The new Ben’s will be located in at 1725 Wilson Blvd, in the former Ray’s Hell Burger space, WBJ reported.
But will the idea of scarfing down a chili half smoke closer to home be enough to drive Arlington residents to the new restaurant? Or is part of Ben’s allure tied to the original U Street NW location — whether it be the location’s history or proximity to popular bars?
Bella Russia, based in D.C., will perform Sept. 7 from noon to 8:00 p.m. in Artisphere’s Black Box Theatre, at 1101 Wilson Blvd. The band is releasing its new EP, “Epaulet,” Saturday and — once the marathon concert is over — hosting a release party from 8:00 to 11:00 p.m. with performances by other artists and a cash bar.
Visitors will be able to watch the performance from a viewing window above the theater and will only allowed to enter the theater during the afterparty. The Sea Life and Janel and Anthony will be performing during the release party.
Rosslyn Jazz Fest Street Closures — A number of lane and street closures will be in place for most of the day on Saturday for the 2013 Rosslyn Jazz Festival. The festival itself runs from 1:00 to 7:00 p.m. The closures will be in place from 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., in the area of Gateway Park. [Arlington County]
Road Closures for 9/11 5K Race — Several roads in the Pentagon City area, including parts for Route 110, Army Navy Drive, Washington Blvd and S. Joyce Street, will be closed Saturday night for the annual Arlington Police, Fire and Sheriff Memorial 9/11 5K race. The closures will first go into effect at 5:45 p.m. [Arlington County]
(Updated at 4:15 p.m.) The crowd at Friday night’s outdoor showing of Grease in Rosslyn got to witness an extra bit of summer lovin’ — a choreographed, real-life marriage proposal.
The woman was texting behind the McDonald’s, on N. Lynn Street, when a man ran past and snatched her cell phone out of her hands, the BID employee said. Neither he nor the victim wished to be identified.
The woman called for help, and another BID employee got on the radio to describe the suspect, a black man in dark clothing, he said. Standing at the corner of N. Lynn and 19th Streets, he saw the suspect run by.
Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) called the Orange Line corridor in Arlington “the core of startups in Washington” during a Q&A with entrepreneurs in Rosslyn today (Thursday).
Warner spoke to several dozen attendees at ÜberOffices (1400 Key Blvd) as part of “Startup Across America” Day, focusing on ways to boost the local startup economy, which has been a driver of job growth in the area.
Man Launches Write-In Campaign for County Board — Stephen Holbrook, a retired FBI agent, is launching a write-in campaign for Arlington County Board. Holbrook, who lives in the condominium adjacent to the planned homeless shelter in Courthouse, says he’s launching the campaign because he’s fed up with the current County Board. [Sun Gazette]
‘Gourd Palace’ in Virginia Square — Just in time for the upcoming start of fall, a “Gourd Palace Spirit House” has been built on the grounds of the Arlington Arts Center (3550 Wilson Blvd). The “living structure” was designed by Chloe Fugle, a 7th grader at the H-B Woodlawn Secondary Program. [Washington Post]
(Updated at 4:10 p.m.) The Arlington, Va. parking garage that played a pivotal role in the Watergate scandal is set to be demolished as part of a redevelopment.
Monday Properties plans to tear down two aging office buildings, at 1401 Wilson Blvd and 1400 Key Blvd in the Rosslyn neighborhood, to make way for a new mixed use development. Before any construction can take place, however, the proposed redevelopment will go through Arlington’s site plan process, which usually takes 1-4 years.
Crystal Screen, the weekly showing set up by the Crystal City Business Improvement District at 1851 S. Bell Street, will wrap up tonight (Monday) with Jurassic Park. The 1993 classic is the culmination of this summer’s “Blockbusters” theme. The film will begin after sunset.
Crystal City has already announced next summer’s theme, Flight.
Major Rosslyn Redevelopment Proposed — Monday Properties has filed an application with Arlington County to redevelop two aging office buildings in Rosslyn. Monday is proposing to tear down the 1960s-era buildings 1401 Wilson Blvd and 1400 Key Blvd and replace them with a 1 million square foot residential, retail and office development. [Washington Business Journal]
Arlington Woman Turns 105 — Helen Crossley, a resident at the Culpepper Garden retirement community, turned 105 on Saturday. Of her longevity, Crossley, a former nurse, said: “This lassie’s taken care of her chassis.” [Washington Post]
A cement truck accidentally dumped a small load of cement in the left lane of westbound Wilson Blvd in Rosslyn this morning.
The cement lay on the street for about an hour and a half before crews came to clean it up at approximately 10:30 a.m., according to a police officer at the scene. The cement was still wet when it was removed, avoiding a much longer, more laborious cleanup process had it dried.
WJLA parent company Allbritton Communications announced today that it had struck a deal to sell WJLA, local cable channel NewsChannel 8, and 6 other local TV stations to Sinclair, which is based in Hunt Valley, Maryland. The deal, worth $985 million, will add to Sinclair’s portfolio of nearly 150 television stations across the country.
The deal is not expected to close until the end of the year, while the companies wait for federal regulatory approval. No changes to the station are planned in the meantime, but newsroom employees worry that Sinclair — which is conservative in its politics and in its fiscal management — may cut jobs and make other changes once the deal is approved.
