No matter how nice of a job county groundskeepers do, Rosslyn’s Gateway Park can’t escape the fact that it’s an urban park that’s surrounded by busy roads, largely devoid of things to do, and filled with so many paved paths and concrete structures that it hardly feels like a green space at all.
That’s why Rosslyn property owner JBG has been making a big push for the county to revamp the park while it plans to redevelop some of its own nearby properties.
Yesterday we reported that Arlington police are warning residents about bike thefts. Now we’re hearing that nearly 30 bikes were stolen from a bike rack inside a locked apartment building garage in Rosslyn last weekend.
Building management for the Rosslyn Heights complex at 1860 North Scott Street confirmed the thefts, but could not confirm the number of bikes that were stolen. A resident who contacted ARLnow.com said about 30 bikes, all locked either to each other or to the bike rack, were stolen.
The annual event will get underway at 12:30 p.m. at Artisphere’s Dome Theater. The seven-hour long, 20 film showcase features documentaries, dramas, comedies, animations and projects that defy classification.
“The twenty works in this year’s showcase are as diverse and rich as our region itself,” festival organizers said in an email. “Rosebud honors the innovative, experimental, unusual, and deeply personal in creative film and video making.”
The neighborhood booster group pitted mixologists from three Rosslyn hotel bars against one another. Their goal: to concoct a drink worthy of being dubbed Rosslyn’s “Skyline cocktail.”
Guests sampled their spirits — multiple times, in some cases, to be thorough — and then voted for their favorite by placing dollar bills in each mixologist’s jar. The winner was the home team: with nearly 300 votes cast (and donated to A-SPAN) Hotel Palomar’s tropical, fruity cocktail beat out cocktails from the Marriott and the Hyatt.
Wilson Boulevard Paving — Paving on Wilson Boulevard between Courthouse and Clarendon tied up traffic for the better part of yesterday afternoon. At one point, the lone open lane was blocked thanks to a construction foreman arguing a parking ticket with a parking enforcement officer.
TangySweet’s Clarendon Salad Shop Gets Name — “Rabbit” is the new name of the salad component of the future TangySweet store in Clarendon. As we first reported in May, store owner Aaron Gordon wants Rabbit to “improve on the salad offerings of competitors like SweetGreen, Mixt Greens and Chop’t.” Rabbit’s opening date depends on the construction of the Clarendon Center project, in which it will be housed. Look for a March or an April opening, says the Washington City Paper.
Arlington police officers positioned themselves at the busy intersection of Wilson Boulevard and North Lynn Street during the morning traffic rush and the lunch time pedestrian rush, in an effort to catch people violating basic traffic safety laws. During the course of the morning rush hour alone, they handed out 33 citations to drivers and gave 50 verbal warnings to pedestrians and cyclists.
The enforcement was part of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Government’s eighth annual Street Smart safety campaign, which officially launched today with a lunchtime press conference in Rosslyn.
(Updated at 12:55 p.m.) An office building on the 1500 block of Wilson Boulevard was evacuated around 12:15 this afternoon after smoke started pouring from a shaft in the building’s parking garage.
Firefighters quickly extinguished the small blaze by spraying water from a grate above the garage.
The enforcement will be taking place in the area of North Lynn Street and Wilson Boulevard between 7:00 and 9:00 a.m. and 12:00 and 1:00 p.m.
Citations for failure to yield to pedestrians in a crosswalk carry a hefty fine of between $100 and $500 in Arlington.
Virginia Dems Seek to Clarify Lobbyist Rule — The Democratic Party of Virginia is seeking an independent legal opinion on whether state law bans federal lobbyists from serving as party chairman. The move comes after Brian Moran, brother of Rep. Jim Moran and a top lobbyist for for-profit colleges, decided to seek the state Democratic chairmanship. Former Arlington County Democratic Committee chair Peter Rousselot is also running for the position. More from the Washington Post.
Giant Wall Projections in Rosslyn — From 6:00 to 11:00 p.m., every night through this coming Saturday, large images will be projected onto the side of an office building in Rosslyn. The photo and video projections are part of FotoWeek DC. More from the Ode Street Tribune.
The good news is that Metro will be opening at 5:00 a.m., two hours earlier than usual, to accommodate marathon runners and spectators (the race starts at 8:15 a.m.). Metro will be running additional Blue Line trains for much of the day, but the agency says riders should expect the system to be especially busy.
“Customers can expect crowded conditions, especially after the race as people will have to wait in long lines to get back into the rail stations,” Metro said in a statement.
Police and paramedics are on the scene of an accident involving a motorcycle and an SUV at the intersection of North Moore Street and 19th Street in Rosslyn.
The motorcyclist’s injuries are said to be minor.
Arlington Neighborhoods Host Marathon Events — A number of events are planning in Arlington in connection with Sunday’s Marine Corps Marathon. Among them: Crystal City will be hosting a family-friendly race viewing festival, complete with music, face painting, a moon bounce and carnival-like food. After the race, Rosslyn will host the official MCM Finish Festival. Live music, food, a beer garden and a “recovery area” with free massages.
Dan Kain Trophies Closing Up Shop — Today is the last day for an Arlington original. Dan Kain Trophies (2207 North Pershing Drive) is packing up and moving to Merrifield, where the rent is considerably cheaper. The store is trying to sell its remaining trophy inventory, and they’re willing to make a deal for anybody who walks in before close of business today. More from TBD.
