Bike to Work Day was created in 1956 to encourage commuters to try riding their bike to work as a healthy alternative to sitting in traffic. In metro D.C., participation has ballooned from a few hundred riders to 11,000 last year.
Arlington County is hosting three pit stops tomorrow: Rosslyn (Rosslyn Gateway Park, 1300 Lee Highway), Ballston (FreshBikes Bike Shop, 3924 Wilson Blvd) and Crystal City (Crystal City Water Park, 1750 Crystal Drive).
Good Stuff Eatery Opens Tonight — The new Good Stuff Eatery location at 2110 Crystal Drive in Crystal City will open to the general public for the first time tonight. The burger and shake restaurant will be open for dinner only today; it will start opening for lunch and dinner tomorrow. A television production crew is expected to be filming at the restaurant tonight for an upcoming episode of ‘Life After Top Chef.’
Potomac Overlook Naturalist Retiring — Martin Ogle, who is retiring next week after 27 years as chief naturalist at Potomac Overlook Regional Park, is being credited with playing a key role in a number of environmental initiatives in Arlington over the years. [Falls Church News-Press]
Spike Mendelsohn brought some glitz and glamour to Crystal City Friday night at the private opening party for his newest Good Stuff Eatery location.
Between the the celebrity DJ inside (Josh Madden), the Ferrari parked outside (it belonged to one of Spike’s investors), and the reality show production crew that filmed the whole thing (we were told they were working on “Life After Top Chef”), the party was more Hollywood Boulevard than Crystal Drive. Taking in the excitement — and the beer, fries, burgers and milkshakes — was a capacity crowd that included young partiers, local notables, and Mendelsohn family members.
The restaurant touts itself as serving comfort foods traditional to the Delmarva Peninsula. Some menu items include the “Chesapeake Chicken” sandwich, which is topped with crab dip, and the “Eastern Shore” fried egg sandwich. The drink menu features wines and beers crafted in the Delmarva area.
The website says the restaurant, which will offer a casual atmosphere, hopes to be open this fall. A location in Baltimore is scheduled to open sometime this spring.
Good Stuff Eatery will be holding its grand opening in Crystal City on Wednesday, May 9.
May Day — It’s the first of May and, after a relatively cool April, the weather is finally expected to warm up today. [Capital Weather Gang]
Worries Over Westover Farmers Market Parking — As part of a compromise between the organizers of the new Westover Farmers Market and the Arlington County Board, the market will close at noon (instead of 1:00 p.m., as originally proposed) and will provide attendants to direct patrons to designated parking areas. Still, some businesses and residents are worried that market-goers may cause parking woes in the neighborhood. [Arlington Mercury]
It began this morning with outdoor yoga at the Crystal City Water Park (1750 Crystal Drive). The free yoga sessions will continue every Monday through September, starting at 7:00 a.m.
Tomorrow, the FRESHFARM Farmers Market returns with a variety of items from local growers and producers. The market is open from 3:00-7:00 p.m., and will be held every Tuesday through November on Crystal Drive between 18th and 20th Streets.
During its meeting on Saturday, the County Board voted unanimously to award the $1.9 million contract to Ardent Company, LLC. In addition to the street conversion, the three phase project will improve intersections along Crystal Drive with new traffic signals and ADA compliant ramps and crosswalks. A southbound bicycle lane will also be added.
The new design is expected to make the street safer and easier to navigate, as well as preparing the area for future development and a streetcar.
Students Welcome Shuttle Arrival — Students at St. Thomas More Cathedral School in Arlington welcomed the arrival of space shuttle Discovery yesterday by lining up in the school’s parking lot in the outline of a space shuttle.
Budget Proposal Includes Tax Hike, Pay Raise — At a work session yesterday, the Arlington County Board agreed to raise the real estate tax rate for its new budget — set for adoption on Saturday — by 1.3 cents above the current rate. That’s well above the 0.5 cent tax rate hike in County Manager Barbara Donnellan’s proposed budget. The new budget includes increased funding for schools, libraries, housing and employee pay raises — including a 2.8 percent pay raise for County Board members themselves. [Washington Post]
The Arlington Gay and Lesbian Alliance will be holding its annual Miss Gay Arlington pageant later this month in Crystal City.
From a press release:
With little warning, the Asian restaurant closed last month for “remodeling.” A manager at the Charlie Chiang’s location in Centreville told us that the restaurant is not expected to reopen for another week or two.
In a note on the door addressed to the restaurant’s “royal customers,” management apologized for the sudden closing.
Good Stuff, which is still under construction at 2110 Crystal Drive, will be holding a private VIP opening party on Friday, May 4, complete with a performance by DJ Josh Madden. Madden is a Waldorf, Maryland native and the older brother of Joel and Benji Madden of the band Good Charlotte.
Good Stuff began interviewing prospective managers for the restaurant today, according to Chef Spike’s Twitter feed. The restaurant will be opening at some point in early May, after the opening party, a spokeswoman said. The location will include a 12-seat “farm table” and a large, 60 person capacity party space.
