Pentagon City

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Local Real Estate Market Slowing — “When it comes to housing prices and sales, red-hot Arlington County cooled a bit last month compared to last summer — a modest slowdown that the Northern Virginia Association of Realtors says was typical throughout the region. NVAR reports the median price of a home that sold in Arlington County last month was 9% lower than a year ago, and the average number of days on the market, or how long it took to sell a home, was up 35% compared to last July.” [WTOP]

County Board Still Opposes Gondola — “This week, all five members of the Arlington County Board confirmed to the Washington Business Journal their position hasn’t changed. Even the two new Democrats to join the board since it penned that 2017 letter — current Chair Matt de Ferranti and Takis Karantonis — said in interviews that they remain unconvinced, despite the proponents’ recent success in pushing the District to budget $10 million toward the purchase of a potential D.C. landing site near the Key Bridge.” [Washington Business Journal]

Review of Pentagon City Irish Eatery — “Armstrong’s talented hand again showed itself when I sank my teeth into the corned beef. The chef says that each brisket takes three weeks of preparation before it’s ready for diners. He adds that corned beef is more of an Irish-American food than an Irish one, owing to a fusion of influences that met in New York or Boston. His version certainly owes a debt to Ashkenazi Jewish cuisine.” [Northern Virginia Magazine]

Arlies Voting: Urgent Care Clinic — Voting on the latest Arlies category ends Tuesday afternoon. Let us know about your favorite local urgent care clinic. [ARLnow]

Breakthrough Covid Cases Underreported? — “Virginia’s breakthrough case numbers are likely an undercount. Issues with data reporting made it difficult to report and verify cases among vaccinated people.” [Virginia Mercury]

Nearby: Car Swept Away in Flood Waters — “Here’s what can happen when a huge amount of rain causes flash flooding. A reader sent this photo of a car in the Upper Long Branch Stream between the cul-de-sacs at 6th Street and Glen Forest Drive in Bailey’s Crossroads.” Arlington County firefighters responded as mutual aid on this water rescue call, per scanner traffic last week. [Annandale Blog]

Five Arrested in D.C. After Armed Robbery in Pentagon City

By ARLnow.com

Five people were arrested after an armed robbery outside the Harris Teeter store in Pentagon City.

The robbery happened around 4 p.m. Wednesday, in a parking lot near the grocery store. Five people, including at least one who was armed with a handgun, assaulted and stole cash from victims with whom they had arranged a sale of sneakers, according to police.

“At approximately 4:11 p.m., police were dispatched to the 900 block of Army Navy Drive for the report of an armed robbery,” Arlington County Police Department spokeswoman Ashley Savage tells ARLnow. “Upon arrival, it was determined that the suspects and victims met at this location for the pre-arranged sale of sneakers. During the encounter, the suspects brandished a firearm, assaulted the victims, stole an undisclosed amount of cash and fled the scene in a vehicle prior to the arrival of officers.”

The vehicle, a dark-colored Jeep, was soon located by police heading into D.C. on I-395. It was followed by officers until U.S. Park Police stopped the vehicle at the intersection of Pennsylvania Avenue and 9th Street NW in the District.

Five people, all ages 19 and 20, were taken into custody and charged with robbery and conspiracy to commit robbery, Savage said. They’re currently being held in D.C.

One of the victims suffered a reported head wound during the robbery and was treated by medics on the scene.

 

ART Returning to Full Bus Service While Metro Makes Changes

By Dana Munro
An ART bus (via Arlington Transit Facebook)

(Updated at 11:55 a.m.) Arlington Transit buses will return to full service after Labor Day weekend, the county-run transit agency says.

Rush-hour-only ART buses 53, 61, 62 and 74 will run again starting Tuesday, Sept. 7, after being out of service since March 2020 due to the pandemic. Once these buses resume operation, Arlington Transit will largely be back at full service. ART 72 will continue on a modified weekday schedule, however.

With construction ongoing around the Ballston Metro station, ART 53 and 62 bus stops will be relocated near the Metro elevator on Fairfax Drive.

While seating restrictions were lifted on Aug. 1, riders will still be required to wear masks as per a federal mask mandate for passengers on planes, trains and buses from the Transportation Security Administration, effective until January 2022.

Meanwhile, Metrobus is set to implement some changes after Sunday, Sept. 5, adding more buses and trains and extending Metrorail’s weekend hours.

Notably, bus 16Y from Columbia Pike to Farragut Square will resume operation, going both directions during weekday rush hours. The limited-stop service route, which once connected Columbia Pike stops to McPherson Square in D.C., was halted during the pandemic and was absent from when a number of routes were restored earlier this summer.

Buses 16A, 16C and 16E in Columbia Pike and 16G and 16H between Columbia Pike and Pentagon City will get service upgrades as well.

“Service will operate every 12 minutes or better from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily between Columbia Pike & South Joyce Street and Columbia Pike & South Dinwiddie Street at stops served by all routes,” WMATA said.

Bus 25B from the old Landmark Mall in Alexandria to Ballston will see some changes, with Alexandria working to overhaul its own DASH bus network. 25B will travel between Ballston, Southern Towers and Mark Center every day except Sunday, and between Ballston and Southern Towers on Sundays.

Metrorail trains will be available until 1 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, an hour later than was previously offered. Trains will also start running earlier on Sundays, with riders able to board at 7 a.m. rather than 8 a.m.

More on the planned Metro changes from a press release, below.

(more…)

BREAKING: SUV Overturns in Pentagon City After Shoe Theft

By ARLnow.com
1/5

(Updated at 6:15 p.m.) Police and firefighters are on scene of an overturned vehicle in Pentagon City, near the Costco and the Amazon HQ2 construction site.

The crash happened around 3:45 p.m. at the intersection of 15th Street S. and S. Elm Street. Photos from the scene show only a single vehicle: a black SUV resting on its side, with its windshield smashed. Bystanders could be seen standing around it, before police arrived.

“Driver looked ok but banged up,” said one witness, via Twitter.

The crash is reportedly related to a theft nearby. A vehicle with a similar description sped off after two people tried to steal shoes from the DSW Shoe Warehouse at 1301 S. Joyce Street, at the Westpost (formerly Pentagon Row) shopping center, leaving boxes of shoes strewn about the roadway outside the store, according to initial reports.

Arlington County Police Department spokeswoman Ashley Savage confirmed that the vehicle that crashed is believed to be the suspect vehicle.

“At approximately 3:41 p.m. a larceny in progress was dispatched in the 1300 block of S. Joyce Street,” Savage said. “Two suspects allegedly entered a business and stole merchandise. An officer in the area observed Suspect One enter a vehicle and flee the scene. The officer attempted to initiate a traffic stop, however, the suspect fled at a high rate of speed.”

The officer did not pursue the vehicle, per department policy, but the crash was reported shortly thereafter. Police responded to the scene and apprehended the driver, who’s now being treated for injuries at a local hospital.

“The suspect subsequently crashed in the area of 15th Street S. and S. Elm and is being transported to an area hospital,” Savage said. “Suspect Two, who fled from the business on foot, remains outstanding and is described as a White male, bald, 5’8″ – 5’10” tall. Police remain on scene investigating.”

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Vax Mandade for County, APS Employees — “Arlington County Government and Arlington Public Schools (APS) will implement a COVID-19 vaccination mandate for employees. This joint action, effective August 30, is a necessary step to help keep the community safe and is consistent with COVID-19 public health guidance. This policy will also apply to interns, volunteers, substitutes, and contractors… All unvaccinated employees will be required to be tested at least weekly for COVID-19 to limit the potential spread in the workforce and in the community. Testing will be provided at no cost to the employee.” [Arlington County]

Mask Mandate for Va. Schools — “Virginia will require all students, teachers and staff in K-12 schools to wear masks indoors this fall, even if they are vaccinated, Gov. Ralph Northam (D) announced Thursday. The mandate, set forth in a public health emergency order, is sure to stir controversy and anger amid an already fractious debate over education in the state.” [Washington Post, Gov. Ralph Northam]

Escalator Replacement at Pentagon City Metro — “On Monday, August 16, Metro will begin work to replace the four entrance escalators at Pentagon City station with brand new, more durable escalators.  Construction is expected to take approximately nine months to complete both entrances and will require each entrance to be closed during construction, starting with the east side of South Hayes Street and followed by the two escalators on the west side.” [WMATA]

Arlington Real Estate Remains Hot — “A combination of challenging affordability and low inventory may be conspiring to dampen home-buyer enthusiasm across much of the Washington region, but you wouldn’t know it in Arlington, where some regions remain red-hot locales… While the region as a whole is down, Arlington has an overall rating of 205 – well into the “High” category and leading all other regional jurisdictions.” [Sun Gazette]

Summer Friday for ARLnow — We’re taking part of the day off, so expect a lighter publishing schedule today.

New Luxury Motorcoach Connects Pentagon City to Virginia Beach

By Jo DeVoe
1/4

Folks wanting a weekend trip to Virginia Beach can now catch a luxury motor coach — with leather seats and hot towels — that has regular departures from Fashion Centre at Pentagon City.

Rides with the bus company, ROX, started July 1, 2020, and ended 90 days later as coronavirus cases rose in the fall. Service between Arlington and Virginia Beach started back up in July, and the company is set to bring a Charlottesville-Virginia Beach route online in September.

Today, the Virginia Beach-based company has three motor coaches that seat up to 23 passengers (a normal bus has 56 seats). Buses leave Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

Each ROX bus has WiFi, individual charging outlets and chargers available on-demand. Riders can choose from a digital library of books, movies and TV shows, and are served a complimentary meal, snacks and soft drinks, with the option to buy alcohol.

“It’s better than any first class flight you’ve been on,” said ROX founder Jeff McWaters, a businessman and former Virginia state senator, who represented part of Virginia Beach.

McWaters, who founded the health insurance company Amerigroup, got the idea from his personal experience traveling for work between Virginia Beach and D.C.

If all the employees drove, “no one could work, it was dangerous, and we had issues,” he said, while flying was a hassle with frequent delays, and trains had poor WiFi and food.

With ROX, the former senator is looking to invigorate the commercial connection between the two hubs while taking advantage of a growing preference for remote work, with occasional trips to the office.

“We learned during the pandemic, you can work from home, you can work from the park, you can work with a glass of wine, but you can’t work on I-66, working on trains is spotty, and you can’t work on airplane,” he said. “You can work on the ROX.”

So far, most riders are using the bus for leisure, but McWaters predicts business travel will return.

ROX stops at Fashion Centre because it is well-connected and offers shopping and dining, he said. The mall, which offers luggage storage, alos has an Avis rental car outpost, and riders can catch the Metro or a car to get to other parts of Arlington, D.C. or the airport.

“It’s got everything,” he said.

While the bus service was shut down, the company earned income from private charters of a fourth bus. That coach features reclining seats, a kitchen, a sofa and eight televisions, including one outside for tailgating.

The bus has been to “some fun places,” and is set to embark on a 10-day hunting trip to Wyoming this fall, said Janice Tuckman, a sales representative for ROX.

“We picked up group at the The Greenbrier and drove them on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail, where they visited distilleries and stayed at an Airbnb. They had a whoopin’ good time, and after four days, headed back to Greenbrier.”

Cryotherapy and Wellness Center to Open in Pentagon City

By Dana Munro
1/4

A new business offering high-end therapeutic and wellness treatments — including cryotherapy — is opening in Pentagon City.

Texas-based Restore Hyper Wellness started offering treatments to help people facing pain, inflammation and chronic dehydration in 2015. There are now Restore franchise locations throughout the U.S., with one set to open at Westpost, the shopping center formerly Pentagon Row.

It will replace the T-Mobile that was at 1101 S. Joyce Street, according to a permit filed with Arlington County last week.

The 2,202 square-foot facility will offer cryotherapy, a treatment often utilized by athletes, post-operative patients, and those suffering chronic pain.

“We believe everyone can benefit from cryotherapy,” according to the Restore website. “Cryotherapy has shown to reduce inflammation and releases endorphins that help alleviate pain, boost energy and metabolism, and increase the body’s natural healing abilities.”

Restore also offers cryoskin therapy to localize the effects of the cold temperatures on the skin.

The website says the service is “the most advanced non-invasive treatment solution for slimming and toning. If you’re looking to lose fat on your stomach, thighs, arms or back this is the solution for you.”

Other offerings include assisted stretches, infrared sauna therapy, IV drip therapy and compression therapy.

Though prices have not yet been set for the new location, at other Virginia locations prices start at $39 for an individual cryotherapy session and $59 for a monthly membership. So far there’s no word on when the business plans to open.

Hat tip to Chris Slatt. Photos courtesy of Restore Hyper Wellness.

Road Closures Planned for Man Walking from Pentagon to NYC

By Dana Munro

At 8 a.m. on Sunday, a man will embark on a 42-day walk from the Pentagon to Shanksville, Pennsylvania to the World Trade Center in New York City to honor the first responders who risked their lives on Sept. 11, 2001.

The journey is personal for Frank Siller, who is traversing six states and more than 500 miles in memory of his brother, New York firefighter Stephen Siller, who died responding to the terrorist attack. The surviving Siller plans to arrive in Manhattan on Sept. 11.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attack, as well as that of Tunnel to Towers, the organization Siller founded in 2001 to support first responders. The name is in memory of Stephen’s walk through the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel — while carrying 60 pounds of gear — to reach the Twin Towers and save those in the World Trade Center’s North Tower.

Arlington County announced a number of road closures to facilitate Siller’s trip on foot.

  • S. Hayes Street between S. Fern Street and 15th Street S. will be closed to traffic from 7 a.m. to noon
  • Street parking along the stretch of S. Hayes Street will be restricted
  • Rolling road closures will be implemented as Siller walks from Arlington Fire Station No. 5 at 1750 S. Hayes Street to Courthouse Plaza and then into D.C.

In addition to the long walk to remember, Tunnel to Towers will mark the somber anniversary through charitable acts, a concert and a run through NYC.

Photo by Marc Hermann/MTA New York City Transit via Flickr

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Police Chief’s First Community Convo — “ACPD looks forward to engaging with the community at our first Community Conversations with the Chief at @MegamartMarket on Columbia Pike” today. [Twitter]

Registration Next Week for Fall Rec Classes — “As it begins to ramp back up after more than a year of COVID-caused pullbacks, the Arlington Department of Parks and Recreation has set registration dates for its fall programming. Online registration for classes begins Aug. 4 at 7 a.m. (gymnastics) and 7:30 a.m. (all other programs) for county residents.” [Sun Gazette]

New Name for Lee Hwy Alliance — “The Lee Highway Alliance (LHA) Board has unanimously voted to rename itself the Langston Boulevard Alliance (LBA), following the change in the name of the roadway itself that was approved by the Arlington County Board on July 17.” [Press Release]

Gun Brandishing in Pentagon City — “At approximately 10:55 a.m. on July 23, police were dispatched to the report of a brandishing. Upon arrival, it was determined that the suspect entered the business and requested services. When the employee asked for his information, he became irate and was escorted out of the building by security. A short time later, the suspect walked by the store and lifted up his shirt to expose what appeared to be a handgun and threatened to shoot the employee before leaving the area. Arriving officers canvassed the surrounding area with negative results. The investigation is ongoing.” [ACPD]

Street Sweeping Schedule — From Arlington’s Dept. of Environmental Services: “The County street sweeping schedule is out for 2021-2022. Longbranch Creek: Prepare to hail the big brush truck Aug. 10, Oct. 12, April 12 and June 14.” [Twitter]

Chasten Shops at Pentagon City Mall — “‘We’re going to take those out the maximum,’ Chasten [Buttigeg] says, pulling at the thigh area of a new pair of suit pants two weeks later as he turns to examine himself in a three-way mirror at a Nordstrom in Arlington… After the Nordstrom stop, Chasten faced the good and bad of his new reality while trying to return some new purchases at Banana Republic: One star-struck salesperson wanted a photo with him, and another wouldn’t credit his account without a receipt.” [Washington Post]

Morning Poll: School in an Office Building?

By ARLnow.com

The capacity crunch at Arlington Public Schools is not as dire as it once was, particularly after the pandemic, but there is still a need for more school seats in certain areas.

One place where a school might be needed: the National Landing area, where hundreds of new apartments are planned and where the nearest elementary school — Oakridge, in the Arlington Ridge neighborhood — is getting increasingly overcrowded, according to APS projections.

There’s not much contiguous land on which to plop down a full elementary school with fields and a playground in the Crystal City or Pentagon City neighborhoods, but one thing both have in abundance is office space — particularly older, harder-to-lease office space.

The Washington Business Journal reported last week that the City of Alexandria is purchasing an office building on N. Beauregard Street for $18 million, with plans to eventually convert it into a 600-student elementary or secondary school. Might that be an example for Arlington Public Schools to follow?

If not purchase an entire building, APS could potentially lease part of an office building for school use. Of course, some parents and students might not love the idea of having to take an elevator to class, or not having the grassy fields and other amenities of a typical suburban school.

What do you think?

For Owner Cathal Armstrong, Pentagon City’s Mattie and Eddie’s is Personal

By Matt Blitz
1/3

When Pentagon City’s Mattie and Eddie’s opened earlier this year, it immediately garnered a lot of attention. For its owner, though, the restaurant is personal.

“It’s a very personal story,” chef and restaurateur Cathal Armstrong tells ARLnow about the Irish pub’s origins. “There are pubs all over Ireland that have great food and I wanted to show that… and be respectful to my grandparents.”

Mattie and Eddie’s is named after the Dublin native’s grandparents — Martha and Eddie — and the logo featuring two well-dressed figures was designed by Armstrong’s brother.

“Every restaurant we’ve ever done… is an expression of something personal,” he says. “Each one has its own sense of community… and I’ve always wanted to do something along my own heritage, my own roots.”

In late March, Mattie and Eddie’s opened its doors in the former Siné space at Westpost (formerly Pentagon Row).

“It wasn’t necessarily something we planned. It just kind of fell into my lap. The landlord reached out to us and they had a space available and asked if I was interested,” says Armstrong. “It was just a kind of serendipity.”

This is Armstrong’s eleventh restaurant and first in Arlington since Society Fair closed on Columbia Pike in 2014.

He says Pentagon City offers a chance to be near a nexus of restaurant-goers; those commuting on Metro, those who live in the big apartment buildings close by, office workers and nearby Amazon employees, and tourists staying at hotels. Plus, there’s plenty of parking for those who choose to drive.

It also was attractive that Westpost has become somewhat of a magnet for buzzy restaurant concepts in recent months, from Bun’d Up and its new mahjong bar Sparrow Room to just-opened Lucky Danger to Nighthawk Pizza, which set to start serving later this year.

“That’s definitely a big appeal because people have a tendency to go to where there’s a lot of activity,” says Armstrong. “They might go to Nighthawk Pizza for dinner and come to us for a pint afterwards… There’s a perfect kind of symbiosis of restaurants feeding off each other.”

He admits business hasn’t fully returned to what could have been expected pre-pandemic. Armstrong says they are still operating at about 50% of what the restaurant is capable of.

But he remains encouraged that things will continue in a positive direction. Nothing made him feel more like things were slowly getting back to normal than the day in May when Virginia allowed bar seating again.

“I didn’t even realize it…. until the stools came back, that it was just kind of sad without bar stools,” he says, “And now it’s much more fun and lively.” 

Nonetheless, Armstrong — like many others — are concerned about the Delta variant, vaccination rates, and increasing COVID cases.

“I’m kind of conservatively expecting not to get back to what we would call normal before spring of next year,” he says.

As for the future, Armstrong has toyed with opening a scaled-down version of Restaurant Eve (which closed in Old Town Alexandria three years ago) and maybe a more modern-styled Irish restaurant.

But, for right now, he’s happy with sticking to his other restaurants and shepherding Mattie and Eddie’s.

“I don’t foresee myself doing anything else for a couple of years,” says Armstrong. “We’ve got to get back to normal first.”

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