Tag Archives: Arlington

Arlington, Entertainment, The Daily Feed
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Celebrate the Clizzledizzle

Photo courtesy of
‘DSC_0303’
courtesy of ‘|

Slip on your brown flip flops, because this Saturday is the 12th Annual Clarendon Day, an event celebrating Arlington’s original downtown. The festival, to be held rain or shine on September 26 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., will feature all kinds of Arlington loving.

There will be magic and puppet shows, a Doggy Splash Pool, skateboard demos, electric cars, art booths and of course, my favorite, food from more than 15 restaurants, including The Liberty Tavern, Willow, Whitlow’s on Wilson, Mexicali Blues, and Tallula/EatBar. You can even catch GoRemy, the Arlington Rapper, emceeing the event, which is probably pretty epic in person.

Just beware of people packing heat and boat shoes.

The Daily Feed, We Green DC
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Die, Plant, Die!

Photo courtesy of
‘126/365 pulled out by the roots’
courtesy of ‘Gibsonclaire’

Apparently there are some violent greenies in Arlington. On two Saturdays and two Sundays every month, people meet in various county spots to take out their frustrations by ripping plants out of the ground. Who knew?

Whether these folks are frustrated by a long work week or by invasive plants taking over the area is for only them to know. But the invasives certainly get the raw end of the deal. And once they’re gone and native plants grow in their place, harmony returns, and the local birds and bees and box turtles have something good to eat again.

You can join RIP (Remove Invasive Plants) the second and third weekends of the month – and be like this smiling volunteer, who explains why squelching the invaders makes him so happy.

The Daily Feed, We Green DC
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Does Farm to Table Mean Pumpkin Pie?

Photo courtesy of
‘Pumpkin Pie’
courtesy of ‘benklocek’

Hard to believe, but true — soon it’ll be time for pumpkin pie! And pumpkin dip, and pumpkin muffins…nom, nom, nom.

As the fall harvest starts, Arlington is celebrating local foods like the great pumpkin. Its Farm to Table Month runs from Sept. 15 to Oct. 14, with locavore dinners at several restaurants including Willow and Eventide.

There will also be movie nights, with films such as The True Cost of Food and FRESH. Next Tuesday’s kickoff is from 6-9 at, where else, the Whole Foods in Clarendon.

We Love Food
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We Love Food: Willow

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Willow Bar & Restaurant by Addison H on Flickr

I have been known to insult Ballston from time to time. I have a deep fond love of Arlington, but Ballston seems to me to be all high rises, chain restaurants and it’s kinda got a mall. But places like Willow make me take it all back. Tucked in the bottom level of an office building, Willow is a gem of a restaurant with fresh, local, sophisticated food and perfect service.

I’ve become a regular at Willow. I’ve taken my friends, my parents, I’ve gone there for drinks, for restaurant week dinners. I basically love it for it’s calm refined atmosphere and unblemished menu. The crowd errs on the slightly old to very old side, I see some grey hair every time I go. But then again I’m never there for a scene, so this has never bothered me – if I wanted a scene in Arlington I’d go to Eventide or Liberty Tavern. I come to Willow to take a deep breath. Continue reading →

The Daily Feed
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Free WiFi All Over Arlington

Photo courtesy of
‘Got my netbook. Got my coffee. This is my office. I’m happy’
courtesy of ‘Ed Yourdon’

Let’s see a show of hands as to how many of you love free wifi? Now keep those hands up if you knew that Arlington provides free wifi in most of the busy, populated outdoor areas of the county! What? Nobody knew? Well now you do! While wifi coverage for Shirlington village was just added this summer, the busy outdoor areas from Court House to Clarendon on Wilson and Clarendon Blvds have been covered for a number of years now. Most large Arlington libraries, as well as the Walter Reed Community Center, also provide free service. I just can’t believe most people don’t know about this! (Which included myself until recently.)  Details from Arlington County are here. For a post on where to find free wifi all over, check here.

We Love Food
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We Love Food: El Pollito

Photo courtesy of Me

El pollito, courtesy of Me

Overall I’m inclined to agree with Carl about the crack metaphor: it’s overused, and unless you punched your mother in the face or [redacted] someone’s [redacted] and then let them [redacted] in order to get it, then NO, that chicken ISN’T like crack.

When Tom Sietsema went and checked out El Pollito in Crystal City, however, that’s exactly the comparison someone used in front of him in line. Crack, that is, not the punching your mother stuff. My darling wife and I were delighted to see this review, since the place that used to occupy this storefront looked like it had about 9 customers over the six-month period it was there. Overall we won’t frequent a restaurant that doesn’t seem to do some business – old food is just not conducive to a good dining experience.

So when we went and got some takeout there on Friday evening we were a little concerned to walk in and find the place completely empty. However the rotisseries are right there in plain view and a simpler menu like this makes it less of a concern to me than a larger menu and a closed kitchen, so we went ahead and picked up our order.

Which was simply -eh-.

Continue reading →

All Politics is Local, The Daily Feed
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Arlington Republicans Becoming Gay Friendly?

Photo courtesy of
‘virginia 11.2.08 – 57’
courtesy of ‘laura padgett’

Arlington is a very progressive and heavily democratic county where Democratic Party candidates have nothing to worry about going into a general election. While that is most likely still the case for the VA House of Delegates race in the 47th district (which includes parts of Court House, Clarendon, Ballston), the republican in the race might just be catching on to some of the progressive values that dems typically use to get elected. While the GLBT community is not huge in Arlington, the majority of local voters are supporters of gay and lesbian equal rights and often use that as a bit of a wedge issue to show why they cannot vote for republicans. Eric Brescia is about to change all of that, at least for his race, according to the Arlington Sun Gazette.

Continue reading →

Arlington, Food and Drink, We Love Food
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We Love Food: Minh’s

Photo courtesy of
‘Day 63: Minhs’
courtesy of ‘InspirationDC’

I discovered Minh’s pretty quickly after moving to DC. You see, I have this thing for rice paper summer rolls and peanut sauce. I love them, and I want them at least once a month. Back where I come from (cue the country song), there is this amazing Vietnamese restaurant called Lang Van’s, owned by a friend’s family. I was upset to leave Lang Van’s, so I quickly searched out a substitute. Minh’s certainly lives up.

With one of the largest menus I’ve ever seen (trumped only by Cheesecake Factory) you pretty much can’t go wrong at Minh’s. Located between Court House and Clarendon out in Virginia (where arguably all the good Asian food hides) Mihn’s is situated on Wilson Boulevard in a nondescript office building. I’ve had friends tell me that they’ve ridden past it a million times, never noticing it. I wonder how that could be, seeing as there are huge neon signs in the window, but that’s just me. (Hey, I never claimed Minh’s was trendy, or sleek, or chic!) The outward appearance isn’t the fabulous part of Minh’s, the food is. Continue reading →

The Daily Feed
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Handling of graveside leavings at Arlington Cemetery

Photo courtesy of
‘Arlington Cemetery’
courtesy of ‘brianmka’

Salon has an interesting piece up about how Arlington National Cemetery handles mementos left by graves. The article seems to come down on the side of believing that there’s some obligation on the part of management to collect and store what mourners leave, but I’m not sure I concur. They reference the project that collects and archives items left at the Vietnam memorial but they don’t point out that the collection isn’t really viewable by the public in any way. Perhaps that doesn’t matter, though I wonder at the value of saving and cataloging these things versus simply disposing of them with respect.

On the other hand, if they did not we wouldn’t have stories like this.

I must have looked confused or incredulous. The value of saving a single cigarette was clearly lost on me.

“Look closely,” Felton said quietly.

I peered in at the cigarette. Someone had taken a pen and written on it in tiny letters, “It ain’t wet. It ain’t broke.”

Felton waited. He could see this didn’t help me much. He smiled. Then he explained the sensation of patrolling the jungles of Vietnam, completely soaking wet, for weeks on end. You felt like you would never, ever be dry again. “A dry cigarette was worth a million dollars,” he explained.

I don’t envy the people who have to make policy decisions about things like this.

Essential DC, Food and Drink, Life in the Capital, The District, The Features
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Frozen Treats: DC’s Best Creameries

Photo courtesy of
‘Saturday Road trip’
courtesy of ‘gregoirevdb’

They tell me the first step is admitting you have a problem. So here it goes: I am shamelessly, hopelessly, horribly in love with ice cream. Now, I say ice cream, but in actuality, ice cream is a pretty generic term for what I really mean – frozen treats. I don’t care if it is gelato, custard, actual heavy-cream ice cream, or even italian ice. As long as it is sweet, and frozen, it qualifies. My partner in crime for ice cream loving is my friend Melissa, who has the genius idea to host an ice cream bar at her wedding. She’s the only one who truly understands my love. We’ll talk about going to a Nat’s game, and the first thing out of our mouths will be “OOOOH DIPPIN DOTS!” It’s a passion, not just a hobby, people.

So when I was informed that July is National Ice Cream Month, well, then, fine. That sealed it. I had to share with you, my dear We Love DC reader, my favorite ice cream (loose term) eateries in the city.
Continue reading →

The Daily Feed, We Green DC
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Vote for the Greenest School

Photo courtesy of
‘Recycling Kid’

The Arlington Traditional School has been named one of 20 finalists in Walmart’s “Earth Day, Every Day School Challenge.” They’ve received a $500 gift card to continue their efforts and are now up for the grand prize. The school with the most votes wins $20,000 to further environmental projects.

To be fair, I’ve not read all the entries. But hey, these boys and girls are local. They recycle, they plant gardens, and best of all they’ve got a plan to reduce pollution in Lubber Run. Maybe they can take on the Alexandria waterfront next.

They have my vote!

The Daily Feed
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New Lost Dog Café Opens in S. Arlington

A New Lost Dog
As a big fan of Lost Dog Café, which has drawn crowds in Westover for years, I was thrilled to see a “now open” sign at its new location this weekend, across from the Arlington Cinema ‘n’ Drafthouse.

Like the original, this one has a menu with scores of specialty pizzas, 50-odd sandwiches, and more beers than I could easily count. My man and I checked it out last night, and to our yummy dinner added a Bad Dog a la Mode brownie sundae to celebrate the opening.

This area of Columbia Pike is being redeveloped, and Lost Dog is one of the first new businesses to open there, in the retail area under the first new condos. So more Lost Dog, less waiting. Oh, happy day!

We Green DC
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Oh, Crap: Touring Arlington’s Water Pollution Control Plant


‘The merry band heads to the solids building’, courtesy of ‘mtngirl9999’

You might not think that many people would want to spend a Saturday morning in the sewer. At least I didn’t.

But when, in a fit of green curiosity, I tried to sign up for a tour of Arlington’s Water Pollution Control Plant last December, I was put on a waiting list. There were only 40 spots available on the tour, and 100 people–yes, 100 people–had already signed up.

So I snagged a coveted spot on the next tour, which also drew the interest of 100 wanna-be gawkers. (Another tour will take place this Saturday, or you can see a short video online.) I showed up even though the confirmation notice was a bit unnerving, saying, “Arrive adventure ready!” What adventures could happen in a place like that?

Wish you’d been there, too? Let’s satisfy your inquiring mind. This is what happens after you flush. Continue reading →

Arlington, Food and Drink, The Daily Feed
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Incoming: Le Pain Quotidien

Photo courtesy of
‘At Le Pain Quotidien’
courtesy of ‘TreyDanger’

Tuesday night Matt and I were on a run down the Clarendon strip in Arlington, and we passed painters and workers busy preparing the new store front of Le Pain Quotidien, the Belgian cafe & organic bakery poised to open under the Clarendon Gold’s Gym.

I’d never heard of Le Pain Quotidien (PQ for short), but upon further googling, PQ is another Euro import, one I’m getting pretty excited to meet. With locations already in Capitol Hill, Georgetown, Alexandria and Bethesda, Le Pain Quotidien operates under an organic philosophy (head on competition, Whole Foods) and is part bakery, part cafe. The bakery part is most exciting to me, as I was hoping for an uprising bakery trend in 2009. PQ claims to bake all their breads in-house, and knead by hand, to boot. They also offer pastries, alongside the breads. Then there’s the “communal table” – the cafe seems to be following in the Wagamama tradition of seating strangers together at big, long, cafeteria-style tables.

I’m thrilled to welcome Le Pain Quotidien into my ‘hood, I’m already picturing Sunday morning strolls for baked goods and coffee, and late night tete-a-tetes with friends over cider and tartes.

The Daily Feed
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Worried about ice? You should be!

Watch Your Step - by Mr. Ducke (Creative Commons)

Watch Your Step - Mr. Ducke (Creative Commons)

As I walked to the metro this morning, I realized that I saw a lot of sidewalks in my area that still had the awful combination of snow and ice all over them.  The first thing I thought is “why haven’t they shoveled”?  But I felt better when I realized that Arlington would quickly come down on those who didn’t shovel…

… I shouldn’t have been that hasty.  It turns out that Arlington, like many other counties and cities in the area, don’t require homeowners or businesses to shovel their sidewalks.  So although the streets are clear, the pedestrians are out of luck.

I don’t know about you – but I think that’s just ridiculous.  This isn’t a rural community with no sidewalks.  Plenty of people in the DC metro area have been convinced to give up commuting by car and walk to a bus stop, metro station, or to work.  So why don’t they require business and homeowners to clear their own sidewalks?

Continue reading →

Arlington, The Features, We Love Food
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We Love Food: Brunch @ Boulevard Woodgrill

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Brunch at Boulevard Woodgrill courtesy of Needlessspaces

I have an odd relationship with breakfast. I don’t care for eggs – gasp – so there’s not tons of breakfast foods that appeal to me. I enjoy the pancakes, and french toast. I love hash browns, grits, bacon, sausage… but most of breakfast is centered around eggs, which is why I embrace brunch. Brunch, the hybrid between breakfast and lunch – I can order some lunch counterparts, or I can stick to breakfast foods that I enjoy like the ones pictured above.

Arlington is home to some insanely delicious brunches – it seems practically every restaurant up and down the Wilson/Clarendon stretch offers brunch.  My fellow Arlingtonites come out in full force, wearing the weekend-morning uniform of Uggs and college sweatshirts, we find ourselves sipping coffee and munching on yummy food. I love it. Matt and I can roll out of bed, I can throw on my UNC hoodie, and we can walk to a plethora of delicious options. A few weeks ago we chose Boulevard Woodgrill, and it was completely satisfactory to our breakfast/lunch cravings.  Continue reading →

Arlington, Food and Drink, We Love Food
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We Love Food: Yaku

inside
Nestled along Clarendon Boulevard in the Court House area, Yaku looks to be the perfect neighborhood hot spot. Two levels of glass and glowing lights, it always looks warm and inviting from the street. I live in Arlington, and have walked past Yaku almost daily since it’s conception as just an empty office space below my dream real-estate local, The Odyssey condominiums.

When it finally looked as if something was actually going to go in the space (that had stood empty since before I moved here in fall 2007), I got pretty excited. On my walk home, I ran up to check the posted licences to see what it would be. It’s the perfect location to be our new favorite go-to spot. Yaku, the signs said. Hmm… I said. That’s an odd name. A little googling, and I find that Yaku will be another restaurant from Latin Concepts, the same people who brought us places like Chi-Cha Lounge, Mate, Ceviche, and Guarapo (which is only around the corner from Yaku).

According to the Web site, “YAKU, is a “Chifa” restaurant lounge brought to you by Fraga-Rosenfeld.  Chifa is the fusion of Chinese and Peruvian cuisine developed by Chinese immigrants to Peru in the late 19th and early 20th centuries… The name YAKU means “water” in Quechua (Incan Language) and is intended to capture Asian-influenced Andean culinary styles unique to the region.” Yaku is also, says our friend wikipedia, a town located on Yaku Island, Japan. So let’s just go with Asian-Peruvian fusion, and call it interesting… Continue reading →

All Politics is Local, Arlington
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Working the Polls: The Big Day

Photo courtesy of Me

Badges, courtesy of Me

You read part one, right?

I’m not sure I’m prepared to say “I woke up on the morning of the 4th” because I was up at 4 am, an hour of the day best suited for garbage-eating raccoons and Paris Hilton. 4am is not an hour for civilized people. 4am is not morning, it’s pre-morning. However if you expect to get up, shower, and be at the polling place at 5am that’s the time you set on your alarm.

I felt marginally bad about my mental grumblings when I showed up at 5 on the dot and discovered half a dozen people already in line, waiting for the polls to open at 6. For a moment I stopped and stood with them because I assumed they were other workers, waiting for the doors to be unlocked. Once I realized my mistake I went in and joined the ten other people already inside. Continue reading →

All Politics is Local, Arlington
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Working the Polls: Getting started

Polling Place Sign

Voting Place Sign, by Jonathan

Insert your own lame stripper pole joke here. I’ve heard a dozen and I’m over it.

When the chatter started up that this election would have the largest turnout ever, I started to think that perhaps I should volunteer my time. Part of my benefits package as a Virginia state employee includes 16 hours of volunteer leave, which I can use towards any worthy endeavor. Given that advantage over other folks who might have resistant employers I felt like I was somewhat obligated.

So I volunteered to be an elections officer and Arlington County took me up on the offer. Let me tell you about it. Continue reading →