Legal Sea Foods’ sidewalk cafe in Crystal City seems a bit fishy to one local.
The outdoor seating area has “taken over almost the whole sidewalk on 23rd Street,” an anonymous reader tells ARLnow.com. “The pedestrian area is now down to a single file lane to get past the restaurant. The other restaurants on that part of 23rd have not pushed their outdoor seating out that far… what gives?”
Tomorrow hundreds of runners will kick off the first Crystal City 5K Friday of the year, and we’re hosting a contest to make the evening race as competitive for photographers as it is for runners.
ARLnow.com, in partnership with Crystal City BID, FotoDC and Pacers, is challenging photographers of all skill levels to take photos of the first four 5K Friday races and upload up to five to a specially-designated contest page on Flickr. Feel free to use your creativity and take photos of anything race-related.
An ARLnow spy spotted Mendelsohn and a man identified as his father dining at the Crystal City Chick-fil-A while chatting up the manager about foot traffic and sales.
“He is apparently opening a new restaurant (or planning to) in Crystal City,” the tipster said. A second source confirmed that Mendelsohn may be scouting out locations in Crystal City.
Police are looking for a construction worker who reportedly pulled a gun during an argument near Crystal City.
Initial reports suggest other construction workers were able to wrestle the gun away from the man after he brandished it during an argument at a construction site at Old Jefferson Davis Highway and S. Clark Street.
The addition will bring Bozzelli’s, which opened in November, into direct competition with one of the few other street-facing quick-serve options on the southern end of Crystal Drive, Pizza Autentica (2450 Crystal Drive).
Bozzelli’s is serving plain cheese, pepperoni and veggie pizzas for now. Fancier options like the white pizza are still a few days away, an employee said. In addition to the pizza, Bozzelli’s is also now offering mini cupcakes and other sweets in Crystal City.
FotoDC’s month-long FLASH photo exhibit will kick off in Crystal City tonight.
Located on the top two floors of an office building at 2450 Crystal Drive, the show features 250 photos from 55 local photographers, a library of 150 photography books and a wine bar run by the Washington Wine Academy.
Arlington police are investigating a series a break-ins at the Crystal House apartments on South Eads Street in Crystal City.
Building management sent the following email to residents earlier this week to update them on the investigation and to provide tips for keeping the community safe.
County Gears Up for Pothole Repairs — Arlington County and VDOT are preparing for a big spring pothole push. Crews have been out 5-6 days per week filling potholes, but as things warm up they may be able to start making more permanent repairs. You can report a pothole over the phone at 703-228-6570. [Sun Gazette]
Man Who Threatened Metro Sentenced — The Arlington View man accused of threatening to blow up Metro trains and Georgetown sidewalks has been sentenced. Awais Younis, 25, pleaded guilty in federal court to sending threatening communications. Younis, who said he never actually intended to carry out the threats, was sentenced to time served, a two-year supervised release, anger management courses and mental health counseling. [WTOP]
Fitness First, which operates a club in the Verizon building in Courthouse, is asking the county board to approve the conversion of unoccupied office and retail space for health club use at 2450 Crystal Drive.
The building, which houses DeVry University and recently became the home of a new Pizza Autentica restaurant, sits between 23rd Street and the ramp from Reagan National Airport. If its site plan amendment is approved, Fitness First would occupy the last available ground floor retail space in the building.
Despite the fact that 1,500 people attended the event, dozens of offers responded to the scene, and some of the fights were caught on video, police still have not made any arrests, according to department spokeswoman Det. Crystal Nosal.
Investigators are asking anybody who witnessed or video taped an assault at the awards to come forward by contacting Det. John Donaggio at 703-228-4167.
The new 300-room Renaissance Arlington Capital View Hotel and 325-suite Residence Inn Arlington Capital View will open to the public on Wednesday, but public relations staffers have been busy showing off the properties over the past week. Located on the south end of Crystal City, the hotels offer rooms with expansive views of Reagan National Airport and the Potomac River.
We’ll talk about what each hotel offers guests in a minute, but first let’s discuss the stuff that locals can take advantage of.
The long rectangular buildings that will eventually house concession stands and restrooms for the park’s multi-use athletic fields now line Old Jefferson Davis Highway. Large, bulldozed stretches of red dirt will at some point become the lush, green Esplanade and rain garden. A lone steel entrance gate sits in a construction parking lot, awaiting completion of a field around it.
Construction on the first, $50 million phase of the park, located just north of Crystal City, is expected to wrap up in September. Design work on a second phase, which includes an aquatics, health and fitness facility, started last month.
