Police Operation in Ballston — Arlington County Police say they arrested a wanted individual in Ballston Wednesday evening, in front of the DARPA building on N. Randolph Street. Officers used a “diversionary device” — witnesses described it as a flashbang grenade — during the operation, a police spokeswoman told ARLnow. “One suspect was taken into custody without incident,” ACPD spokeswoman Kirby Clark said. Additional details were not immediately available. [Twitter]

‘Perfect Friday Night Date in Rosslyn’ — “A round of miniature golf is one of summer’s pleasures, whether putt-putting past pirate statues at a course by the beach or playing in a regional park closer to home. It works equally well as part of a date night or a group outing with friends. And it’s definitely not the kind of thing you’d expect to find popping up in the plaza outside a Rosslyn office building.” [Washington Post]

Beer Hall Nears Opening in Ballston — The opening of Bronson Bier Hall in Ballston, the successor to A-Town Bar and Grill, is about a month away. Most of the major interior construction appears to have been completed. [Instagram]

Amazon Hosts LGBT Reception — “A special reception [was] hosted by Amazon at a location in the heart of its massive planned expansion was held at Freddie’s Beach [Bar in Crystal City] to greet the area’s LGBT community.” [Falls Church News-Press]

Subsidies for Late Night Commuters — “The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority has kicked off an effort to support late-night workers who travel when transit service is not available. Since July 1, qualified workers – such as those in the hospitality or health-care industries – have been eligible to receive a $3 subsidy toward travel on Lyft for trips taken between their home and workplace between midnight and 4 a.m.” [InsideNova]

Arlington Community Foundation Awards Scholarships — “The Arlington Community Foundation awarded new college scholarships totaling more than $540,000 to 72 students who will attend college next year. An additional 105 scholarships totaling $281,000 were renewed for returning college students, for a total of 177 recipients.” [Press Release]

Flickr pool photo by John Sonderman

APS on Two Hour Delay — Arlington Public Schools are opening today on a two hour delay. “The Extended Day program will also open two hours late and morning field trips are canceled,” APS said. [Twitter]

Chain Bridge Closes Due to Ice — Chain Bridge was closed for much of the morning rush hour this morning due to icy conditions on the bridge. Multiple crashes were reported, though the bridge has since reopened. [Twitter, Twitter]

Amazon News Roundup — Per the Washington Business Journal: The neighborhoods around the Rosslyn area might have been rebranded as “Capital View” had it been chosen for Amazon’s HQ2. The retro Americana hotel in Crystal City is hoping to stay put and revamp a bit as Amazon moves in. The Crystal City BID is working to expand its boundaries and, if successful, may be renamed the National Landing BID. Finally, while Virginia is mostly welcoming Amazon with open arms, in the other half of the HQ2 equation, New York City, Amazon is facing protests and opposition from local lawmakers.

Amazonians May Invade Dating Scene — DCist asks: “Will Amazon Bring A Bunch Of Rude Workaholics To The D.C. Dating Scene?” [DCist]

Money Diary of a Local Parent — As part of a money diary feature, Slate asks: “How Much Does a Dad of Two Spend on His Kids During One Week in Arlington, Virginia?” [Slate]

E-CARE This Weekend — The Arlington Environmental Collection and Recycling Event (E-CARE), “a biannual event at which residents can safely dispose of household hazardous materials (HHM), bikes, small metal items and other recyclable items,” is set to happen this weekend at 1425 N. Quincy Street. The event is scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 17  from 8:30 a.m.-1 p.m. [Arlington County]

Flickr pool photo by Jenn Vogel

Faccia Luna, one of Clarendon’s oldest restaurants, is touting itself as a destination for young love.

Readers of Washington City Paper recently voted the neighborhood joint ‘Best Pizza’ in the paper’s annual Best of DC series, and the Wilson Blvd restaurant used that as an opportunity to highlight its apparent propensity for being a spot for successful first dates.

Together with Faccia Luna locations in Alexandria and State College, Pa., co-owner Joe Corey says he has talked to at minimum 300 couples who had their first date at Faccia Luna and eventually got married. At least five couples whose relationship started at Faccia Luna returned to the restaurant to propose, and two more have held their wedding receptions there.

“We always knew about it — we would talk to our customers, and every week we would find one or two new couples who had had their first date here,” Corey said. “This is something to be proud of.”

About a year and a half ago, after years of hearing stories of first dates leading to marriages, Faccia Luna began officially documenting the trend, via a continuously updated Word document.

Faccia Luna Trattoria’s Arlington location is 23 years old; the restaurant’s first location opened its doors in State College, PA in 1989. Corey describes Faccia Luna as a homegrown restaurant and attributes its longevity and success as a neighborhood institution to its “commitment to quality, coupled with an upscale, urban design.”

Washington City Paper readers praised Faccia Luna for what they called “real Italian pizza.”

“Pizzerias have come and gone, presidents have come and gone, even those critically acclaimed pizzerias have come and gone and still Faccia Luna has met the ‘Taste of Thyme,'” the restaurant said in a press release.

Almost four years ago, we asked who the dating game in Arlington was more difficult for, men or women.

The question came after Bloomberg News declared that single women faced “long odds” in the D.C. area. By a slim majority — 53 percent to 47 percent — ARLnow.com readers said women had a harder time finding a suitable mate in Arlington.

Today, on the eve of Valentine’s Day, we’re posing the question again. But this time, a bit of additional information: while women are overrepresented in the District — 52.6 percent of the population in D.C. compared to the nationwide average of 50.8 percent — in Arlington women actually only comprise 49.9 percent of the population, according to 2013 census data.

So, if you have first-hand knowledge of the local dating scene, who has it worse, men or women?

Flickr pool photo by Chris Rief

This article was written by Maddy Berner

While Arlington is home to plenty of locations to mingle and date, some people think Arlington’s population could use a little more variety.

Last week, Redfin.com released a list that ranked Arlington as the best place for successful, educated, single women. According to the website, Arlington boasts high percentages of female college graduates (69 percent) and women with high incomes (49 percent). When asked about it on the streets of Clarendon, many young members of both genders seemed to agree with the ranking.

“It’s the best city for single people,” said Antwand Wardrick, 29. “It has so much to do, so many different venues, so many different people. Whatever you like, you can find it, and once you get it, you have to hold on to it.”

Even on a rainy Wednesday night, Spider Kelly’s was still bustling with people eating dinner and playing pool, the picture of a vibrant singles scene. Still, talking to some of those hovering around the bar, there were aspects of Arlington’s dating culture that remained debatable.

Elizabeth L., 25, grew up in Arlington, and said the county’s high marks were a bit odd because her personal experiences with dating. People in the area are competitive and too focused on their jobs, she said.

“Every time I go out, a man offers me a job or a security clearance when they’re hitting on me,” said Elizabeth, “which is really awkward.”

Taking shelter from the rain just outside of Clarendon Ballroom, Katharine Milburn, 31, vehemently supported the “successful” aspect Redfin’s choice. The Arlington native owns her own company in the area, and said many of her friends have high-paying jobs and are continually climbing the ranks within them.

Milburn agreed that Arlington has plenty of people and places to go — listing Galaxy Hut, Iota Club & Cafe and Northside Social as a few — yet there were still some factors that made the scene frustrating. The conversation, she said, lacks variety.

“I think Arlington is very cookie cutter,” she said. “I think you find that the same type of people have the same type of conversations with people over and over again.”

Standing in front of a quieter Whitlow’s on Wilson, Amro Shihadah, 24, and Charlie Morris, 27, also said Arlington is home to several places to meet people, but the conversation is more of the same.

“It’s the same people, from the same schools, from the same area, who know the same people,” said Shihadah.

While he doesn’t think Arlington is necessarily the top location for single women, Jayme Maddox, 25, said he thinks the high concentration of young professionals in the area makes it one of the best. He says he loves places like Fuego, Wilson Tavern and Clarendon Grill, which each yield different types of people.

“It is a great place to meet grounded, intelligent, and successful (or on their way) people,” Maddox said. “You consider that with the relatively intimate size of Arlington and that just increases the opportunities for dating.”

(Updated at 10:10 a.m.) Arlington’s Rosslyn neighborhood is the best place to look for single men in the D.C. area, according to the real estate website Trulia.

For a blog post called Looking for Love in All the Right Places, Trulia looked at single adults below the age of 65 in some major metropolitan areas, including D.C. The company found that “downtown” employment centers — like Rosslyn — typically have more single men than women, while “uptown” residential areas have a higher ratio of women to men.

Rosslyn was recognized as the highest men-to-women ratio in a ZIP code (22209) with at least 1,000 population and 20 percent population alone. Similarly, Upper Connecticut Avenue in D.C. took the honor of the highest women-to-men ratio.

While Rosslyn took the regional title, the Crystal City/Pentagon City area also looked like fertile ground, with more single men than women. Parts of southwestern Arlington — including Shirlington and Fairlington — had the county’s highest ratio of single women to men. The Clarendon, Courthouse and Ballston area collectively had a slightly higher ration of women to men.

Map via Trulia

Home Sales Up, Prices Down — October home sales in Arlington were up 45 percent by volume, year over year, but prices were down. The average home price decreased to $542,941 from $562,217 in October 2011, which was partially attributed to a larger proportion of rowhouse and townhouse sales in relation to detached single-family homes. [Sun Gazette]

‘Incredible Edible Book Contest’ — On Dec. 1, the Cherrydale Branch Library will hold an “Incredible Edible Book Contest.” Contestants will create something edible to represent a book title, scoring points for cleverness and originality. The entries will be judged by a panel that will include Justin Stegall of Bakeshop and David Guas of Bayou Bakery. [Arlington Public Library]

Arlington Teacher on Date Lab — Jose Fuentes — a teacher at Key Elementary School, we’re told — was set up on a date as part of the Washington Post’s weekly Date Lab feature. Unfortunately, his date was “not really a Clarendon person” and the dinner at Eventide did not lead to a second date. [Washington Post]

Flickr pool photo by Maryva2