Author: Dan Egitto

Dan Egitto is an editor and reporter at ARLnow. Originally from Central Florida, he graduated from Duke University and previously reported at the Palatka Daily News in Florida and the Vallejo Times-Herald in California. Dan joined ARLnow in January 2024.

News

Water valve leak in North Arlington impacts 100 customers, detours traffic

By Dan Egitto
A past water main break in Cherrydale (staff photo)

Crews are working to repair a 15-inch water valve leak in the Rock Spring neighborhood that has impacted around 100 customers.

A traffic detour is currently in place around the intersection of Old Dominion Drive and Little Falls Road, and water is expected to be restored “in the next couple of hours,” Katie O’Brien, a spokesperson for Arlington’s Department of Environmental Services (DES), told ARLnow.

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Around Town

Ayers Hardware, closing after 78 years, looks back on decades of community support

By Dan Egitto
Ayers Variety & Hardware at 5853 Washington Blvd (staff photo by Ryan Cole)

The owners of a beloved Westover hardware store are reflecting on a 78-year legacy of community investment and support as they prepare to close their doors.

Over the decades, Ayers Variety and Hardware — established in 1948 — built a reputation around friendly, knowledgeable staff who embraced the “small town feel” of the surrounding neighborhood. Spending time to help customers solve household problems and track down hard-to-find items, employees connected with generations of shoppers who knew the retailer as a local fixture.

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Around Town

‘Fridays at the Fountain’ concert series returns to Crystal City this week

By Dan Egitto
Dancing at "Fridays at the Fountain" (courtesy of National Landing BID)

A series of free outdoor concerts from D.C.-area artists is returning to Crystal City beginning this Friday.

“Fridays at the Fountain” will kick off at 6 p.m. with a performance from the indie rock band The Montaines at Water Park (1601 Crystal Drive). Shows will continue every Friday through Aug. 21.

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Around Town

New sauna and cold plunge seeks to open this winter on Wilson Blvd

By Dan Egitto
The planned site of Sauna Jungle at 5210 Wilson Blvd (staff photo by Dan Egitto)

A new Finnish-style sauna and cold plunge is seeking to open in the Bluemont neighborhood this winter.

Sauna Jungle, previously known as Arlington Sauna, has filed a building permit at 5210 Wilson Blvd with the goal of opening late this year or in early 2027.

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News

Clarendon redevelopment project expected to finish demolition next month

By Dan Egitto
Demolition of 3033 Wilson Blvd (staff photo)

A redevelopment project replacing a Clarendon office tower with an eight-story multifamily building is moving toward its next phase.

Developer Carr Properties is still on track to deliver over 300 units of housing at 3033 Wilson Blvd in early 2028, and demolition is expected to finish in August, a spokesperson told ARLnow.

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Around Town

Ember restaurant opening soon in Pentagon City, with dry-aged meats and ‘secret lounge’

By Dan Egitto
Signage for Ember at Westpost in August 2025 (staff photo by Katie Taranto)

A high-end restaurant and bar with dry-aged meats, an extensive wine list and a series of curated rooms for dining and relaxing is preparing to open in Pentagon City.

Ember is looking toward a soft opening in late August at 1301 S. Joyce Street, followed by a grand opening in September, founder Nicholas Mounts told ARLnow. It brings food and drink inspired by European cuisines and five seating areas, including a VIP room, a banquet hall and a “secret lounge.”

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Around Town

‘Grazie Nonna’ Italian restaurant plans mid-2027 opening in Ballston

By Dan Egitto
Grazie Nonna's planned location at 4075 Wilson Blvd (staff photo by Dan Egitto)

An incoming Italian restaurant in Ballston has posted signage and is moving forward with plans to open in about a year.

Grazie Nonna, a full-service restaurant inspired by the home cooking of its founder’s grandmother, hopes to open in mid-2027 at 4075 Wilson Blvd, a spokesperson told ARLnow. Signs direct visitors to the establishment’s Instagram and a newsletter for more updates.

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Around Town

Dunkin’ closes on Columbia Pike, leaving a void at gas station

By Dan Egitto
The former Dunkin' at 3100 Columbia Pike (staff photo by Dan Egitto)

A convenience store on Columbia Pike has been left with a donut hole — and not the good kind.

Dunkin’ has cleared out of its longtime location at 3100 Columbia Pike, leaving a retail void in one half of the storefront at the Shell gas station.

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Around Town

Santa Rosa Taqueria plans to open at former Seamore’s spot in Clarendon

By Dan Egitto
The planned location of Santa Rosa Taqueria at 2815 Clarendon Blvd (staff photo by Dan Egitto)

A D.C.-based taqueria and margarita bar is planning to move into the former home of Seamore’s in Clarendon.

The Crossing Clarendon’s website lists Santa Rosa Taqueria as coming to 2815 Clarendon Blvd, where Seamore’s seafood restaurant closed in November.

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News

Redesign of lanes on S. Four Mile Run Drive seeks to reduce speeding, add parking

By Dan Egitto
S. Four Mile Run Drive at the entrance to the DMV (via Google Maps)

Today (Wednesday) is the last day to submit feedback on a proposed revamp of a stretch of S. Four Mile Run Drive.

The concept design, which county staff have been working on since fall 2023, concerns a length of the road between S. George Mason Drive and S. Walter Reed Drive. It would reduce the width of painted medians and make vehicle lanes narrower in many places, in addition to adding parking lanes.

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News

Series of Arlington pellet attacks damage windows, send person to hospital

By Dan Egitto
File photo

Arlington police are investigating a series of attacks with a BB gun or pellet gun in recent days.

Two of the incidents damaged windows, and another sent a victim to the hospital for “serious, non-life threatening injuries,” according to preliminary incident reports from the Arlington County Police Department.

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Around Town

Ballston bagel battle begins with opening of Call Your Mother

By Dan Egitto
Call Your Mother at 4000 Wilson Blvd (staff photo by Dan Egitto)

The first of three incoming bagel spots officially opened in Ballston today (Tuesday) with bright colors and big crowds.

Call Your Mother welcomed its first patrons at 4000 Wilson Blvd with free coffee cards and “Ballston-inspired stickers,” a spokesperson told ARLnow. This followed a soft opening yesterday, where the Arlington Chamber of Commerce surprised the new business with an impromptu ribbon cutting.

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