Good Thursday morning, Alexandria!
☀️ Today’s weather: Frost will clear by 10 a.m., making way for a sunny day with a high near 51. A northwest wind will shift to a westerly direction at approximately 6 mph in the afternoon. The night will be clear, with temperatures dropping to around 34 and a south wind at 5 mph.
Zombies, mummies and superheroes attended the annual Halloween celebration on S. Lee Street in Old Town.
Thousands of costumed kids and adults walked up and down the closed-off street starting at 5 p.m., furthering a tradition that goes back decades. Residents of Lee Street spend thousands on decorations and candy for the throngs of costumed guests.
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.
The former manager of Hank’s Oyster Bar faces years in prison after pleading guilty to embezzling $680,000 from the restaurant.
Claude Ibrahim, 53, pleaded guilty in the Alexandria Circuit Court to nine counts of felony embezzlement and eight counts of misdemeanor embezzlement.
Alexandria resident Junior Josue Espinal Calix, 20, pleaded guilty last week to involuntary manslaughter after accidentally shooting 21-year-old Nabel Christopher Chavez earlier this year.
Calix said he frequently played with the firearm and aimed it at Chavez, thinking it was unloaded, according to a release from Commonealth’s Attorney Bryan Porter.
Join us for an evening of made-up-on-the-spot improv comedy! We'll be calling on you to give us suggestions for a totally unique show that'll never be seen again!
Show is 18+ recommended. We perform free shows for the Alexandria, VA and surrounding community. Donations help us rent space, supply drinks, and defray other costs!
Update at 1:05 p.m. — Alexandria City High School students will be dismissed early due to the bomb threat. Alexandria Police Department Communications Manager Tracy Walker told ALXnow that police are still searching the high school.
Alexandria City High School is being evacuated due to a bomb threat at the school, the Alexandria Police Department (APD) said.
The Alexandria Police Department found an Alexandria man who was beaten, robbed and naked outside his apartment building in the West End last month.
APD responded to a call for service for a possible assault at around 11:45 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 5, outside an apartment building in the 4300 block of Duke Street.
Trick-or-treaters last night might have noticed a chill in the air and the National Weather Service (NWS) has confirmed it’s likely to get colder tonight.
The NWS has issued a freeze warning from 11 p.m. this evening (Wednesday) to 10 a.m. tomorrow (Thursday). The source is a cold front pushing through the region with potentially hazardous driving conditions tonight.
Good Wednesday morning, Alexandria!
☀️ Today’s weather: Expect mainly sunny conditions and a high near 50°F accompanied by a northwest wind blowing at 16-18 mph, gusting up to 29 mph. Overnight, the skies will remain clear and the temperature will drop to around 34°F, with the northwest wind continuing at a slightly lower speed of 7-11 mph.
While the city is making strides to honor the victims of two Alexandria lynchings, a member of the Alexandria Community Remembrance Project noted in a recent meeting that a third victim — the first recorded in the city — has been neglected in part due to a technicality.
Thanks in large part to the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI), a non-profit based out of Alabama working to commemorate victims of lynching, the city has started to do more work to commemorate the victims of lynchings in 1897 and 1899. In particular, however, the EJI focuses on lynchings between 1877 and 1950, while Alexandria’s first recorded lynching occurred over ten years before that period started.
