Here’s a look back at our top stories of the week. Topping off our coverage are the delectable poll results on the top three Mexican restaurants in the city. More than 1,800 foodies cast their votes, and Taqueria el Poblano (2400B Mount Vernon Avenue) in Del Ray took the top spot, followed by Taqueria Picoso (1472 N. Beauregard Street) and Los Tios Grill (2615 Mount Vernon Avenue). Do you agree with the results?
Historic Alexandria Honors World Pride Month & Alexandria’s LGBTQ+ History (via Office of Historic Alexandria)
The Office of Historic Alexandria is rolling out new initiatives from May 17 to June 24 to honor Pride Month and showcase the city’s LGBTQ+ history.
On May 13, a new website dedicated to Alexandria’s LGBTQ+ history will go live. It will highlight the impact of LGBTQ+ individuals and businesses on the city’s heritage. You can find it at alexandriava.gov/historic-alexandria/lgbtq-history-in-alexandria. The site will feature expanded online storytelling and emphasize Alexandria’s role in LGBTQ+ rights.
Among the movers serving Alexandria, VA, 495 Movers stands out for a simple reason: its local hourly rate includes packing materials, furniture disassembly and reassembly, and protection for floors, walls, and elevators. The company has been in business since 2009 and has completed more than 20,000 moves, a number that keeps climbing.
Anyone who has hired movers in the DC area knows the familiar pattern. A low hourly rate wins the call. Then the invoice arrives with a charge for boxes, a charge for taking the bed apart, a fee for the stairs, and another for the elevator. By the end, the number on the bill has little to do with the number in the ad. 495 Movers was built to avoid that.
495 Movers at a glance
In business since: 2009 (17 years)
Moves completed: more than 20,000, local and long-distance
Licensed in: Virginia
Serves: Alexandria and the rest of the DMV
Local hourly rate includes: packing materials, furniture disassembly and reassembly, and home protection on every move
No separate fees for: stairs or elevators
Also offers: junk removal, custom crating, and self-storage
Reputation: 4.7 stars across nearly 1,000 Google reviews
Who is 495 Movers?
495 Movers is a full-service moving company serving Alexandria and the rest of the DMV, founded in 2009 by people who had worked as movers for several other companies first. They wanted to do it differently.
“We wanted to take a different approach, offering a simple, honest, and transparent approach for the customer,” said Moti Kachlon, co-owner at 495 Movers. For local moves, that meant building the most common extras into the hourly rate. Seventeen years and more than 20,000 moves later, the company is still growing.
What makes moving in Alexandria different?
Alexandria is a hard place to move. A truck on an Old Town block gets watched by neighbors, property managers, and a family wondering whether the sofa will make the turn on a staircase built long before sofas got this big.
Old Town’s rowhouses have narrow staircases and tight turns, which is why large furniture often has to come apart to get out. Del Ray’s bungalows and rowhouses have basements that hold more than anyone remembers. And condo and apartment buildings in Carlyle, Potomac Yard, and the West End often require movers to carry a certificate of insurance and book the elevator, with building managers who care a great deal about scuffed hallways. The street adds its own complications, from cobblestones to limited curb space.
That’s the context for how 495 Movers prices its work.
What does 495 Movers include in its hourly rate?
For local moves, the rate covers four things that many movers bill separately:
Packing materials. Boxes, tape, paper, and wrap are provided at no additional cost, whether a move needs a few or a few hundred.
Furniture disassembly and reassembly. Beds, tables, desks, sectionals, and wardrobes are taken apart, moved, and put back together at the new home. In an Old Town rowhouse, that’s often the only way a dresser gets down the stairs.
Ambulance on scene of shooting in Arlandria (staff photo by James Cullum)
After a data breach last year, Alexandria has switched ambulance transportation billing vendors.
It can cost upward of $750 for a ride to the hospital in an ambulance, and the city changed billing providers after “an issue” with the previous vendor, Change Healthcare/Optum/Per Your Health (CHC).
Yoga at a previous Well Ray festival (photo courtesy Del Ray Business Association)
Get ready for the ninth annual Well Ray Festival, Alexandria’s largest outdoor wellness event. It’s happening on Saturday (May 17) from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the corner of Mt. Vernon and Bellefonte Avenues. And the best part? It’s completely free.
This year’s festival features over 50 wellness and holistic health experts offering a wide range of services. You can get health screenings, therapeutic massages, acupuncture, physical therapy advice, and nutrition tips. There’s also wellness merchandise, food samples, and fun activities for the whole family, including face painting and a rock climbing wall.
UFOs reported in Alexandria in 2023 (via National UFO Reporting Center)
If it’s not a bird and not a plane, what is it?
Alexandria can now add another distinction to the list, as the city has the third-most UFO sightings in Virginia, according to the National UFO Reporting Center.
Part 1 crimes, or crimes against people, include homicide, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny and auto theft. There were 1,133 total Part I incidents from Jan. 1 to April 30 this year, a decrease of 23%, according to the Alexandria Police Department Crime Dashboard.
David and Carrie Field of Alexandria (Screenshot from COG Video)
David and Carrie Field of Alexandria are among the 2025 Foster Parents of the Year honorees, an honor bestowed by the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG).
The couple is being recognized for their dedication to providing safe, nurturing homes for children in need.
ACPS Superintendent Melanie Kay-Wyatt speaks at the recognition of James K. Polk Elementary School 3rd grade teacher Sharon Phox as Virginia Regional Teacher of the Year, March 12, 2025 (staff photo by James Cullum)
Alexandria City Public Schools (ACPS) is celebrating recent recognition from the Virginia Parent Teacher Association (Virginia PTA). Several community members and organizations received Impact Awards for their exceptional advocacy and engagement work.
The Virginia PTA has honored ACPS Superintendent Dr. Melanie Kay-Wyatt, parent and Alexandria Parent Teacher Association Council (PTAC) Vice President of Advocacy Maureen McNulty, and two school PTAs for their contributions to student success and family involvement.
Flooding in Old Town (staff photo by James Cullum)
Alexandria and Arlington County are under a Coastal Flood Advisory until 2 p.m. on Friday (May 16). Low-lying areas along the shoreline are at risk of tidal flooding.
The National Weather Service in Baltimore, MD/Washington, DC warns that water levels could rise up to half a foot above ground. Tides are expected to be two to two and a half feet higher than usual.