(Updated 10/6) A Hawaiian shave ice trailer at Fort Belvoir is looking to open a new location in Del Ray.
Owner Jaafar Ouardi filed a special use permit to open the new location for Le Petit Ananas Shaved Ice outside Bagel Uprising (2307 Mount Vernon Avenue).
A festival dedicated to all things cider-related is making a return to Alexandria next month.
The Alexandria Cider Festival is a special tasting event in the historic Lloyd House (220 N. Washington Street) and is part of the broader Virginia Cider Week.
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.
Good Thursday morning, Alexandria!
🌤️ Today’s weather: The forecast for Thursday includes partly sunny skies with a high temperature near 78°F, and a calm wind that will gradually increase to 5 to 9 mph from the southeast by morning. Moving into Thursday night, expect mostly cloudy conditions and a low temperature around 64°F, accompanied by a southeast wind at approximately 6 mph.
(Updated 7 p.m.) The Alexandria Police Department (APD) is investigating a hit-and-run in the Braddock neighborhood that left a 15-year-old male pedestrian in the hospital.
APD Communications Manager Tracy Walker said one pedestrian, a juvenile, was injured and taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Event location
Woodson High School
9525 Main Street
Fairfax, Virginia 22031
Northern Virginia Fairfax Families for Safe Streets (NoVA FSS) cordially invites you to attend and support our upcoming World Day of Remembrance (WDoR) for Road Traffic Victims.
World Day of Remembrance is an annual event where we honor those whose lives were prematurely ended after being struck by a person driving. This year is particularly painful and sad as we think about the recent death of a 13-year-old Frost middle school student who was struck and killed by a person driving a truck on Pickett Road. We will also honor the nearly 30 other people (as of today’s date) who have been killed on Northern Virginia streets while, walking, biking, or rolling since last year’s day of remembrance.
With Alexandria’s consumption tax revenues hitting an all-time high in fiscal year 2023, Mayor Justin Wilson says that the city has emerged from the economic spiral created by the 2020 coronavirus pandemic.
The city’s consumption tax revenues (sales, meals and transient lodging) peaked at $81 million in fiscal year 2023, a 7% increase over the $76 million collected in FY 2022 and 23% more than the $66 million in FY 2019, according to figures presented at Visit Alexandria‘s annual meeting on Tuesday night.
Alexandria staff returned to the Planning Commission one month after Zoning for Housing/Housing for All’s debut, but city leaders remained tepid in their support for the project.
Of note during the work session, however, was a concise breakdown of how Zoning for Housing/Housing for All might affect the city’s housing stock.
After decades in business, a local restaurant near Alexandria’s West End border will close at the end of the month.
Foxfire Grill owner Terri Fox recently announced the closure on the company website and social media. The restaurant with American fare at 6550 Little River Turnpike has weathered mixed reviews over the years, and even got a makeover in 2019 from celebrity chef Robert Irvine from Restaurant Impossible.
There is good news for those grumbling about potholes along King Street and Duke Street: repaving season will sweep over the two arterial roads this month.
Repaving work is scheduled to run this month from Tuesday, Oct. 10 to Friday, Oct. 27.
Patrick O’Brian enthusiasts rejoice: another Age of Sail replica ship is coming to Alexandria.
The schooner Pride of Baltimore II, a replica of the 1812 ship Pride of Baltimore, will be docking at Alexandria’s marina later this month.
