Former President Joe Biden turned an ordinary birthday celebration into a uniquely memorable one shortly after dining in Virginia Square last weekend.
A group of Washington-Liberty High School students were out to dinner at Carbonara on Sunday when they noticed what appeared to be Secret Service members and the 46th president.
“When I first saw him, I didn’t believe it was him,” freshman Kate Johnson told ARLnow. “I thought maybe it was somebody that looked super similar, or a different person. Then, I truly realized it was the president, and I didn’t know what to think.”
Johnson and her friends decided to dine outside “to give him peace to eat.” But they caught the former president’s attention as he was leaving the restaurant after enjoying bacon-wrapped shrimp, tiramisu and other Italian fare with Lloyd Austin, his former defense secretary.
“He then looks to his left where we were seated and simply asks, ‘are you guys cold?'” Johnson recalled. “My friends and I couldn’t contain our laughter.”
Biden approached the table and struck up a conversation “as if we were old pals discussing a tee time,” Johnson said.
“He was genuinely a nice, kind, and thoughtful person,” she said. “We couldn’t believe that he stopped to talk to us [and] take pictures.”
The group of teens were there to celebrate the 15th birthday of Johnson’s friend, Grace Cannon. Once the former POTUS found out, Johnson said, he led the group in a rendition of “Happy Birthday to You.”
Grace “is an amazing person and I’m so happy she got this unforgettable birthday surprise,” said Johnson.
No stranger to Arlington, Biden has often crossed the Potomac River during his lengthy political career. During his time as vice president, Biden made stops at local businesses like Liberty Diner in Clarendon and the Metro 29 Diner on Langston Blvd.
Biden himself has a birthday coming up: he turns 83 in two weeks, on Nov. 20.
