Good Wednesday morning, Alexandria!
🌧️ Today’s weather: Scattered rain and snow showers are expected before 9am, followed by a slight chance of rain showers until noon. The day will be mostly cloudy with a high near 44, accompanied by a northwest wind of 6 to 14 mph and gusts up to 24 mph. There is a 30% chance of precipitation. For Wednesday night, the skies will be partly cloudy and will reach a low of around 29, with northwest wind ranging from 6 to 11 mph.
(Updated at 4:45 p.m.) By the time this story is published, candidates will have just an hour-and-a-half to file the necessary paperwork to run in the Jan. 9 special election to fill the vacant seat on the Alexandria School Board.
The deadline is 5 p.m. to file the following with the city’s Office of Voter Registration & Elections:
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.
(Updated 3:20 p.m.) Alexandria has nabbed a top spot on another holiday-focused tour list, this time on holiday gift website Mixbook.
The website’s list “America’s Favorite ‘Christmassy’ Towns 2023” ranked Alexandria at number five — though unlike AARP, Mixbook fails to note that Alexandria is a city, not a town.
(Updated at 2:21 p.m. on Dec. 6) The Alexandria Police Department says that an arrest was made after a man was injured in an attempted robbery in the Landmark area of Alexandria’s West End last week.
APD responded to an apartment building at 375 S. Reynolds Street at around 2 p.m. on Nov. 29 in response to a report that a man was shot, according to a department release. Police later determined that no weapon was used, and that the victim was assaulted and suffered non-life threatening injuries.
Join Cruise Planners Beth Borrego and Rod Rodriguez for the World of Travel Show 2027 on Saturday, February 6, 2027, from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. in The BlackBox at BlackRock Center for the Arts in Germantown.
Meet representatives from 13 respected travel brands covering family and adults-only cruises, premium and luxury ocean voyages, European river cruises, expedition and Galápagos adventures, small-ship sailing, guided land tours, and customized vacations.
Afghan students living in Alexandria will premiere an eight-minute documentary this Friday on their experiences during the 2021 evacuation from Afghanistan.
The eight-minute documentary “Desperate” was produced and directed by Zahra Rahimi, an Alexandria City High School senior who has gained notoriety over the past six months for her work helping her fellow Afghan students learn English. It will premiere this Friday at 6 p.m. at the Del Pepper Community Resource Center (4850 Mark Center Drive).
The Alexandria Police Department arrested four teens for a robbery and assault at the Bradlee Shopping Center (3646 King Street) last month.
The victim, also a teenager, was bleeding from the face after being punched near the McDonald’s around 8:40 a.m., according to scanner traffic. The victim told police the suspect took his shoes and wallet. The victim was transported to the hospital.
Good Tuesday morning, Alexandria!
🌦️ Today’s weather: Partly sunny skies are expected with a high around 48 and a northwest wind of 3 to 7 mph. Scattered rain showers will begin after 10pm on Tuesday night, mixing with snow after 4am. The nighttime forecast includes mostly cloudy skies, a low of approximately 36, and a calm wind shifting to the north at 6 mph after midnight. There is a 40% chance of precipitation.
(Updated 9:35 p.m.) It was overcast and cool — the perfect weather for the Campagna Center’s 52nd Scottish Christmas Walk Parade.
The parade is one of the most popular events in the city, bringing thousands of participants, including Irish dancers, historic reenactors and the City of Alexandria Pipes and Drums. It is considered the highlight of a weekend full of events.
While poverty rates have declined by 52% in Northern Virginia over the last decade, a new report found that benefit has not been spread evenly across the region’s population.
Lost Opportunities, a report by the Northern Virginia Health Foundation and Virginia Commonwealth University, said there are “islands of disadvantage” around the region, and even areas that have benefitted from economic growth have, in many cases, been fueled by gentrification and displacement.
