If you haven’t noticed, there are leaves on the ground all across Alexandria, which means it’s time for Alexandria to kick off its leaf collection season.
Residential leaf collection is starting today and will rotate through zones across the city. The city is broken up into five collection zones and each zone will go through three separate passes over the course of fall. The full schedule and an interactive map is available online.
Good Monday morning, Alexandria!
🌦️ Today’s weather: Scattered showers are expected mainly after 2 PM, with partly sunny skies and a high near 76. The south wind of 5 to 15 mph will shift to northwest in the afternoon, possibly gusting up to 24 mph. In the evening, there is a chance of rain, primarily after 2 AM, and the temperature will drop to around 44. The north wind will maintain a speed of 10 to 13 mph, gusting up to 21 mph. Both daytime and nighttime precipitation chances are 30%.
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.
It’s been a busy week in Alexandria.
The week started with a mob swarming the Seminary Road intersection early Saturday morning and taking over with loud noises and drag racing on the street, much to the chagrin of nearby neighbors. Yesterday, the city said that police would be cracking down on aggressive driving on streets like Seminary Road, King Street and other arterial roadways.
Like trains pulling into a station, regional transportation leaders converged in Alexandria today to cut the ribbon at the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority’s new technology hub, the Metro Integrated Command and Communications Center (MICC).
The new 14-story MICC, located at 2401 Mill Road in the city’s Carlyle neighborhood, will hold up to 1,400 Metro staffers, and is home to the system’s data center, cybersecurity operations, bus and rail video teams, communications, and administrative support.
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.
Halloween is right around the corner and there’s no locality in the region that goes as all out for the year’s spookiest holiday as Alexandria.
There are events throughout the weekend, including multiple costume contests, and the Del Ray Halloween Parade on Sunday — noted as one of the best Halloween parades in the country.
For-profit Washington University of Science and Technology could be moving into a vacant office on Eisenhower Avenue that was formerly a Stratford University campus.
Washington University of Science and Technology is a for-profit university based out of Tysons. The school is applying to a new location in a 4-story commercial office building at 2900 Eisenhower Avenue. The building was previously approved for special use as a private academic school in 2013, but the location closed in October 2022 when the Stratford shut down.
A few days after videos emerged of a mob taking over a Seminary Road intersection, Alexandria announced a new carrot-and-stick approach to dealing with traffic safety.
The carrot is a new public safety campaign. According to a release from the City of Alexandria:
(Updated 11:30 a.m.) Good Friday morning, Alexandria!
☀️ Today’s weather: Partly sunny today, with a high near 81. Partly cloudy tonight, with a low around 62. Then sunny and warm again on Saturday.
Here in Alexandria, real estate is a spectator sport. Let’s take a look at some of the smallest and largest homes sold last month (September 2023).
Largest homes sold
