Good Wednesday morning, Alexandria!
☀️ Today’s weather: Expect sunny skies and a high around 62, with winds initially from the north at 6 mph becoming light and variable. Wednesday night will become mostly cloudy as the temperature drops to about 49, accompanied by a southeast wind at 6 mph.
Zahra Rahimi spoke no English when she and her family moved from Afghanistan to Alexandria four years ago.
Fast forward to October, when First Lady Jill Biden recognized her at the White House as one of 15 “Girls Leading Change” around the country.
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.
About 30% of Alexandria voters are expected to turn out at the polls on election day today, Nov. 7.
As of 10 a.m. — four hours after polls opened — 21,661 voters cast their ballots, which is about 23% of the city’s 96,232 active registered voters. A vast majority of those ballots, 13,927 votes (64%), are from absentee voters. Also as of 10 a.m., 7,734 voters cast their ballots in person, according to the city’s Office of Voter Registration and Elections.
The Alexandria Police Department is investigating alleged car thefts that resulted in a high-speed chase across state lines.
At around 2:30 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 14, APD was notified of multiple men in ski masks in a dark blue minivan and a white 2016 Acura MDX trying to break into vehicles in the parking lot of an apartment complex in the 4600 block of Duke Street. The 911 caller observed the incident from a surveillance video, according to APD scanner traffic.
Spend the evening with Washington Spirit alum and former USWNT player Joanna Lohman, a true DMV women’s soccer legend.
This is your chance to meet Joanna in person, hear the stories behind the career, the competition, and The Amazing Race, and experience the kind of sports moment you’ll still be talking about long after the night is over.
The Virginia Dept. of Transportation is mulling expanding the Express Lanes system to a section of I-495 from Fairfax County across the Woodrow Wilson Bridge and into Maryland.
The city of Alexandria, however, is skeptical of the current plans, as many of the alternatives come down to adding traffic lanes. Staff say these changes could hamper attempts to get people out of their cars and onto public transportation, including future transit across the bridge.
The Alexandria Police Department is investigating reports of gunfire approximately 100 feet from Bishop Ireton High School on Monday night.
Five gunshots were reported in the 2800 block of Nob Hill Court at around 6:23 p.m. on Nov. 6, according to the APD scanner. No injuries were reported, and APD discovered that one bullet smashed through an apartment window 350 feet away in the 2900 block of Seay Street, according to scanner traffic.
Good Tuesday morning, Alexandria!
🌤️ Today’s weather: Expect partly sunny skies with a high near 74 and southwest winds around 10 mph today. Tuesday night will be mostly clear, with lows around 46 and a north wind around 7 mph.
Election Day is tomorrow, Tuesday, which brings to an end an entire season of voting that kicked off in September.
Alexandrians voting on Tuesday will face few decisions tomorrow, as the only contests on the ballot are for the 39th District of the Virginia State Senate and three House of Delegates districts.
You’ll have plenty of time to fill up on turkey and stuffing after burning calories at the 48th Alexandria Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning.
The five-mile race on Nov. 23 through the heart of Alexandria’s Del Ray neighborhood is expected to draw upward of 6,000 participants. It will start at 9 a.m. outside George Washington Middle School (1005 Mount Vernon Avenue).
