Alexandria and Arlington officials celebrated the ribbon cutting for the renovated West Glebe Road bridge today.
The nearly 70-year-old bridge suffered severe deterioration over the years and fully closed last summer, and partially reopened in March.
It’s been an uncharacteristically busy day for King Street news.
The street could be getting new bike lanes and a sidewalk on the north side of the road in a few years. In the short term, however, a section of the street is getting resurfaced and some stormwater improvements this month.
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.
Virginia Tech and Alexandria’s Office of the Arts are collaborating on “Innovation and Creativity,” a year-long series of projects at the Torpedo Factory’s Target Gallery.
One of those projects, Sound Horizons, opened Aug. 5 and runs through to Jan. 28. Visitors sit in the tesseract, an array of high-density loudspeakers, and experience an immersive environment of sounds curated for Alexandria by Virginia Tech’s Institute for Creativity, Arts, and Technology (ICAT).
Some changes could be coming to the section of King Street near the Bradlee Shopping Center, but they’re at least four or five years away.
The City of Alexandria announced today that it will start a King Street-Bradlee Safety and Mobility Enhancements Project later this month. The project will look at potential improvements to King Street just northwest of Quaker Lane along the Bradlee Shopping Center.
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.
Update on 9/14 — The victim, who police say sustained minor injuries, died on Wednesday, Sept. 13. Ricky Dehate, 48, has been charged with second-degree murder.
Earlier: The Alexandria Police Department said one person sustained minor injuries in a robbery just before midnight on Monday near Fort Ward.
Good Tuesday morning, Alexandria!
⛅️ Today’s weather: There’s a 30% chance of showers after 3pm, with mostly sunny skies and a high near 86. Winds will be calm, turning southwest at 5 mph in the afternoon. On Tuesday night, expect a 60% chance of showers and a possible thunderstorm after 9pm, with mostly cloudy skies, a low of 68, and winds from the south at 6 mph becoming west after midnight. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and a quarter of an inch are expected, with higher amounts possible during thunderstorms.
The Alexandria Fire Department wants to replace a 42-year-old burn building used for training in Old Town.
AFD’s proposal to demolish the three-story, 4,600-square-foot building with a new four-story, 6,400-square-foot building goes before the Planning Commission on Tuesday, Oct. 3 and City Council on October 14.
Freedom Rider Joan Trumpauer Mulholland, who was imprisoned in Mississippi for her civil rights activism, is scheduled to speak at a meeting of the Alexandria Community Remembrance Project later this month.
The Office of Historic Alexandria said Mulholland will speak at the free event at 1 p.m. in The Lyceum (201 S Washington Street) on Saturday, Sept. 23.
Galactic Panther Art Gallery has hosted live music and paid events since opening in 2021, and now its owners are asking the city for approval to host them.
Galactic Panther’s 1,900-square-foot art gallery has hosted comedy, improv, sound baths, yoga, open mic nights and live music for more than a year, and their proposal to continue with the events goes to the Planning Commission on October 3 and City Council on October 14.
