Twins Ace Hardware is celebrating its new Crystal City location this weekend with some big-ticket item giveaways, refreshments and other activities.
Starting today (Friday), the locally owned and operated hardware shop is holding a grand opening weekend at 2051 S. Bell Street. Festivities over the next few days will include a grilling expert meet-and-greet, daily giveaways and a ribbon cutting.
Three years after dropping Kaiser Permanente and Cigna as health-insurance providers, Arlington Public Schools is bringing them back.
Superintendent Francisco Durán said at the May 28 School Board meeting that the two firms had been selected to provide health-insurance coverage for a three-year period beginning at the start of 2027. They will replace CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, which has held the contract since January 2024.
Washington, DC and Arlington sit about four miles apart, but a move between them rarely takes four miles’ worth of planning. The distance is short. The logistics are not.
A DC pickup might mean limited curb space, a building with fixed moving hours, and a long carry from the unit to the truck. The Arlington delivery might mean a reserved loading dock, a service elevator with a two-hour window, and a front desk that needs a certificate of insurance before the crew walks in. Two buildings, two sets of rules, and a crew that has to satisfy both in a single day. Add weekday bridge traffic and two lease dates that don’t quite line up, and a fifteen-minute drive turns into a full day.
The moves that go smoothly are the ones where pickup and delivery get planned as two separate jobs. At 495 Movers, our crews work both sides of the river daily, so the Arlington movers on our team plan the delivery before the truck ever leaves DC.
Start with how your belongings get out of the building.
If you’re in an apartment or condo, call the property manager and ask about approved moving hours, elevator reservations, certificates of insurance, and floor protection requirements. Many DC buildings won’t allow a move to start before 9 a.m. or continue past 5 p.m., and some don’t permit weekend moves at all.
Rowhouses have fewer rules but their own challenges: narrow stairs, a tight turn at the landing, and maybe thirty feet of sidewalk between the door and wherever the truck can legally stop.
Parking is the piece people leave until last and shouldn’t. In DC, you can reserve curb space for a moving truck through DDOT’s temporary no-parking permit, and the signs generally need to be posted several days in advance. Without it, the crew may end up parked a block away, and long carries add time to the bill. Our DC movers handle permit timing as part of the booking.
Use this as your checklist for the conversation with your building manager and your moving company:
Where the truck can legally stand
Which entrance the crew should use
Whether an elevator is reserved, and for what window
What time loading can begin
How far belongings have to travel to reach the truck
Whether building management needs documents in advance
One more thing to do now: measure your largest pieces. Sofas, bed frames, desks, dining tables, and gym equipment all need to clear the destination doorway, hallway, and elevator, not just the one you’re leaving. Doing this during DC prep rather than on delivery day is what keeps a bed frame from getting disassembled on an Arlington loading dock while your elevator window runs out.
Once the truck crosses the river, the plan starts over.
High-rises in Rosslyn, Ballston, Clarendon, Courthouse, and National Landing typically require advance notice, a reserved loading dock, and a service elevator booking. Many ask for a certificate of insurance naming the building as additional insured, and some collect a refundable move-in deposit. Condo associations can add their own move-in hours on top of that.
Whether you’re after a precision fade, a beard trim or just a no-fuss neighborhood cut, Arlington’s barbers are ready to keep you looking sharp.
Here are the nominees for “Best Barbershop in Arlington” as part of our ARLnow Readers’ Choice awards.
Did we miss your favorite barbershop? Write it in!
Voting will close in two weeks.
Voting for Best Title Company in Arlington is still taking place. Be sure to cast your vote before voting closes next Friday at 8:30 a.m.
Two weeks ago, we voted on the Best Real Estate Agent for Sellers in Arlington. The results are now official:
Love your neighborhood, but not the way your house works?
Do you add on? Go up? Move walls? Or rethink the space you already have?
Arlington County has retained the highest possible credit rating for the 26th year in a row.
All three major bond-rating agencies — Moody’s, S&P Global and Fitch Ratings — reaffirmed the county’s Aaa/AAA/AAA debt ratings this week, the county announced this morning. Arlington is one of just 54 counties nationwide, and one of 13 in Virginia, to hold the top mark from all three.
Whether autumn means sipping local ciders, decorating pumpkins with the kids, or enjoying live music, Fall Fest is packed with festive fun for all ages and the perfect way to spend a crisp October afternoon in Rosslyn!
A Crystal City hotel is celebrating its completed redesign and a soon-to-come “land and sea”-themed restaurant at the property.
Local leaders and staff at the Westin Crystal City cut the ribbon on the hotel’s overhaul yesterday (Thursday) at 1800 Richmond Hwy. The project redesigned the hotel’s 223 guest rooms, refreshed common areas with new walls, floors and furnishings, and will soon introduce Stillwater & Stone, a new restaurant and bar.
The owner of a longtime gay bar and iconic local business in Crystal City says he’s remaining an “eternal optimist” following one of the restaurant’s toughest financial years yet.
Freddie Lutz, owner and founder of Freddie’s Beach Bar, says the restaurant is still grappling with economic difficulties that drove business down throughout 2025. However, Lutz says he is hopeful as ever as the bar — a hallmark of Arlington’s culinary and cultural fabric — recently celebrated 25 years in business on Restaurant Row at 555 23rd Street S.
Falls Church’s Urban Forestry Commission is considering ideas to increase the city’s tree canopy without breaking the bank.
With several years of difficult budget years on the horizon, it may be hard to find funding for some previous proposals, such as creating a city urban-forestry management plan and a comprehensive tree inventory, said Erin Flynn, the Council’s liaison to the commission.
Flyover This Morning — From AlertDC: “The U.S. Military will conduct an aircraft flyover in the NCR over Arlington National Cemetery on Friday, May 29, at approximately 11:03AM.”
More on Waymo’s Plans — Waymo has begun mapping Alexandria and will soon bring its self-driving cars to Arlington, the company told Virginia officials — though it said it does “not currently have plans for a commercial service there.” Drivers operate the mapping vehicles for now. Self-driving cars aren’t yet permitted in Virginia, and a state senator behind an autonomous-vehicle bill doesn’t expect robotaxis before 2028. [Wired]
DHS Weighs in on Local Case — A man accused of sexually assaulting a woman in the stairwell of a Columbia Pike parking garage is in the country illegally and had prior charges including rape, according to the Department of Homeland Security. ICE recently lodged a detainer for the 25-year-old, according to DHS, which criticized state policies limiting cooperation with immigration agents. ACPD is seeking additional victims. [WJLA]
Truck Blocks Army Navy Drive — A car carrier sat in the middle of Army Navy Drive for nearly 12 hours, blocking turn lanes in both directions, according to Dave Statter. The driver appeared to sleep in the rig overnight and began off-loading cars near the end of Thursday’s morning rush — despite open space on the closed Fashion Centre mall property where the cars were headed. [Dave Statter/X]
Top Meetings Destination — Arlington landed at No. 44 on Cvent’s list of top meeting destinations in North America, the Arlington Convention and Visitors Service announced. It’s the county’s fifth straight year on the venue-sourcing platform’s top-destinations list, which ranks cities by group-business activity. [Arlington County]
Bus Fare Crackdown — Metro has issued nearly 400 citations and made 21 arrests since launching a Metrobus fare-evasion crackdown this week, with about 7 in 10 bus riders skipping the $2.25 fare — roughly twice the national average. “People will pay the fare, or they will be taken off the bus,” General Manager Randy Clarke said. Officers are monitoring live bus-camera feeds to flag non-payers, a method Clarke believes is a national first. [Fox 5, NBC 4, WTOP]
Affordable Housing ‘Lost’ — Falls Church’s longtime commitment to truly affordable housing has been “lost,” Hal Lippman, a former vice mayor who now leads the Citizens for a Better City, told the City Council. He argued the city’s efforts have failed to reach lower-income households and have left it an “economic gated community.” [FCNP]
NDAs for Federal Workers — The Trump administration is proposing a government-wide nondisclosure agreement barring federal workers from sharing a broad range of confidential government information. Signing would be voluntary, but the draft warns that refusing “may result in removal from federal service.” Civil-liberties groups call it an unconstitutional gag order; the rule includes a whistleblower carve-out. [Washington Post]
Forever Chemicals Targeted — Virginia has adopted new testing rules aimed at keeping PFAS, so-called forever chemicals, out of the food supply, targeting the sewage sludge that’s converted into farm fertilizer. The law requires treatment plants and state regulators to test for PFAS and share results with anyone spreading the sludge. Del. Alfonso Lopez (D-Arlington), who chairs the House Agriculture committee, called it a “farmer’s right to know” measure. [WAMU]
Disability Emergency Drills — A new state law will require certain health care providers to run regular emergency drills so staff are better prepared when people with disabilities face medical crises. The measure, signed by Gov. Abigail Spanberger, followed a 2025 report that found staff delayed or failed to perform CPR or call 911 in nearly half of reviewed sudden-death cases. Backers estimate it could save about seven lives a month. [Virginia Mercury]
Rain Eases the Drought — A nine-day stretch of rain — among the longest the area has seen since 2000 — dropped nearly two inches on the D.C. area since May 19 and finally eased the region’s drought, forecasters say. Much of the area has improved to moderate drought, though spots to the south remain in severe drought, NBC4 meteorologist Doug Kammerer said. [CWG/X, Doug Kammerer/X]
It’s Friday — Expect a sunny day with a high of 78°F. Winds will shift from north to west at 5 to 7 mph in the afternoon. Overnight, the weather will be mostly clear with a low of around 60°F. [NWS]
Good Thursday evening, Arlington. Let’s take a look back at today’s stories and a look forward to tomorrow’s event calendar.
The following articles were published earlier today — May 28, 2026.
Here is what’s going on Friday in Arlington, from our event calendar.
Expect a sunny day with a high of 78°F. Winds will shift from north to west at 5 to 7 mph in the afternoon. Overnight, the weather will be mostly clear with a low of around 60°F, and southwest winds at 7 mph. See more from Weather.gov.
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Registration is now open for Rosslyn Fall Fest, returning to the NOW pop-up park (1401 Wilson Blvd) on Saturday, Oct. 3, from 1 to 6 p.m. Expanded this year onto Oak Street, the FREE event will transform Arlington’s most urban neighborhood into a seasonal destination featuring an inflatable corn maze, local makers market, seasonal beer garden, live music, and fall-themed experiences for all ages to enjoy.
Attendees can explore a curated market of local makers and artisans, enjoy ciders and seasonal brews in the beer garden, navigate an inflatable corn maze, test their skills at inflatable axe throwing, and take part in pumpkin-themed activities and other fall experiences. Food vendors, live music, and dog-friendly programming round out the afternoon.
