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Obama and Medvedev Visit Ray’s Hell Burger

By ARLnow.com

President Obama and Russian president Dmitry Medvedev had lunch at the recently-reopened Ray’s Hell Burger on Wilson Boulevard around noon today.

Obama ordered a cheddar cheeseburger with onions, lettuce, tomato and pickles, according to White House pool reports. Medvedev had a cheddar cheeseburger with onions, jalapeno peppers and mushrooms and a Coke.

Lunchtime crowds gathered on Wilson Boulevard to watch as the two presidents returned to the District via motorcade around 12:30.

Two couples visiting the area from North Carolina were seated at a table right next to the two world leaders.

“We were able to meet [President Obama] and shake his hand — it was just an awesome experience,” said Ricky Wadford, who also talked to Medvedev had his baseball cap signed by Obama.

President Obama is apparently quite a fan of Ray’s. He dined there last year with Vice President Joe Biden.

Two of the photos below are courtesy of Barry Skidmore of People Powered Arlington. See video of the motorcade after the jump.

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More Thunderstorms, Please

By Scott Brodbeck

I’ll just say it: Arlington doesn’t get enough good thunderstorms. And when storms do approach, too many times it seems we get a “close call” — like last night, when we caught the edge of a storm and then were forced to watch as lightning flashed in the distance.

C’mon, weather gods, give us some legit wind and hail (without destruction of property or other bad things happening, if possible, although a short power outage would be fine by me).

In any event, it’s with this in mind that we present an image from Flickr pooler Philliefan99. It’s a composite — meaning it’s a combination of multiple shots from last night’s storm — but it’s still cool nonetheless. Something to savor while waiting for the next storm system to fire up (this weekend, perhaps?)

Photos from Today’s Freshfarm Market in Crystal City

By ARLnow.com

At some point this afternoon the sun broke free of the clouds and the temperature climbed from the lower 70s to near 80. In Crystal City, that was plenty of motivation for people to leave their offices and peruse the offerings at the Crystal City Freshfarm market.

Held every  Tuesday (in season) from 3:00 to 7:00 p.m. on Crystal Drive, the market features about 20 local farmers and producers who bring together seasonal fruits and vegetables, fresh-cut flowers, container plants and herbs, farm-raised eggs, all-natural meats, cheeses, artisan soaps, and more.

Today the market also featured the Sweetflow Mobile frozen yogurt truck. If you happen to stop by the truck later today, we highly recommend trying a maple granola/honey/fresh mint topping combo.

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Thousands Enjoy Good Food, Nice Weather at Taste of Arlington

By ARLnow.com

With reporting and photography by Lauren Rosenberg.

Thousands of people took advantage of Sunday’s comfortably warm weather at the 23rd annual Taste of Arlington in front of Ballston Common Mall.

Attendees had about 40 restaurants to choose from on the one-block stretch of Wilson Boulevard. Popular items included Carlyle’s crab cakes, Busboys & Poets’ pomegranate lemonade and gazpacho, Whole Foods’ couscous and chicken kabobs, Northside Social’s mini bratwurst, Jaleo’s paella, The Melting Pot’s plate of chocolate-dipped treats and the ice cream from Toby’s Homemade Ice Cream.

Some complained about the length of the lines at the more in-demand stands, but others credited the queues as serving as a sort of food speed bump that prevented them from stuffing themselves silly.

Beer and wine was available, but from a limited number of stations. The two food tickets for one beer conversion rate may help explain why many people refrained from indulging.

There were fewer entertainment acts this year, but those who did perform — including Marcus Johnson, the Virginia Big Band and the U.S. Army Band Downrange — were able to stay on stage longer. An arts and crafts show, a face painting station and an USDA-sponsored food safety exhibit were among the other festival activities that did not directly involve eating or drinking.

First-time attendees Kayla Knilans of Chapel Hill, N.C. and Angus Wan of Centreville said they were impressed by the variety of foods offered. Knilans said she though the price of attending the event was fair compared to other food tasting events she’s attended in Chicago and Madison, Wis. Their favorite “tastes” of the day included mussels from Argia’s and flatbread pizza from Whitlows.

The event usually attracts about 15,000 people, but Ballston Partnership executive director Pamela Kahn predicted a bump in attendance due to the upswing in the economy and robust online sales — up 300 percent this year.

More photos, after the jump.

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The Best Places To Get Married in Arlington

By ARLnow.com

We are in the midst of the “peak” season for weddings. Something about spring — the warmer temperatures, the flowers and plants blooming, the absence of pro and college football games — seems to make it a perfect time for nuptials.

It also seems that there are quite a few engagements this time of year. All those happy couples need some place to get married, so we started to wonder if there were any wedding-worthy locations in Arlington. For the answer, we turned to Arlington-based professional photographer Jan Graves, of Jan Michele Photography.

Location-wise, it’s natural that most couples would immediately think D.C., with the monuments and the history and whatnot. But Graves says there are some worthy wedding venues to consider in Arlington. Here are her top six.

Ft. Myer Old Post Chapel (article)

Pro: “Light, bright and beautiful chapel, seats 200.  And you can’t beat a Saber Arch upon leaving the church.”

Con: “Must be military to use.  Can’t decorate the chapel.”

Top of the Town (website)

Pro: “Best views of DC you’ll find.  Outdoor patio space — if the weather is nice.”

Con: “It’s at the top of a condo building so there are restrictions on music/noise. The ceiling is a bit low and it’s a long elevator ride plus a long hallway to get to the space, so it can feel a bit claustrophobic.”

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Thank You To Our Flickr Poolers

By ARLnow.com

On this cool and rainy Monday, we wanted to take the time to thank the more than 100 photographers who have joined our Flickr pool.

If you haven’t already, head over to Flickr and check out the nearly 500 photos that have been added to the pool so far. You’ll see great examples of photographers who were able to show Arlington in a whole new light.

Expect to see poolers’ work highlighted more often, as stories allow.

Pool photo courtesy of Karon.

Countdown to Spring

By ARLnow.com

The official start of spring is only a few hours away, but mother nature has been providing abundant evidence of its impending arrival. Here are a couple photos of daffodils and tree buds blooming in Rosslyn today.

ARLnow.com Launches Flickr Pool

By ARLnow.com

Show off your photographic skills and help us provide a richer view of our community by joining our new Flickr pool. Share photos — of news, events, or anything of interest around Arlington — with us and with fellow photographers.

We may decide to use one of your photos on the site — with proper credit given, of course.

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