Races for governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general and members of the House of Delegates are all on the ballot in Alexandria tomorrow.
The city’s voters are also poised to re-elect incumbent Commonwealth’s Attorney Bryan Porter and Sheriff Sean Casey, both of whom are running unopposed.
Alexandria’s annual leaf vacuuming and collection program kicks off today (Monday).
Crews will begin with a “first pass” at two of Alexandria’s five collection zones today. They’ll be in Zone 2, which encompasses some residential areas of Seminary Hill, and parts of Old Town in Zone 5, Section A.
Before the pandemic, I ran a Reddit forum that brought people together for local happy hours. It became a great outlet for an in-person social life: you could get out, get to know people nearby, and have a familiar group to spend time with. I enjoyed being the person who helped make that happen.
Getting people together became harder after the pandemic. Friends moved away, had kids, or settled into different routines, and organizing a night out took more effort. I still wanted that camaraderie, but having people to invite didn’t necessarily mean we could get something on the calendar.
I’m in my late 30s and live in Old Town. About a year ago, I joined Choros, a local membership community that helps guys build friendships through small-group activities. Since then, I’ve been to close to 50 hangouts, and it’s given me a regular group of guys to do things with around Alexandria and beyond.
I host board game nights and help host a monthly happy hour at the Commodore in Old Town. I’ve done escape rooms on King Street, trivia, food festivals in Del Ray, movie discussions, and Dungeons & Dragons (which can be especially tricky to get going as an adult with a busy schedule). Having that variety means I can find something that fits my mood and schedule, and there are usually familiar faces when I get there.
One of my favorite things, though, is getting on my bike, picking a destination, and making a day of it. Through Choros, I’ve found a consistent crew to ride with almost every month. That’s the kind of thing I wanted more of: people who enjoy the same stuff and make time to get out and do it together.
I still like hosting and bringing people together. What makes Choros useful is having a community to draw from, so every plan doesn’t depend on the same few friends being available. Other guys suggest and host things too, which gives me plenty of opportunities to join something without organizing it myself.
Over time, seeing the same guys at different activities builds familiarity. You have conversations to pick back up and another reason to make plans together. That’s how it’s become a circle of friends for me.
If you’re in Alexandria, check out Choros and come to one of our monthly happy hours at the Commodore. I’d be happy to meet a few more neighbors, whether you’re into board games, bike rides, or just getting out for a drink. There’s plenty happening here, along with activities throughout the rest of the D.C. area.
A small fire was extinguished at the Mark Center Cleaners yesterday evening (Sunday).
The Alexandria Fire Department was called at around 5:45 p.m. and arrived at 1458 N. Beauregard Street to find flames coming out of the rear of the one-story building, according to dispatch reports. The fire was extinguished in 10 minutes.
Tomorrow is Election Day — Most city offices will remain open tomorrow (Tuesday), but local courts, city health facilities, Alexandria City Public Schools and the Department of Motor Vehicles are scheduled to close. [City of Alexandria]
Early Voting Numbers Grow — As of yesterday (Sunday), 29,554 early ballots have been cast in Alexandria — an increase of nearly 9,000 ballots since Tuesday last week. This includes 22,046 in-person ballots and 7,508 mail-in ballots. [Virginia Public Access Project]
**Sips & Shells: Holiday Oyster Shell Workshop at Hank's Oyster Bar**
Gather your girlfriends for a creative night out in Old Town Alexandria!
It was a festive Halloween in Old Town, and S. Lee Street was packed with Wicked Witches and Dorothys, superheroes and villains, fairies and giants, and ghouls and goblins.
All of S. Lee Street was shut down for the holiday tradition, with some locals spending thousands of dollars on decorations and candy.
Good Friday evening, Alexandria. Let’s take a look back at today’s stories and a look forward to tomorrow’s event calendar.
The following articles were published earlier today — Oct 31, 2025.
Here are today’s most-read articles:
Since it’s Friday, we’ve also compiled a list of the most-read articles of the week, below.
Here is what’s going on Saturday in Alexandria, from our event calendar.
Here are the events planned for Sunday:
Expect sunshine and a high of around 61 degrees, accompanied by a west wind blowing at 7-10 mph, gusting up to 20 mph. Saturday night will be mostly cloudy with a low temperature near 43 degrees, and calm winds. See more from Weather.gov.
“In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.”
– Martin Luther King Jr.
We hope you have a great weekend, Alexandria!
Welcome to Friday, Alexandria! Here’s a look at ALXnow’s top stories of the week.
The most-read post is about Benny DiForza’s Pizza, which closed in Del Ray after being served with a legal notice barring access to its shop at 1504B Mount Vernon Avenue. The notice of no trespass, dated Oct. 26, was filed by a petitioner.
Eighteen happy couples, some in costume, are tying the knot in a historic Old Town ballroom today (Friday) as part of a new “Hallowedding” ceremony with the Alexandria Clerk of Court.
Clerk Greg Parks and his staff donned 18th century-inspired costumes at Gadsby’s Tavern Museum to officiate the marriages, which took about 20 minutes each and came with gift bags that included local restaurant coupons, free entry to Alexandria museums and a one-night stay at the Fairfield Inn & Suites on Richmond Hwy.
Alexandria’s month-over-month and year-over-year apartment-rental costs declined this month but remain above the regional median, according to new data.
The median rental costs of $2,027 for one-bedroom units and $2,490 for two bedrooms represents a 1% decline from September and a 1.1% drop from October 2024, according to data reported yesterday (Thursday) by Apartment List.
