Crystal City | ARLnow.com

Morning Notes

Published September 15, 2011 at 8:48AM

BRAC Not Too Bad, After All — Today is the deadline for the transfer of military offices affected by the Base Realignment and Closure Act. By today, 17,000 jobs were supposed to have moved out of Arlington County (mostly Crystal City) and into secure military installations like Ft. Belvoir. But in the end, the feared deadline is coming and going “with little fanfare.” The Associated Press reports that 10,000 of the 17,000 BRACed jobs are still here and expected to remain through as late as 2014, thanks to extensions granted by the Department of Defense. [Washington Post]

Pumpkins Arrive in Clarendon — The first pumpkins of the season showed up yesterday at the Clarendon Farmers Market. [Clarendon Culture]

Around Town

Wild Chickens Living Near Crystal City?

By ARLnow.com

Published September 12, 2011 at 4:30PM

Snowhite wrote on his blog this morning that shortly after parking in the Roaches Run parking lot (across from Gravelly Point, the lot is frequented by limo drivers waiting for airport arrivals) an animal control officer arrived on scene and started trying to round up the wily birds, who seemed determined to not be evicted from their South Arlington home. To assist the effort, Snowhite and his fishing buddy got out their nets and joined the chase. After 20 minutes of fruitless effort, the trio gave up — an outcome that was cheered by some bystanders who told the men to leave the chickens alone.

The two fishermen continued on with their fly fishing mission at the sanctuary, marveling at the prospect of wild chickens living near an urban pond but lamenting the unsuccessful chicken chase.

Around Town

Crystal City Apartment Building Sold

By ARLnow.com

Published September 6, 2011 at 11:29AM

The Crystal Plaza Apartments in Crystal City (2111 Jefferson Davis Highway) are under new ownership.

Archstone sold the building to real estate investor Ralph Dweck at the end of last month. No word yet on why Archstone, a major Crystal City land holder, decided to sell the apartment complex.

Around Town

Video: Coal-Fired Pizza in Crystal City

By ARLnow.com

Published September 1, 2011 at 4:59PM | Updated September 1, 2011 at 9:24PM

Tagolio Pizzeria (549 S. 23rd Street), located along restaurant row on 23rd Street in Crystal City, is one of the few pizzerias to serve an authentic coal-fired pizza in the D.C. area.

A crew from the county’s cable TV channel caught up with the restaurant’s French-born owner to find out the secret to Tagolio’s critically-acclaimed pies (and its freshly-made gnocci). Short answer: the dough, the fresh ingredients and the coal-fired oven.

Events

Morning Poll: Post-Labor Day Events

By ARLnow.com

Published September 1, 2011 at 9:34AM | Updated September 1, 2011 at 10:16AM

The first major event after Labor Day is the Rosslyn Jazz Festival on Saturday, Sept. 10. Jazz luminaries Dee Dee Bridgewater, Henry Butler and Grace Kelly will perform at the annual event, which is held in Rossslyn’s Gateway Park.

The annual Vintage Crystal wine and jazz festival is scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 18. The event, held in a Crystal City parking lot, features wine tastings and food samples, as well as jazz and dance performances, all with a “Latin twist.”

Events

Next Year’s ‘Crystal Screen’ Theme: RomComs

By ARLnow.com

Published August 30, 2011 at 1:30PM | Updated August 30, 2011 at 3:23PM

The festival, which is coming up on its sixth year, will host an entire summer of romantic comedies in 2012. Dubbed ‘Crystal Screen: Date Night Crystal City,’ the movie series will again start in June and wrap up at the end of August.

Films set to be shown under the stars next year include: Sex and the City, The Wedding Singer, Sweet Home Alabama, Hitch, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, Sleepless in Seattle, The Proposal, Bridget Jones’s Diary, You’ve Got Mail, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Love Actually, Pretty Woman and When Harry Met Sally.

News

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published August 30, 2011 at 8:55AM

County to Label Building Energy Use — In October, Arlington will start installing signs on county-owned building that will reveal the building’s energy use and carbon footprint. “We’d like people to think of energy use in buildings like they think of gasoline use in cars,” Joan Kelsch, Arlington’s green building program manager, told reporter Michael Lee Pope. [WAMU]

Planetarium Donors and Dedications — Among the whimsical new seat dedications in the soon-to-be-renovated David M. Brown Planetarium: “Pick any star — make a wish!” “Gaze upward & dream!” and “4 Who Is Yet To Come.” [savetheplanetarium.org]

News

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published August 26, 2011 at 8:30AM

Storm Shopping Clears Shelves — Residents are taking the advice of emergency officials and shopping for essential items in advance of Hurricane Irene. At the Potomac Yard Target store last night, shopping carts were at a premium, milk was running low and bottled water was completely sold out.

Two Candidates Challenge Brink — Del. Bob Brink will have to work a bit harder to keep his 48th District House of Delegates seat. Brink is facing general election challenges from Independent Green candidate Janet Murphy and from McLean resident Kathleen Gillette Mallard, who has ties to the Tea Party. [Sun Gazette]

Around Town

Work Starts on ‘Memphis BBQ’ in Crystal City

By ARLnow.com

Published August 19, 2011 at 12:00PM

The restaurant is taking the place of the now-shuttered Mackey’s Public House on 23rd Street, between Crystal Drive and Jefferson Davis Highway. The official word is that the restaurant will open in “late summer,” but ARLnow.com projects a later fall or winter opening.

According to the Washington Business Journal’s Missy Frederick, owner and restaurant veteran Chris George is planning to spend $750,000 renovating the 5,500 square foot space into a proper barbeque joint, complete with a large outdoor patio.

Events

Crystal City Plans Wine-Filled September

By ARLnow.com

Published August 18, 2011 at 12:00PM

Crystal City will be holding six wine events during the month of September, including its popular annual ‘Vintage Crystal’ wine and jazz festival on Sunday, Sept. 18.

The wine-filled month will start on Sept. 2, with the first of five ‘Wine in the Waterpark’ events. The Washington Wine Academy will pour $5 glasses of wine and $4 beers in the Crystal City Water Park (across from 1750 Crystal Drive) while Crystal City’s Jaleo restaurant serves up free snacks and while DJ Adrian Loving spins “mood-setting, ambient music.”

Around Town

Crystal City Claims Bathroom Bragging Rights

By ARLnow.com

Published August 2, 2011 at 8:54AM

The new Renaissance Arlington Capital View Hotel in Crystal City has one of the best bathrooms in the country, according to a contest sponsored by restroom management and maintenance provider Cintas.

The hotel’s ground floor restroom is one of 10 swanky bathrooms from around the country selected for the tenth-annual America’s Best Restroom contest. This year’s contest includes loos from restaurants in New York City, a casino in Las Vegas, a museum in Chicago and a mobile trailer used by President Obama.

Around Town

Pedro & Vinny’s Opens on the Pike, Plans Crystal City Burrito Cart

By ARLnow.com

Published August 1, 2011 at 3:43PM | Updated August 1, 2011 at 4:33PM

Over the weekend, Pedro & Vinny’s opened in the tiny (repainted, non-mobile) building that once housed Santa Ana Restaurant on Columbia Pike, in the parking lot between the CVS Pharmacy and the new Penrose Square apartments.

Pedro & Vinny’s Pike outpost is not owned by cart proprietor John Rider. Rather, it’s the first Pedro & Vinny’s franchise, owned and operated by the owner of the former Santa Ana Restaurant.