There is a new play area for kids inside Ballston Quarter with plenty of pint-sized attractions.
Located on the first floor of the mall, near the about-to-close Macy’s, Junior Playland has everything from a pink-and-blue carousel to a party room to a make-believe “village” with a hospital, restaurant and police station.
Although other indoor playgrounds exist in the D.C. area, owner Mon Nguyen said there was previously nothing like this in Arlington before he opened Junior Playland in November. He credits the idea to his experiences as a single dad with a 5-year-old and 2-year-old twins.
“They inspire me,” Nguyen said. “Before, I would never have thought about this.”
He said his kids enjoy playing in the ball pit and the balloon cage the most.
Junior Playland has a membership option — $59 per month for unlimited play — along with weekday and weekend “open play” admission for kids ages 1-10. It is open from 9 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m.-9 p.m. on Friday, 9 a.m.-8 p.m. on Saturday and 9 a.m.-7 p.m. on Sunday.
Nguyen has opened another location in the Mall at Prince George’s in Hyattsville and soon plans to expand elsewhere in Virginia. He said many visitors are parents and nannies seeking an indoor outing away from the weather.
“The customers, they love bringing their kids with us,” he said.
(Updated 3/14) A BurgerFi is opening in Rosslyn.
The Florida-based burger chain plans to hold a grand opening later this month, with free drinks and fries deals, for its new location at 1735 N. Lynn Street. It will be the franchise’s first foray into Arlington.
“We are extremely excited to have such outstanding operators join the BurgerFi family,” BurgerFi International CEO Carl Bachmann said in a statement. “The Arlington market is critical to our restaurant expansion plan along the East Coast corridor.”
Rosslyn franchise co-owner Punam Khandpur said in a statement that she and fellow franchisee Jaytee Kanwal have “signed for five stores primarily in Arlington and Fairfax counties.”
These would join several other BurgerFi locations in the D.C. area, including in Silver Spring, Prince George’s County and North Bethesda.
Originally set to open in fall 2023, the Rosslyn BurgerFi location opening comes on the heels of the opening of For Five Coffee Roasters in the same building.
On opening day, the restaurant plans to offer free fries with purchases from 1-5 p.m. and free drinks with purchases from 5-7 p.m. Other deals include:
- Coupons for $5 off a $15 purchase on opening day, while supplies last
- Frozen custard cups for $2 with any purchase on Sunday and Tuesday
- Free meals for kids every Monday with the purchase of an adult entrée, side and drink
- A $3 draft beer every Thursday with any purchase
The restaurant will be open Monday-Friday from 10 a.m.-10 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m.-9 p.m. It will have outdoor patio seating and will offer dine-in, takeout and online ordering options.
“We are excited to welcome guests to our first BurgerFi location, and celebrate with all-natural Angus burgers, hand-cut fries and one-of-a-kind custard shakes,” Kanwal said.
For Five Coffee Roasters’ Rosslyn location was already bustling with activity just hours after opening its doors for the first time on Friday.
“I’m so excited!” customer Laura Durie exclaimed to a companion as she looked at the coffee shop’s menu. “Look, they have an omelet!”
Durie has been walking past the 1735 N. Lynn Street location every day for work, eagerly awaiting its opening. But she didn’t know the spacious, two-story café sold food until she walked in.
“We have a lot of coffee shops, but this is just gorgeous,” she told ARLnow as she waited for her drip coffee.
The café, which replaces the Chopt that occupied the location after a Starbucks closed in early 2021, sells pastries, stuffed cookies and breakfast and lunch items in addition to coffee. Additionally, unlike other For Five locations, it will transform on the weekends into a bar with beer, wine and cocktails.
Dusan Sokica, director of operations at For Five, said customers were waiting outside the coffee shop when it opened at 7 a.m. on Friday. He was doing the payroll at another location when the business’s owner called him that morning.
“’Where are you?’” he recalled the owner asking him. “’Why are you not here? The line is out of the door, man!’”
By around 10 a.m., customers had begun to occupy many of the booths in the coffee shop’s upper floor. Sokica expects even bigger crowds on other days of the week, when more people go to work in person.
“This was supposed to be, today, a little, soft opening, but it seems more like it’s a grand opening,” the operations director said.
At 4,316 square feet, the Rosslyn café is the biggest location yet for the New York City-based coffee company. Initially predicted to open in early 2022, the business is about a mile from For Five’s Courthouse location, which opened in 2020.
Asked for his coffee recommendations, Sokica encouraged customers to try the shop’s signature blend. Also popular are the freddo cappuccino and freddo espresso — nods to the founders’ Greek heritage that Sokica thinks will be especially in demand in the spring and summer.
Meanwhile, Durie, who grew up in Texas, is excited to try a dish that reminds her of home.
“I’m definitely going to be back and I’m definitely going to get the huevos rancheros,” she said.
(Updated at 12:20 p.m.) D.C. restaurant Immigrant Food appears to be coming to Ballston.
The eatery looks to be moving into a building across the street from the Ballston Metro station, according to an application filed with the county.
This would be the restaurant’s first foray out of the District, where Immigrant Food has three outposts: the Planet Word Museum, the White House and Union Market.
As part of its move, the restaurant applied for permission to build out a patio seating area for the space it is leasing at the base of a 7-story office building. The office tower, owned by The Nature Conservancy, is located at the corner of Fairfax Drive and N. Taylor Street, while the restaurant’s address is 4245 Fairfax Drive, Suite 150.
“The proposed changes, if approved, would further the Countywide goal of promoting the economic vitality of Arlington by increasing the walkable restaurant space within the high-traffic Ballston Metrorail area,” land use attorney Andrew Painter wrote in a letter to the county filed with the patio application.
The head chef of Immigrant Food is Enrique Limardo, of D.C. restaurant Seven Reasons fame. With the expansion of Immigrant Food into Arlington, Limardo cements his culinary presence in the county, as he is also behind Chicken + Whiskey — another restaurant that started in D.C. and opened in Clarendon earlier this summer.
The space was last occupied by Zoë’s Kitchen, a Greek-inspired soup, salad and sandwich restaurant, which appears to have closed some four years ago. Fast-casual chain Cava purchased the Zoë’s Kitchen in 2018 and has since taken over many locations.
Immigrant Food did not return requests for comment submitted to their website.
(Updated at 11 a.m.) An athletic club and coworking space totalling more than 100,000 square feet says it will be opening this summer in Clarendon.
Construction on Life Time at 1440 N. Edgewood Street has been underway for some time, following the August 2021 announcement that it was coming to a renovated office building that’s part of The Crossing Clarendon retail center.
Billing itself as an “athletic country club,” Life Time will have high-end fitness facilities including multiple studios, childcare facilities, a salon and spa, a cafe and lounge, and — rounding it out — a 28,000 square foot coworking space.
A preview center for the club is now open, Life Time says, and an opening is expected mid-summer. A press release announcing the opening is below.
Life Time (NYSE: LTH), will open its athletic country club and debut Life Time Work, the first D.C. metro area destination and coworking development, later this summer in Clarendon. A preview center, at 1440 North Edgewood Street, Arlington, is now open for prospective members to learn more about both Life Time and Life Time Work and be among the first to join the development.
The Life Time addition will be a main anchor for Regency Center’s The Crossing Clarendon, a multi-block stretch of mixed-used development with shops, restaurants and offices.
The Crossing was selected because of the vibrant neighborhood, ideal for the more than 113,000 square-foot, four-story Life Time destination featuring an 85,000 square-foot athletic country club and 28,000 square-foot premium coworking space.
“Arlington is regarded as a healthy, vibrant and growing community, and The Crossing Clarendon is consistently voted “Best of Arlington” by Arlington Magazine, making it a terrific location for Life Time and our offerings,” said Jeff Zwiefel, Life Time executive vice president and chief operating officer. “We are excited to debut Life Time here with our athletic country club and our premium workspace, which will provide our members with first-class healthy and wellness experiences for themselves and their families.”
Designed for individuals and companies, Life Time Work will feature highly functional private offices, open-plan workspaces, conference rooms, along with multiple, amenities, flexible monthly memberships and access to every Life Time athletic country club nationwide.
The breadth of programs, services and amenities at Life Time Clarendon athletic country club will include:
- Six dedicated studios hosting more than 100 weekly Life Time Large Group Classes in barre, cycle, group fitness, Pilates and yoga, with additional spaces for Signature Small Group Training programs Alpha, GTX and Ultra Fit.
- Personal Trainers to lead members through highly personalized sessions across the spacious, state-of-the-art workout floor featuring top-of-the-line cardiovascular and strength training equipment.
- LT Recovery for athletic performance and recovery featuring metabolic assessments, nutrition coaching, sports and athletic recovery treatments and chiropractic care.
- [A PR rep tells ARLnow that these items, an outdoor beach club and a basketball court, we’re included erroneously.]
- Kids Academy with infant and toddler areas and three studios for programming, including a Kids Gym, an activity/movement studio and an art/language studio for children up to age 11.
- LifeSpa salon and spa services, including hair, nail, esthetician and massage services.
- LifeCafe and Life Time Lounge with a full-service, fast casual menu featuring wholesome food from protein shakes and smoothies to salad, sandwiches and bowls, and children’s meals.
- ARORA classes, programs and community for older adults who want to stay healthy and social.
Tacombi in Crystal City will be opening its doors tomorrow (Wednesday).
The long-awaited New York City-based taqueria chain will be open 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. in the revamped Central District Retail shopping plaza, also known as “Crystal Square.”
The taco spot, with indoor and outdoor seating, is the newest retail spot to open within JBG Smith’s recently redone property at 1550 Crystal Drive. It follows on the heels of a CVS, a Mah-Ze-Dahr bakery and a Solidcore gym location. What appears to be an Amazon Fresh grocery store is still under-construction.
Tacombi’s Crystal City menu will reflect its NYC menu, says a spokeswoman. There will be a variety of tacos, including its classic fish tacos, as well as burritos and quesadillas, all of which can also be ordered online via Grubhub.
All will be served on from-scratch corn and flour tortillas shipped from NYC daily until they can be made in Crystal City, Eater DC reports.
To drink, there will be tequila-based cocktails, Mexican beers, sodas and agua frescas. There will not be any opening specials, we’re told.
The grand opening fell behind schedule, as construction and inspections extended beyond the originally anticipated September debut.
These last few weeks, however, the taqueria has not just been busy finalizing its Crystal City location, but also opening two other locations: a second spot in Queens, New York and a new location in Miami’s Design District.
The openings in Arlington and Miami will mark Tacombi’s first ventures outside of New York City, the spokeswoman said.
She added that a Bethesda outpost — originally anticipated to open in September — will open in the spring of 2022. Another D.C. location is set to come to 14th Street NW, according to Eater.
After a four year hiatus from Arlington, CarPool will again start pouring beers in Ballston tomorrow.
The new CarPool at 900 N. Glebe Road — in the Virginia Tech building, next to Ballston Local — will open at 4 p.m. Thursday, owner Mark Handwerger tells ARLnow.
Though delayed a month or two by supply chain issues, the opening will mark the return of the popular local watering hole, which closed its former Fairfax Drive location in 2017 ahead of a redevelopment. Between then and earlier this year it operated a location in the Fair Lakes area of Fairfax County.
CarPool’s new 6,400-square-foot space, which was formerly occupied by Greene Turtle and then Bistro 1521, will feature familiar retro decorations, including antique gas pumps outside the entrance, along with billiards tables, dart boards, pinball machines, lots of TVs, plenty of beer taps, and garage doors leading to an outdoor patio space.
Local Man Charged in Bailey’s Xroads Shooting — “Fairfax County police have charged a 33-year-old Arlington man in connection with a shooting that occurred Nov. 20 at the Food Star supermarket at 5521 Leesburg Pike. According to police, officers were called to the store at 6:43 p.m. by Harvey Coleman, of Arlington, after he reported to police he had shot someone in self-defense… Following several interviews and the review of surveillance footage, detectives have charged Coleman with malicious wounding and the use of a firearm in the commission of a felony.” [Sun Gazette]
Ice Cream Store Now Open in Pentagon City — “Have I got a scoop (get it?) for my followers! For those who may be in search of a sweet treat this afternoon, Mimi’s Handmade Ice Cream opened today at @PentagonRow (Westpost). Impressive variety.” [Twitter]
Arlington Vet Chooses Health Career — “After graduating from the United States Military Academy at West Point, she was commissioned as an Army officer and chose to attend flight training, following in her late father’s footsteps. Soon, she was soon piloting Blackhawk helicopters… it was the time she was in the military that really prepared her for physician-assistant school.” [Sun Gazette]
It’s Monday — Today will be mostly sunny, with a high near 46. Northwest wind 10 to 18 mph, with gusts as high as 26 mph. Sunrise at 7:06 a.m. and sunset at 4:47 p.m. Tomorrow will be mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming sunny, with a high near 51. South wind 5 to 8 mph, with gusts as high as 18 mph. [Weather.gov]
Opening Date Set for Aquatics Center — The new Long Bridge Park Aquatics and Fitness Center will open on Monday, Aug. 23, the Arlington Dept. of Parks and Recreation announced yesterday. [Twitter]
Local Org Resettling Afghan Refugees — “Besides Lutheran Social Services, the [Arlington-based] Ethiopian Community Development Council, the International Rescue Committee, and Catholic Charities do a lot of work to resettle Afghan [Special Immigrant Visa] holders in this area. Christy McCaw of African Community Center DC Metro, the ECDC’s resettlement branch, says her organization needs leads on apartments that will rent to newcomers without proof of income.” [Washingtonian]
Broken Water Main Causes Pressure Problems — From the Arlington Dept. of Environmental Services yesterday: “A crew is stabilizing a broken water main that has caused pressure issues in the vicinity of Campbell Elementary School along S. Carlin Springs Road. Pressure should be returning to normal within the hour. Traffic diverted around work site. The break is on a 20-inch main. Greatest impact of pressure loss along Carlin Springs Rd from Rt 50 south to Columbia Pike and near the intersection of Wilson Blvd and George Mason.” [Twitter]
New W-L History Marker Under Consideration — “Four years after the installation of a marker celebrating the history of Washington-Lee High School was scotched by leaders of the county school system, a proposed revised marker – honoring the school now known as Washington-Liberty – is wending its way through the development process.” [Sun Gazette]
Next Community Convo with Police Chief — “Join Chief Penn and members of ACPD at the next Community Conversations with the Chief to share your thoughts on the future of policing in Arlington! Our next conversation will take place on Friday from 10 AM to 12 PM at Metro 29 Diner located at 4711 Lee Highway.” [Twitter]
Huske Signs Sponsorship Deal — “2020 U.S. Olympic medalist [and Arlington resident] Torri Huske announced that she’s signed a swimwear deal with TYR on Friday, making her the third high-profile swimmer set to begin their freshman year of college to do so. Huske, 18, will join Stanford University in the upcoming collegiate season. Terms of the deal have not been made public.” [SwimSwam]
Youth Baseball Team’s Championship Run — “Overcoming four tournament losses, the 9-under Arlington Storm Black managed to finish second in the Babe Ruth World Series. The Storm lost in the ultimate title game of the baseball tournament in Jensen Beach, Fla., by a 7-3 score, to Florence, Ala. The meeting was the fourth between the teams in the competition. About 90 minutes earlier that same day, Arlington had previously routed Florence, 11-1, to force a playback game between the two teams in the championship round.” [Sun Gazette]
Reminder: N. Glebe Road Closure — “All lanes of N. Glebe Road between Military Road and Chain Bridge Road, in the northern tip of Arlington, [are now] closed for construction… The nine-day closure is the culmination of the $10 million rehabilitation project for the nearly 50-year-old bridge over Pimmit Run, just before Chain Bridge. Between Friday, Aug. 13 and Monday, Aug. 23, crews will work to replace the entire bridge deck and its underlying beams.” [ARLnow]
The new Lubber Run Community Center, which operated as a vaccination clinic this spring, will open for its intended purpose on Tuesday, July 6.
“After opening the park in fall 2020, and now that the vaccination clinic has ended, it’s time to prepare to open the new center,” the Department of Parks and Recreation said in an email. “Come by the gym, fitness center and indoor track.”
Fitness memberships are required for those working out at the center.
Construction started on the new community center in 2018. It was set to open in late 2020, but due to budget cuts the opening of the community center lagged behind that of the park’s playgrounds and courts, which made their debut last September.
At the time, the county said the community center would open “sometime after July 2021, which is the start of the County’s next fiscal year.”
Before the official opening, the customer service desk will be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. starting next Monday (June 21). Staff will be available to accept forms for in-person summer camp, fee reductions, facility rentals and program and class registrations.
“Shortly after the facility opens, we will host a ribbon-cutting and community celebration,” according to the email, which added that more information on this event will be announced later.
The parks department did not hold a ribbon-cutting for the playground and courts when they opened in September due to the pandemic, Arlington County Dept. of Parks and Recreation spokeswoman Susan Kalish previously said.
This summer, the hours for the center will be 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday. Those operating hours are set to be extended later this year.
“This fall, the center will be open later, and on Sundays too,” the email said. “Indoor programming, such as the senior center and preschool, will return this fall.”
The community center and park at the intersection of N. George Mason Drive and N. Park Drive is across the street from Barrett Elementary School and is walkable from Ballston. Parking is also available.
Expanding, D.C.-based grilled chicken restaurant Farmbird is opening its new location in Ballston next week.
The restaurant at 4121 Wilson Blvd, in the Ballston Exchange development, is opening for customers on Tuesday, employees tell ARLnow. It replaces the Miami-based, health-oriented restaurant Dirt, which closed in January 2020.
Farmbird has existing locations at 625 H Street NE and in Penn Quarter in D.C. The company was founded in 2015 and first operated as a catering business for a year at D.C.’s Union Market. It aims to make fast-casual dining more healthy, humane and sustainable.
“Since its founding, Farmbird has strived to change the way people think about chicken by serving only the highest quality, never-frozen birds,” a PR rep said. “Farmbird’s chickens are humanely raised on regional farms with no antibiotics ever and fed an all-vegetarian diet. All of the food served, from salads and sandwiches to Farmbird’s signature grilled chicken plates and roasted vegetable sides, are prepared from scratch with fresh ingredients daily.”
“Farmbird has seen great success at its location on H Street and is ready to bring flavorful food with sustainable origins to Arlington where Ballston Exchange has reimagined the area’s streetscape,” the PR rep added “The space will feature indoor and outdoor seating, accommodating patrons in a safe and socially distanced manner.”
Neighboring businesses in Ballston Exchange — across the street from Ballston Quarter mall — include Philz Coffee, CAVA, and the yet-to-open Hawkers Asian Street Fare.
This morning Farmbird employees could be seen sitting outside the restaurant, sampling the food in anticipation of next week’s opening.