Around Town | ARLnow.com

Custis Trail ‘Bikeometer’ Passes 200,000 Trips

Published August 18, 2014 at 1:45PM | Updated August 18, 2014 at 2:31PM

As of last night, the counter was up to 204,899 trips since it was unveiled on April 1. There were 706 trips recorded today at 12:43 this afternoon, and 24,907 trips this month. The “Bikeometer” has been getting good reviews from the community, according to county Department of Environmental Services spokeswoman Shannon Whalen McDaniel.

“Many people have said that previously they had no idea how many other cyclists bike through Rosslyn,” she said. “County staff did not have a precise understanding of how many bicyclists were using the Custis Trail through the Rosslyn Circle area. With the installation of the Bikeometer counter and display we now know a lot more about the number of bicycle travelers on an average day, and how that number changes over the course of the year and by the day of the week. We’re also learning more about how factors such as weather can impact bicycle travel.”

Even Food Delivery Guys Are Not Safe from Towing in Arlington

By ARLnow.com

Published August 18, 2014 at 11:55AM

It took less than a minute, according to the witness who snapped the photo, above, last week.

An SUV with a Jimmy John’s delivery sign on the top pulls into the private parking area of an Arlington office building around noon. The delivery guy quickly makes his way to the lobby, dropping off a sandwich for a hungry cubicle dweller and hoping for a buck or two in return as a tip.

D.C. Removes ‘Love Locks’ from Key Bridge

By Ethan Rothstein

Published August 14, 2014 at 5:00PM

Last week

The D.C. Department of Transportation has removed the dozens of “love locks” that started popping up on the Key Bridge this year.

“We have [the locks] in our storage facility,” DDOT spokesman Reggie Sanders said in an email. “The locks are in reasonably good condition. At some point [couples] will be able to make arrangements to retrieve them.”

‘Weapon and Gear Shop’ Plans Move to Nauck

By Ethan Rothstein

Published August 14, 2014 at 3:30PM

SpecDive Tactical's website

A store selling civilian and military-grade weaponry and tactical gear is planning to move into the ground floor of a condominium building in the Nauck neighborhood.

SpecDive Tactical, which currently operates out of an apartment building on S. Abingdon Street in Fairlington, hopes to move into the ground floor of 2249 S. Shirlington Road, next door to Pizzoli Pizza. When contacted, SpecDive Tactical’s owner Gerald Rapp confirmed an agreement was in place to move into the space, but otherwise declined to comment on the record.

Catholic Gifts Store Coming to Cherrydale

By Ethan Rothstein

Published August 14, 2014 at 10:00AM

A new “Catholic gift store” is getting ready to move into Cherrydale next month.

Joyful Spirit Gifts is a new business owned by Meg Miller Rydzewski, a parishioner at Saint Agnes Catholic Church, and it says on its website that it plans to open its brick-and-mortar and online store Sept. 1. The shop is located at 3315 Lee Highway, in the Lee Centre strip mall.

Bike Fixit Stand Planned for Pentagon City

By ARLnow.com

Published August 11, 2014 at 3:45PM

The exact site for the stand has yet to be announced, but BikeArlington expects it to be near the Pentagon City Metro station.

The County installed two other stands — one near the Clarendon Metro station and one near the Ballston Metro station — in the spring. Crystal City BID installed a similar stand near the Crystal City Water Park last year.

Red Top Cab Launches New Car Service

By Ethan Rothstein

Published August 11, 2014 at 1:45PM | Updated August 11, 2014 at 4:40PM

(Updated at 4:40 p.m.) Arlington Red Top Cab launched “Red Select” last week, a car service designed to be less expensive for customers than ordering a Lincoln Town Car, but a different level of service than a taxi.

“We’ve seen, particularly with this economic environment, there’s a space between taxi and sedan,” said Red Top Director of Sales and Marketing Von Pelot, “where we can offer something of a boutique car service.”

Ballston Showcases Interactive, Public Art Projects

By Morgan Fecto

Published August 11, 2014 at 11:00AM

Among farmers’ market attendees, corporate commuters, and bar-goers in Ballston last Thursday night (Aug. 7), something else stood out. Two new interactive art displays debuted on Ballston’s sidewalks in the forms of beach chairs and Craigslist poetry.

The brightly painted chairs on the corners of Fairfax Drive and N. Taylor Street, Glebe Road and Wilson Blvd, and in Welburn Square encouraged passersby to sit back and consider rising sea levels. Outside of A-Town Bar and Grill, the jumble of words pulled from Craigslist and projected onto a screen piqued the interests of pedestrians.

Little Free Libraries Thriving in Arlington

By Morgan Fecto

Published August 8, 2014 at 2:30PM

A place to convene with neighbors, donate those dusty spy novels and show children the merits of community service comes in a package the size of an old cranberry crate.

These Little Free Libraries, neighborhood-sponsored curbside libraries with a free, “take a book, return a book,” policy, have sprouted up in Arlington since Robert Walter installed one in his neighborhood off Glebe Road and Walter Reed Drive in 2012.

15 Arlington Eateries Participating in Restaurant Week

By ARLnow.com

Published August 6, 2014 at 5:00PM | Updated August 6, 2014 at 10:44PM

From August 11-17, diners can enjoy a three-course prix fixe lunch for $20.14 and dinner for $35.14. The full list of participating restaurants in the area and their menus can be found online, along with links to make reservations for many of the restaurants.

Here’s the list of participating restaurants in Arlington:

County Fair Begins Tonight

By ARLnow.com

Published August 6, 2014 at 10:30AM | Updated August 6, 2014 at 11:22PM

The free event takes place at the Thomas Jefferson Community Center (3501 2nd Street South). Tonight and Thursday, activities are outdoors, including rides, racing piglets, pony rides, the Cows-N-Corn milking demo and lots of fair food vendors. Additional indoor activities, such as bingo and clog dancing, begin on Friday. Spots are still open for the 5K run/walk on Saturday. The full schedule of events can be found online.

Fair goers have access to a new shuttle stop in Pentagon City this year. A shuttle bus will pick up passengers at the Pentagon City Metro and take them directly to the fair. Shuttles will also run from the three other locations at Arlington Career Center, Ballston Metro and the I-66 parking garage. Parking is free at shuttle locations and shuttles cost $2 round trip.

‘The Amish Outlaws’ to Perform at Pentagon Row

By ARLnow.com

Published August 5, 2014 at 5:00PM

The group has its full story on its website, chronicling how it all started with some of the original members meeting after “Rumspringa.” That’s the Amish practice of letting 16-year-old children live without the Amish code of conduct to decide if they want to be baptized into the church. Although most youths return to the Amish lifestyle after Rumspringa, the guys from The Amish Outlaws did not.

The band is made up of former Amish and “Honorary Amish” members: Brother Amos Def, Brother Big Daddy Abel, Brother Eazy Ezekiel, Brother Elijah Rule, Brother Hezekiah X and Brother Jakob the Pipe Layer. All of their shows reportedly are different. Sometimes the band members will rock out to Bon Jovi or Foo Fighters, and other times they’ll bring out the country with Johnny Cash. The group’s website says that throughout each show, The Outlaws “spin yarns about the Brothers’ upbringing and adventures since Rumpsringa.”