The Gallery Underground in February 2024 (via Gallery Underground/Facebook)
The Gallery Underground in Crystal City is closing next week after one last art auction and gala.
The 3,000-square-foot gallery at 2100 Crystal Drive — in the Crystal City Underground — has been a mainstay of the Arlington Artists Alliance since 2012, showcasing the work of numerous artists. Now, the nonprofit’s outpost has confirmed its last day is Friday, Oct. 4, as JBG Smith is requiring all tenants to vacate the underground commercial area.
Dry fried chicken from Dolan Uyghur (via Dolan Uyghur/Facebook)
D.C.-area restaurant Dolan Uyghur plans to expand further into Northern Virginia with a new Falls Church location.
The new eatery hopes to open by Friday, Oct. 18 at 400 S. Maple Avenue, in the space formerly held by Pizzeria Orso, owner Hamid Kerim told ARLnow. The business also still plans to open a new location in Crystal City, although it has pushed back the planned opening date from November to February or March 2025.
Welcome to the new column, Kami’s Korner, where we will take a deep dive into Arlington’s condominium market by focusing on what’s coming next. From emerging developments to shifting trends, this space will spotlight the opportunities and insights shaping the future of condo living in Arlington.
Where have all the cowboys gone? Um… I mean condominiums.
For new condominiums, this last cycle has been a bit sleepy. For those wanting to own a piece of Arlington, it has been block after block of attractive new rentals, but no chance to own. If you are in the market for a new condominium, there isn’t a single new one on the market today to consider, either in presale or recently delivered with a model to tour. And it’s not for lack of demand. (more…)
E-CARE event in 2021 at Yorktown High School (photo courtesy of Arlington County)
Arlington residents can drop off old electronics, household hazardous materials and small metal items next Saturday at a biannual collection event.
The Environmental Collection and Recycling Event (E-CARE) will take place from 8 a.m.-3 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 5 at Wakefield High School (1325 S. Dinwiddie Street). Accepted materials include automotive fluids, batteries, fluorescent tubes, pesticides, toner cartridges and paint products.
Is your summer camp calendar still open? Consider Art House 7 for your kids, a creative, well-loved space with a fabulous range of quality summer camps for ages 5-14. Your kids will love the imaginative themes and fun teachers. We’ll be making pottery, painting, drawing, printmaking, and sculpting. Among our camp themes: modern masters of art, “green” art, animals, fairytales, and folk stories. Our weekly camps are morning or afternoon, Monday-Friday.
Art House 7 is near the Lee Harrison Shopping Center in Arlington. We have a 2-story studio and free parking.
The Women’s Crawl is coming to Falls Church on May 9, 2026!
Hosted by the team behind the Shrinks on Tap Podcast and presented by Expand Psychology, this one-of-a-kind event is more than a night out—it’s a movement.
A duck on the Potomac River across from Rosslyn, fall 2022 (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Solidcore Sold — “The private equity owners of Solidcore Holdings LLC have reached a deal to sell the Arlington-based fitness chain to L Catterton, the private equity firm backed by luxury giant LVMH SE. Terms have not been disclosed, but Reuters reported the deal values Solidcore between $600 million and $700 million. Solidcore’s investors began exploring a sale of the Pilates chain in May.” [WBJ]
Chase Through Arlington — “The Alexandria Police Department said a suspect pursued by the Arlington County Police Department crashed at the intersection of N. Van Dorn Street and W. Braddock Road just off I-395 near Fort Ward. Scanner traffic indicated that the Arlington County Police Department was following up on D.C. police pursuit of a homicide suspect. The suspect drove over the 14th Street Bridge into Arlington on I-395.” [ALXnow, Twitter]
Closures for Clarendon Day — “The 2024 Clarendon Day will take place on Saturday, September 28, 2024, from approximately 11:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. The Arlington County Police Department will conduct the following road closures from approximately 3:00 a.m. until 10:00 p.m. on Saturday, September 28 to accommodate the event.” [ACPD]
Governance Task Force Considered — “Is a county-government task force the way to advance the ball down the field on proposed changes to the governance structure that has been in place in Arlington for nearly a century? That’s a request being made by the Arlington County Civic Federation. Whether county officials take the group up on its proposal remains to be seen.” [GazetteLeader]
VHC Launches New Podcast — “Coming soon, VHC Health and the Washington Business Journal will launch a new podcast called Living Well with Alison Starling. Join the former ABC 7News anchor and Emmy Award winner for exclusive conversations with health care advocates and experts on today’s most timely health topics.” [WBJ]
Senior Program Keeping Staff Busy — “An increase in community needs, coupled with staffing challenges, has led the Arlington Area Agency on Aging (AAAA) to cut back slightly on walk-up services for those seeking assistance from the county’s Aging & Disability Resource Center. Walk-ins are now curtailed on Fridays, ‘primarily to give staff time to catch up with their administrative duties.'” [GazettLeader]
Beyer Statement on Crime Stats — “According to the FBI’s release of 2023 hate crimes statistics, only 16,009 agencies out of out of 18,800 agencies nationwide participated in hate crimes data collection. The 2023 hate crimes statistics illustrate the urgent need to improve hate crimes reporting across the country.” [Press Release]
Nearby: Squirrel Befriends Gas Man — “Every day at the Exxon at 4001 Mount Vernon Avenue in Arlandria, attendant Ghulam Rabani has fed peanut M&Ms to a squirrel. ‘I see him every day,’ Rabani told ALXnow. ‘He loves the M&Ms. He’ll take them and hide them and then come back.'” [ALXnow]
Watching Hurricane Helene — “Helene should manage to send its remnant rains our way Friday into Friday night. There’s a chance of some thunderstorms, but the higher threat of severe weather and tornadoes will probably remain to the southwest of the D.C. area… It’s still early to predict rainfall totals with much confidence, but models suggest 0.75 to 2 inches is possible through Sunday night.” [Capital Weather Gang]
It’s Thursday — Expect showers and possible thunderstorms after 11am, with cloudy skies and a high of 79°F accompanied by a south wind at 7 mph. The chance of precipitation is 30%. For Thursday night, there’s a 20% chance of showers, with otherwise cloudy conditions and a low around 69°F. [NWS]
Expect showers and possible thunderstorms after 11am, with cloudy skies and a high of 79°F accompanied by a south wind at 7 mph. The chance of precipitation is 30%. For Thursday night, there’s a slight chance of showers, along with cloudy conditions and a low around 69°F. A southeast wind will blow at 3 to 5 mph, with a 20% chance of precipitation. See more from Weather.gov.
💡 Quote of the Day
“The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt
APS School Board member Mary Kadera (staff photo by James Jarvis)
Arlington Public Schools is proposing to significantly increase its budget next year to support more staffing and a pay raise for personnel.
The proposal, which Superintendent Francisco Durán and the Arlington School Board discussed at a work session yesterday (Tuesday), calls for gradually adding 252 new full-time positions and a 3% cost-of-living increase over the next three years.
A spotted lanternfly (photo via Magi Kern/Unsplash)
Spotted lanternflies continue to appear in Arlington and other parts of Northern Virginia — but while the insects are invasive, experts say there’s no need to panic.
“These invasive insects do not bite, sting, or otherwise harm people or pets,” Virginia Cooperative Extension agent Kirsten Conrad told ARLnow. “They feed on a wide variety of plants and are especially attracted to the invasive non-native Tree of Heaven.”
The Fall Heritage Festival (courtesy of Arlington County)
As the temperature cools and leaves begin to change, a wide array of activities are planned in Arlington this harvest season.
Whether marveling at fall foliage, attending a seasonal festival or celebrating Halloween with one’s dog, fans of fall will have no shortage of events to attend in the coming weeks.
The League of Women Voters of Arlington and Alexandria City, in partnership with Arlington County Public Library, invites you to an open discussion on managing local government in a changing environment.
Join Arlington County Manager Mark Schwartz and Alexandria City Manager Jim Parajon for a conversation about how local governments are adapting to shifts in federal funding and changes at the state level. The discussion will explore how these evolving conditions may impact local priorities, services, and decision-making in our communities.