(Updated 10:20 a.m.) The Alexandria branch of the NAACP expressed condemnation of police activity in a video showing a toy pig in an Alexandria Police Department (APD) cruiser wearing an I Can’t Breathe shirt.
The video, posted this past weekend by the page Alexandria Accountability, shows a propped-up figure with a cartoon pig head, a black domino mask, and a shirt with the words “I Can’t Breathe.”
Good Wednesday morning, Alexandria!
☀️ Today’s weather: Sunny, with a high near 78 turning partly cloudy tonight, with a low around 50. Tomorrow should also be mostly sunny with a high near 79.
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.
Alexandria’s David Martin has spent the last 35 years making the city brighter, from creating jewelry at his Old Town shop to convincing city leaders to keep the holiday lights up year-round along King Street.
In 1989, Martin saw Old Town as a sleeping giant, especially on the block where his shop Gold Works USA would be located at 1400 King Street. The King St-Old Town Metro station had opened a few years before, and he sensed that the area would get busier.
The future of Alexandria’s West End is being reevaluated with a series of open houses in the coming days.
City staff are working to update Alexandria’s long-term vision for the 1992 Alexandria West Small Area Plan and integrate it with the 2012 Beauregard Small Area Plan.
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!
A panel last night on the city’s Zoning for Housing/Housing for All overhaul dived into the back and forth on the issue, including questions about the timeline from proposal to final review.
The proposal includes a number of changes to the city’s housing zoning, the most high-profile being allowing two-to-four-unit dwellings in formerly single-family residential zones. Other substantial changes include making it easier to build housing in industrial zones and eliminating minimum parking requirements for dwellings with up to four units in enhanced transit zones.
A makeover has been proposed for a 53-year-old office building in Old Town North.
The owners of the former home of the Alexandria Community Services Board at 720 North St. Asaph Street want the building converted into a 12-unit multifamily apartment building with ground floor commercial space.
A particularly bleak budget prediction is forcing the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) to consider plans involving longer train waits, Metro station closures, and eliminating many bus routes, the Washington Post reported.
WMATA’s worst-case scenario plans, built on an assumption of no increase in funding from D.C., Maryland and Virginia, include layoffs of nearly 5,000 employees, closing 20-25 rail stations either permanently or on weekends, and closing stations at 9 p.m. WMATA said all but 37 Metrobus routes are also on the cutting board.
Good Tuesday morning, Alexandria!
☀️ Today’s weather: Today’s forecast calls for sunny skies, with a high near 69. Weather tonight is clear with a low around 47, and tomorrow should be mostly sunny with a high near 75.
(Updated 4:20 p.m.) A video posted this weekend by citizen journalism page Alexandria Accountability shows an Alexandria Police Department vehicle with a display in the passenger seat that seems to mock police brutality victims George Floyd and Eric Garner.
The Alexandria Accountability footage shows a propped-up figure with a cartoon pig head, a black domino mask, and a shirt with the words “I Can’t Breathe” — the last words of Eric Garner, an unarmed Black man killed by a New York City Police Officer in 2014, and were said later by George Floyd in 2020 when he was murdered by Minneapolis Police officer Derek Chauvin.
