Hog Heaven Outside the Hilton
Thousands of motorcyclists have flocked to the area for the annual Rolling Thunder “Ride For Freedom.” In addition to raising awareness to POW/MIA concerns, the bikers are also here to have some fun.
The epicenter for post-ride fun seems to be Crystal City’s Hyatt and Hilton hotels. Between blocking off part of the street to facilitate an impromptu Electric Slide line dance, chugging koozie-concealed beers and grabbing a bite to eat at the Chili’s outdoor patio, it’s like a big block party for those with Harleys and leather vests.
Beware the Courthouse Creeper
He is apparently known to Metro employees as “the guy who stands at the bottom of the escalators every morning looking up girls’ skirts.” And Erica Walters, the local blogger behind Books Are My Boyfriend, says she had an up-close, personal and very disturbing encounter with this creepy dude at the Courthouse Metro station this week.
Erica writes that she was going up the escalator at 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday when the man suddenly took a photo up her skirt with a cell phone camera, grabbed her and walked away.
To make matters worse, as tears were streaming down her face she asked a “nicely dressed older woman” for help. The woman’s reaction? To shake her head and keep on walking.
Erica goes on to say that she spotted the man on the Courthouse escalators again on Thursday. This time, she had the presence of mind to turn the lens on him. She snapped her own cell phone camera photo, then filed a report with Arlington police (who she says have been “immensely helpful”).
She also talked to a Metro employee, who said she recognized the man in the photo as someone who has a track record of sexual harassment in the station (see the quote above). It’s not clear whether anybody at Metro has ever tried to do anything about it.
Photo via Flickr. No association with the story is implied.
No Outdoor Movie in Rosslyn Tonight
You’ll have to wait another seven days to get your outdoor ’90s movie fix. Tonight’s outdoor showing of “Happy Gilmore” in Rosslyn has been canceled due to an approaching line of storms.
On tap for next week: the 1999 instant classic Office Space.
Organic Soft Serve Ice Cream Debuts at Northside Social
Northside Social (3211 Wilson Blvd) is rolling out a Memorial Day-to-Labor Day summer special tonight: organic soft serve ice cream. A creation of pastry chef Rob Valencia, the ice cream is made with Northside’s organic Trickling Springs Creamery milk and other organic ingredients.
The flavors will rotate. This weekend they’re serving French vanilla and local organic strawberry. Other flavors in the works include mocha caramel, wildberry creme fraiche, and red velvet.
How does it taste? Very good. The creaminess is definitely a notch or two above your standard dining hall soft serve machine. We recommend getting the swirl.
Reminder: Orange Line to Be Split in Two This Weekend
There will be no rail service between the East and West Falls Church stations on Saturday, Sunday and Monday. Metro is splitting the Orange Line into two sections this weekend to facilitate work on the Dulles Metrorail project.
Shuttle buses will run every 10 minutes between the stations. Orange Line riders should add 30 minutes to their travel plans.
The work and the split will also be in effect on the weekends of June 5-6 and June 12-13.
More Thunderstorms, Please
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?)
Northrop HQ Decision Nears
Northrop Grumman is days away from announcing the location of its new corporate headquarters, the Washington Post reports this morning.
At a press conference with Northrop CEO Wes Bush and Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell last month, Bush said the company was negotiating with building owners in Arlington and Falls Church. Those sites were believed to be a new development in Ballston or the Fairview Park office complex in Falls Church.
The Washington Business Journal, meanwhile, is now reporting that Northrop is thinking about buying a new office building somewhere “inside the Beltway or [in] Tysons Corner.”
It would move to the Fairview complex now as a temporary measure, while the new office is constructed, WBJ says.
Wherever the company decides to move to, expect it to be within Virginia’s eighth congressional district, we’re told.
Morning Notes
Flags In at Arlington National Cemetery — Service members from each branch of the armed forces placed decorative flags in front of Arlington National Cemetery’s quarter million graves yesterday. “Flags In” has been a Memorial Day weekend tradition at the cemetery since 1948. See more photos here.
Remembering Arlington’s Forgotten Baseball Phenom — He was considered one of the greats of his day, although he was never voted into Cooperstown. George Hartley McQuinn, born in 1910, was a six-time All-Star who spent 12 years playing professional ball. In his rookie season, McQuinn went on a 34-game hitting streak. Take that, Ryan Zimmerman. Plus, McQuinn was an Arlington resident who opened a sporting goods store in Clarendon after he retired from the game. He would have turned 100 on Saturday. Read more about him here.
School Board Member Has Breast Cancer – Arlington School Board Vice Chairman Libby Garvey announced last night that she had a lumpectomy on May 17. She was diagnosed with breast cancer earlier this month, following a mammogram. Garvey will continue receiving follow-up treatments over the next several months and is expected to make a full recovery.
Photo courtesy Arlington National Cemetery.
Gearing up for Memorial Day Weekend
Yes, May has been an insane month. From stolen wigs to stolen cell phones, and from DoD job losses to creating new jobs for exotic dancers (or, at the very least, local arguments for it), Arlingtonians are ready for a long weekend. Take a look at some local events happening around our area to take a load off to fully appreciate Memorial Day weekend.
For Memorial Day observers: Arlington National Cemetery will hold its annual Memorial Day of Observance to remember fallen service members on Monday at the Memorial Amphitheater. The Full Honor Wreath-Laying Ceremony is at 11:00 a.m., but officials recommend visitors arrive at 9:30 for seats and for a musical prelude by the U.S. Navy Band.
For the kids: Gulf Branch Nature Center on Military Road is holding their weekly campfire for families on Friday from 7:00 to 8:15 p.m. Expect s’mores, games, and campfire songs for the little ones ($5 per person, $20 for families).
For music lovers: The Fleshtones, the quintessential 70’s/80’s American garage band, are playing Iota in Clarendon on Saturday night at 9:00. Tickets are $15 and available at the door.
For multicultural Arlingtonians: The 23rd Annual Argentine Festival is being held Saturday from 5:00 to 10:00 p.m. at the Thomas Jefferson Theatre (125 S. Old Glebe Road). Watch tango dancing, listen to traditional music and eat traditional Argentinian treats.
For those who don’t mind wearing leather when it’s ridiculously hot outside: Rolling Thunder will be loudly and proudly riding all around Arlington and D.C. this weekend. From Friday to Sunday, groups of motorcyclists will be rolling in and out of the Hyatt Regency Crystal City, which is serving as the official hotel of the annual event. On Sunday morning a “Ride for Freedom” demonstration will be held at the North Pentagon parking lot. Washington Boulevard from I-395 to the Memorial Bridge will be closed Sunday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and Memorial Bridge will be closed from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. If you have a Harley, feel free to join the crowd (or just watch from the sidelines).
For people who like eating meat and giving to charity at the same time: 3 Bar and Grill (2950 Clarendon Blvd) will be hosting a “Charitable Pig Roast” on Memorial Day eve. There will be Bacon Bloody Marys, pulled pork sandwiches and some killer drink specials. It’s happening from 4:00 to 9:00 Sunday evening. A suggested $5 donation will go to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
Clarendon’s TangySweet Will Be the First of Its Kind
Aaron Gordon is throwing the kitchen sink at his first Arlington project.
Gordon is not only opening a Red Velvet Cupcakery and a TangySweet frozen yogurt store side-by-side on Clarendon Boulevard, he’s also planning to make this his first foray into salads.
“A gourmet salad shop for everyone… I think that concept is well overdue for the Clarendon area,” said Gordon.
He says his as-yet-unnamed TangySweet salad concept will improve on the salad offerings of competitors like SweetGreen, Mixt Greens and Chop’t, which has a location in Rosslyn.
“We’ll make it better and have more to offer,” including more specialized meats, Gordon said. He expects a December or January opening date, depending on when construction wraps up on the building, which is part of the new Clarendon Center development.
The 36-year-old entrepreneur, who grew up in D.C. but spent ten years after college in Southern California, had praise for two of his soon-to-be competitors; he said he’s a fan of Bakeshop and Red Mango, both of which opened this year.
However, he was “not worried” when he heard that NYC-based Crumbs is planning to open a Clarendon location in August. He says Crumbs bakes its cupcakes as a central location and ships them to stores, rather than making them fresh in-store, which gives Red Velvet a competitive advantage.
Gordon says all the local competition “shows that [Clarendon] is a good market for us.”
“We love Clarendon because it’s young and thriving and there are a lot of fun concepts,” he said.
Photo courtesy of TangySweet, Inc.
Police Identify Victim of Deadly Fall
Police have identified the victim of a deadly fall in Courthouse yesterday as 29-year-old Arlington resident John Christopher Hamilton. Read the full police statement here.
Flags In at Arlington National Cemetery This Afternoon
The annual Memorial Day weekend tradition of “Flags In” will take place from 4:00 to 7:00 tonight at Arlington National Cemetery. A group of service members from each branch of the armed forces will place small flags in front of each of the cemetery’s more than 250,000 graves.
More from the Arlington National Cemetery Facebook page:
The time-honored tradition of “Flags In” at Arlington National Cemetery is scheduled to begin after funerals are complete for the day on Thursday, May 27.
Soldiers from the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard) will be joined by service members from the U.S. Marine Corps Ceremonial and Guard Company, U.S. Navy Ceremonial Guard, U.S. Air Force Honor Guard and the U.S. Coast Guard Ceremonial Honor Guard in placing small American flags, known as grave decorating flags, on the gravesites of all who rest at Arlington National Cemetery for the Memorial Day weekend.
“Flags In” has been conducted annually since the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard) was designated as the Army’s official ceremonial unit in 1948. Flags are placed one foot in front and centered before each headstone in the cemetery. Flags will also be placed at the Tomb of the Unknowns by the Tomb Sentinels and at each of the cemetery’s columbarium courts.
While no volunteers are needed to assist the Old Guard with this sacred duty, visitors are welcome to come and pay their respects during this event and are encouraged to arrive at the cemetery after 4 p.m. on Thursday, May 27. It will take approximately three hours to place the more than 250,000 flags. Parking is available in the Visitors Center parking lot.
All flags will be removed on Tuesday, June 1 before the cemetery opens to the public.
Flickr pool photo by marchebm2.
Crime Report: Cell Phone Thefts on the Rise?
It may not be a sustained trend, but there were at least three instances of people having their cell phones forcibly taken from them this week. That follows an incident last week in which a woman who was talking on a cell phone was pushed to the ground and robbed of her phone.
ROBBERY 05/25/10, 1800 block of N. Moore Street. On May 25 at 9:45 pm, an unknown woman and man approached a man waiting at a bus stop. The male suspect asked the victim if he had a cell phone. When the victim pulled it out, the suspects stole it and fled on foot. Both suspect were African American and in their early 20’s. The male suspect was 5’6” and wearing a black jacket, black jeans and a black head covering. The female was 5’5” with a heavy build, and was wearing blue jean, a blue jacket and carried a purse.
ROBBERY 05/26/10, 4300 block of N. 4th Street. On May 26 at 12:30 am, a man was talking on his cell phone outside an apartment building when a group of men approached him. They surrounded him and stole money and his cell phone. The six suspects were African American males.
ROBBERY 05/26/10, 200 block of N. Piedmont Street. On May 26 at midnight, a man was carrying a case of water and was approached by a group of six unknown subjects in their early 20’s. Two men assaulted him and stole money and a cell phone from his pocket. The suspects then fled. The first suspect is described as an African American male, 5’6” with a large stomach wearing only pants. The second suspect is a female with a dark complexion, 5’5”, with dark spiky hair, partially dyed green. The third suspect is described as a “short and fat” African American female wearing dark clothing. The fourth suspect was a “tall and skinny” African American female wearing a white t-shirt. The other suspect descriptions are unknown.
The rest of this week’s Arlington County crime report, after the jump.
Utility Relocation Work on the Pike to Begin Next Month
As the D.C. City Council wrestles with funding for its planned streetcar system, one of the first visible signs of progress on Arlington’s planned Columbia Pike streetcar project will be appearing soon.
Late next month, a contractor is scheduled to start utility relocation work on Columbia Pike between South Wakefield Street and Four Mile Run Drive. While the $2.3 million project is ostensibly meant to improve aesthetics and infrastructure along the Pike by shifting above-ground utility lines below ground, it will also relocate existing underground utilities in anticipation of the planned streetcar line.
The work is expected to take about 15 months to complete. It’s being funded with money from the county, state and federal governments. The county board approved a contract with Alexandria-based construction firm Martin & Gass on Tuesday.
A second phase of the project is scheduled to begin in the fall of 2011. That phase “will focus on improving streets by building wider sidewalks, and adding trees and lighting,” according to a county press release.
Republican Candidate Steps Up to Challenge Zimmerman
Chris Zimmerman will face a general election challenge from the GOP, after all.
South Arlington resident Mark Kelly has accepted the Arlington County Republican Committee’s nomination to run against the incumbent Democrat in the fall.
Kelly, a lawyer who works as an outreach manager at the conservative Heritage Foundation, faces daunting electoral odds. No Republican has won a seat on the board in a general election since 1983 (Republican Mike Lane won a special election in 1999 and served on the board for about six months).
But none of that is stopping Kelly, who wrote on his campaign’s newly-minted Facebook page: “Tonight the Arlington County Republican Committee unanimously nominated me to be their candidate for Arlington County Board. I am proud to accept their nomination.”
Republican civic activist Jim Pebley says Kelly’s announcement was a surprise to many in the audience at the committee meeting.
“Mark just finished up his two year term as chairman of the ACRC and is very well regarded in the committee,” Pebley said. “This was an unexpected development as I didn’t think we’d have a candidate come forward, much less such a well seasoned one.”
