Alexandria police investigated multiple felony assault calls over the weekend.
Monday morning, around 4 a.m., police responded to a domestic dispute at 200 block of Bluestone Road. According to the scanner, a woman told police her boyfriend had attacked her.
Good Monday morning, Alexandria!
⛅️ Today’s weather: Expect scattered showers to begin around 2pm today, with partly sunny skies and a high temperature near 60°F. A northwest wind will be blowing at around 7 to 10 mph. There is a 20% chance of precipitation during the day. Tonight, isolated showers may continue until 2am, becoming mostly cloudy with a low of around 48°F. The northwest wind will decrease to around 6 mph, and there remains a 20% chance of precipitation.
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.
Alexandria City Public Schools is facing a staffing crisis, with the school division struggling to fill basic instructional positions. The city is working on a solution that could help streamline the onboarding process.
Alexandria’s DASH bus network ridership is growing faster than bus networks in Arlington and Fairfax, though not as quickly as local rail ridership.
A report to the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission showed that DASH had a 17% increase in ridership from August 2022 to August 2023.
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.
There’s a new outlet to get your kicks in Old Town.
Atlas Muay Thai Gym opened two weeks ago in the former CrossFit gym at 215 N. Payne Street. The location is shared by The Link coworking office, and is owned by Muay Thai world champion Amine “The Lion” Ballafrikh.
A 16-year-old boy has been arrested by the Alexandria Police Department on charges related to an armed robbery and shooting in September that left one victim hospitalized.
On Sept. 22, a male victim, age 21, was seriously injured in an armed robbery on the 5500 block of Holmes Run Parkway. The Alexandria Police Department (APD) said the victim was left in serious but stable condition after being shot in the robbery — scanner traffic at the time indicated the man was shot in the shoulder and the back of the neck.
Just after the full list of potential new street names was revealed, the City of Alexandria said six public streets could be renamed as the opening of a 15-year process.
The city plans an open public hearing on Nov. 30 at 6 p.m. in Alexandria City Hall (301 King Street) to discuss the proposed names or potential alternatives.
This weekend marks the 105th anniversary of the Alexandria Torpedo Factory’s ironic origins.
As told in the Office of Historic Alexandria’s This Week in Historic Alexandria newsletter, the contract for constructing the U.S. Naval Torpedo Station was awarded on Oct. 14, 1918. The United States was embroiled in the First World War, but work on the building wouldn’t begin until the day after the war ended.
Good Friday morning, Alexandria!
☀️ Today’s weather: The forecast predicts a sunny day with a high temperature near 70 degrees, accompanied by a gentle northeast wind at 5 to 7 mph. As nighttime approaches, expect an increase in cloudiness and a low temperature around 51 degrees, with a light east wind.
