Spring is here, bringing warmer weather, longer daylight hours and more outdoor dining in Arlington.
As patios and beer gardens reopen for the season, here are a couple of spots in and around Arlington to enjoy the scenery with drinks or a meal.
With warmer days ahead, an outdoor pizza restaurant and wine bar on the Potomac River waterfront will soon make its seasonal return.
Catboat Pizza Bar plans to reopen next month at the Washington Sailing Marina in Alexandria, offering fresh pizza, drinks and lawn games with picturesque views. It will be the restaurant’s second season on the water at 1 Marina Drive.
This regularly scheduled column is written by Eli Tucker, Arlington-based Realtor and Arlington resident. If you would like to work with Eli and his team in Northern Virginia and the greater D.C. Metro area, you can reach him directly at [email protected].
Question: Why would anybody waste thousands of dollars each year on condo fees?
Answer: Most people associate paying condo fees with throwing money down the drain, but most people do not look at condo fees the right way.
In this June 20 article, the Wall Street Journal reported a study by Angi (formerly Angie’s List) that home maintenance and emergency repairs have increased by 85% and 175%, respectively, from 2019 to 2025.
By comparison, condo fees in Arlington increased by an average of just 32% from 2019 to 2025, making them a steep bargain for condo owners compared to other homeowners.
What Do Condo Fees Pay For?
For those who haven’t spent time studying condo budgets, some of the main expenses in a condo budget include:
- Maintenance, Emergency Repairs, and Utilities: general upkeep and operations of the building
- Reserves: a building’s savings account for major repairs or replacement of things like the roof, elevators, carpet, etc
- Property Management/Staff: contracts for a property manager, front desk, janitorial services, and engineer
- Master Insurance: this policy usually protects everything except your personal items and improvements within each unit
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As April approaches, the spring sports season is underway in full with regular-season action taking place for all of Arlington’s high school teams.
Baseball, softball, soccer, lacrosse and track-and-field teams are in action, wtih the spring crew season beginning soon, as well.
As springtime blooms in Arlington, several local farmers markets are opening or expanding their hours starting next week.
A total of 10 markets are open this year — with the county’s newest addition, the Green Valley Farmers Market, celebrating its grand opening on Friday, April 4.
Due to the extended period of extreme heat forecasted for the next several days in our area, the Civic Jam event originally scheduled for Friday, July 3, 2026, has been postponed to Friday, July 24, 2026.
Commemorate the country’s 250th anniversary of the United States of America at Civic Jam! Celebrate the City of Falls Church’s diverse community, civic engagement, and classic summer fun. Jam out to live, local music, sip on local brews, enjoy tasty treats and eats, and a full evening of festivities for all ages on Friday, July 3, 2026, from 6 to 10 p.m.
By OLIVIA DIAZ Associated Press/Report for America
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin has vetoed a slew of bills reforming labor and gun laws, blocking Democrats’ attempts to reintroduce legislation nearly identical to what they proposed unsuccessfully last year.
The Arlington Public Library’s semiannual book sale is coming back for the spring season.
Offering books, games and puzzles at bargain prices, the sale begins next Thursday, April 3 in Central Library’s parking garage at 1015 N. Quincy Street.
Organic Chain Coming to Ballston — “Life Alive Organic Cafe is expanding to Northern Virginia following its local debut in January from space on D.C.’s West End. The Massachusetts-based fast-casual chain, which features healthy food options including bowls, salads and wraps, has inked deals for space in Ballston and Old Town Alexandria, with several more outposts expected to follow.” [WBJ]
Accelerator Coming to Crystal City — “A Los Angeles venture capital firm will launch an accelerator program in Arlington later this year to help aerospace and defense startups establish a permanent presence in Greater Washington. Starburst Ventures’ National Landing Launchpad, to be located in 1,600 square feet at 2231 Crystal Drive, is set to accept applications for its first cohort of up to 10 startups on April 1.” [WBJ]
Gov. Vetoes Ranked Choice Bill — “Governor Glenn Youngkin has vetoed legislation that would have made technical improvements to Virginia’s ranked choice voting statute. The bill contained clarifications for election administrators regarding audits, recounts, and equipment testing.” [Ranked Choice Virginia]
Notable Va. Bills Signed — “Gov. Glenn Youngkin, now in his last year in office, has made decisions on nearly 900 pieces of legislation from this session. Of those bills, he signed 599, amended 159, and vetoed 157. Here are some of the standouts.” [N. Va. Magazine]
Alexandria Braces for Fed Cuts — “Two regional planning experts delivered sobering news to the Alexandria City Council on Tuesday (March 25) about the potential impact of federal workforce reductions, warning that the city faces significant economic challenges if proposed cuts materialize.” [ALXnow]
It’s Thursday — The weather will be mostly sunny with temperatures reaching near 60 degrees, accompanied by a west wind at 6 to 9 mph and gusts reaching up to 18 mph. In the evening, expect partly cloudy skies with lows around 44 degrees. [NWS]
Good Wednesday evening, Arlington. Let’s take a look back at today’s stories and a look forward to tomorrow’s event calendar.
🕗 News recap
The following articles were published earlier today — Mar 26, 2025.
- 8:15 am: Youngkin vetoes bill to let Arlington change its form of government | 🗣️ Comments
- 9:00 am: Remains of railroad structure in E. Falls Church to receive historic marker | 🗣️ Comments
- 9:45 am: Arlington summer camps offer greater flexibility to help terminated federal workers | 🗣️ Comments
- 11:00 am: NEW: Red Flag Warning issued for Arlington | 🗣️ Comments
- 11:15 am: Andy’s Pizza teases ‘soon-ish’ opening in Va. Square | 🗣️ Comments
- 1:00 pm: JUST IN: Student who made threats had knives in school, police say | 🗣️ Comments
- 2:30 pm: Eviction prevention, code enforcement facing cuts in proposed Arlington budget | 🗣️ Comments
- 3:15 pm: Shed fire near W-L ignites brush, prompts large ACFD response amid Red Flag Warning | 🗣️ Comments
- 3:45 pm: ‘I was paralyzed with fear’ — Ashton Heights residents respond to ICE raid | 🗣️ Comments
- 3:55 pm: UPDATED: Firefighters battling house fire in Woodmont neighborhood | 🗣️ Comments
📅 Upcoming events
Here is what’s going on Thursday in Arlington, from our event calendar.
- 11:30 am: Tiny Stage
- 12:00 pm: Mason Square Resource Pop-Up
- 6:00 pm: Pilates with Mind The Mat
- 6:00 pm: Betting on Bridges Casino Royale
- 6:30 pm: Art Night: Cherry Blossom Painting, BYOB at Art House 7
- 7:30 pm: “The Margriad” an adaptation of Shakespeare at Gunston Arts Center
☀️ Thursday’s forecast
The weather will be mostly sunny with temperatures reaching near 60 degrees, accompanied by a west wind blowing at 6 to 9 mph and gusts reaching up to 18 mph. In the evening, expect partly cloudy skies with lows around 44 degrees and southwest winds at approximately 6 mph. See more from Weather.gov.
💡 Quote of the Day
“In three words I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life: it goes on.”
– Robert Frost
🌅 Tonight’s sunset
The MonumentCam screenshot above is used with permission of the Trust for the National Mall and courtesy of EarthCam.
Thanks for reading! Feel free to discuss the day’s happenings in the comments.
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Firefighters battled a large house fire in the Woodmont neighborhood Wednesday afternoon.
The fire scene is the 2900 block of 24th Road N., south of the YMCA gymnastics center. Black smoke could be seen rising from a distance as a result of the blaze.