in Crystal City (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
(Updated at 9:40 a.m. on 8/1/23) If you build it, they will come.
That is the philosophy guiding the planned construction of the east entrance to the Crystal City Metro station, for which Arlington County inked a contract earlier this month.
First floated in 2002, the idea of a second Crystal City Metro entrance remained on the local radar before becoming one of the suite of transportation projects the county and state agreed to deliver in order to secure Amazon’s (recently opened) second headquarters in Arlington.
This month, Arlington approved a contract with JBG Smith and Clark Construction, which together agreed to build the second entrance for no more than $117 million. Design work is not yet complete, however, and the new entrance may not be ready until 2027.
The new entrance will be located at the northwest corner of Crystal Drive and 18th Street S., a couple of blocks from the current entrance.
Although a few years away, project proponents say the project will bring visitors closer to Crystal Drive, a part of Crystal City undergoing significant change, and will create a “transit hub” connecting people to rail (VRE and Amtrak), buses and the airport. Doing so, they say, will make using Metro more convenient and, thus, encourage additional ridership, which remains below pre-pandemic levels.
“This east entrance really brings transit where it belongs, into the heart of a commercial district,” says Tracy Sayegh Gabriel, the president and executive director of the National Landing Business Improvement District.
“Crystal Drive is a commercial spine and there are many enhancements and new destinations that will deliver soon and will seamlessly connect to the entrance,” she continued. “In 2024, we will realize a truly reinvisioned Crystal Drive.”
The Crystal City Water Park, set to reopen this September with a number of food vendor stalls, would be across the street from the new entrance. A retail strip with Mah-Ze-Dahr, Tacombi, and the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema is steps away, while two dozen other retailers are set to move into Crystal Drive over the next year, including a new restaurant called Surreal.
Construction upgrades at the Crystal City Water Park are nearly complete (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Proponents say the second entrance will facilitate connections to other transit modes. Getting between VRE and Metro, for instance, can be a confusing hassle, says local civic association president Eric Cassel.
“Everybody who is a tourist or something like that, they have a hard time finding it currently, it’s kind of hidden away,” he said. “People don’t take transit as much because it’s difficult to transfer between that and buses and everything else. One of the reasons to make a focal point of a transit hub is to get people who would otherwise drive to take transit.”
The new station will also make hopping on the Metro a bit less of a slog for people who live or work in the neighborhood.
“This new entrance would save me and others 5 minutes of walking up the hill to get to the current entrance,” says Jay Corbalis, public affairs vice president for JBG Smith.
“That doesn’t sound like a lot to some people, but when you think about that every day, twice a day, for thousands of people, it starts to add up why it’s an important project,” he continued. “It changes the geography of National Landing. It brings that many people closer to the rest of the region.”
Kiosks in the future Crystal City Water Park (courtesy of JBG Smith)
The future Crystal City Water Park (courtesy of JBG Smith)
The future Crystal City Water Park (courtesy of JBG Smith)
Kiosks in the future Crystal City Water Park (courtesy of JBG Smith)
The future year-round outdoor restaurant called Surreal at 2121 Crystal Drive (courtesy of JBG Smith)
Construction is underway at Crystal City Water Park (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Construction is underway at Crystal City Water Park (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Construction is underway at Crystal City Water Park (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Construction is underway at Crystal City Water Park (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Construction is underway at Crystal City Water Park (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Construction has started on major renovations to the Crystal City Water Park, JBG Smith announced Monday.
JBG Smith will update the existing, 1.6-acre park at 1601 Crystal Drive with new restaurant kiosks and seating areas, a full-service restaurant, new water features — including a “water wall” with a bar perched on top — and a stage.
The Arlington County Board approvedplans for the park in March 2021, after deferring an earlierproposal that members predicted would lead to unsafe pedestrian and cyclist interactions.
The privately-owned park has long hosted small food and drink vendors. The new kiosks will highlight local, minority- and women-owned businesses, “local favorites” and “renowned names,” JBG Smith says.
“We are particularly excited about the Water Park kiosks, which will serve as incubator spaces where up-and-coming chefs and [restaurateurs] can experiment and grow,” JBG Smith Senior Vice President of Retail Leasing Amy Rice said in a statement.
In addition to decorative water features, the revamped park will also feature public art installations and a building with public restrooms and bike facilities near the entrance to the Mt. Vernon Trail. JBG Smith says it is working with Virginia Railway Express to build an accessible connection to the future entrance of the relocated VRE station.
The Water Park is not the only JBG-owned public space getting upgrades. Two blocks south at 2121 Crystal Drive, a lightly used private park space in front of an office building will see renovations and the construction of a 5,587-square-foot restaurant. Work on that project also started recently.
JBG Smith expects to complete both the Crystal City Water Park and Surreal in 2023.
“We see these both as inviting public spaces where families will enjoy a sunny day and colleagues can gather after work for a drink, a bite to eat and live music,” said JBG Smith Executive Vice President Bryan Moll in a statement.
Visitors will be able to keep their drinks in hand as they walk these open spaces. Last year, the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority gave the developer the go-ahead to establish a “sip and stroll” zone within the boundaries of Crystal City Water Park and the courtyard.
It will be Arlington’s third “sip and stroll” zone, after the Village at Shirlington and Westpost (formerly Pentagon Row).
These two projects, plus Amazon’s second headquarters and other redevelopment projects by JBG Smith, will triple the number of retail businesses in Crystal City, Pentagon City and Potomac Yard, dubbed National Landing, the developer says.
Another APS Sexual Harassment Incident — “The most recent case of sexual harassment being discussed on social media happened at Swanson Middle School. Students told their parents two weeks ago cheerleaders were being called sexual names and having their body parts touched inappropriately during the school day. The Swanson Middle School principal sent out a letter alerting families… Some say that was only revealed after the community caught wind of the incident which makes them now question — how many situations are not brought to light?” [Fox 5]
Two Libraries Reopening on Sundays — “The slow resumption of Arlington library hours continues on Oct. 31, when Central Library and the Columbia Pike branch will resume Sunday service for the first time since the onset of the pandemic. Those two libraries will be open 1 to 5 p.m. on Sundays.” [Sun Gazette]
Tree Falls Near Wakefield HS — “First tree down across a road that we’ve heard during [Tuesday’s] windy weather… This is reportedly at 25th Street S. and S. Dinwiddie Street, a couple of blocks from Wakefield High School.” [Twitter]
Activists Decry Tree Loss from New Homes — “Arlington County Board members say they will take under advisement concerns that a quirk – critics call it a loophole – in the local zoning ordinance encourages developers to clear-cut certain lots to maximize the footprint of new construction out of proportion to surrounding homes. The matter was raised by activist Anne Bodine at the Oct. 16 County Board meeting.” [Sun Gazette]
More Trees to Be Removed from Water Park — “The board voted 5-0 on Oct. 19 to approve modifications to the plan for the waterpark (located at 1601 Crystal Drive and now being rebranded as National Landing Water Park) that will see seven additional trees removed from the site, while one tree that previously had been slated for removal will be retained… Removing these trees ‘is not ideal,’ acknowledged Olivia Sontag of the county government’s Department of Planning, Housing and Community Development, but staff concluded it represents a fair tradeoff for a package that includes the planting of 11 additional buffer trees.” [Sun Gazette]
Chamber to Help Teach Financial Skills — ” The Arlington Chamber of Commerce is proud to announce the launch of a new program to support early childhood education providers in partnership with 20 Degrees. The Early Childhood Financial Resiliency Accelerator focuses on teaching child care providers the business and financial technical skills necessary to maintain and to grow their businesses and on building a community of practice among child care providers. The program will be available at no cost to the participants thanks to support from Presenting Sponsor Amazon as well as the PNC Foundation.” [Arlington Chamber of Commerce]
TV Station Broadcasts from Outdoor Lab — “The Phoebe Hall Knipling Outdoor Laboratory is a 225-acre facility in Fauquier County that provides a natural classroom for Arlington Public School students. The Arlington Outdoor Lab is designed to give Arlington students an opportunity to learn science, outdoor skills, arts, and humanities in a natural setting. Brian van de Graaf takes us to Broad Run, VA for a look.” [WJLA]
It’s Wednesday — 🍃 Today will be breezy, but less so than yesterday. It will start mostly cloudy, then gradually become sunny, with a high near 67. Northwest wind 13 to 16 mph, with gusts as high as 26 mph. Sunrise at 7:30 a.m. and sunset at 6:13 p.m. Tomorrow, it will be partly sunny, with a high near 63.
