As Alexandria braces for a storm possibly rolling into town, several services around the city are shutting down preemptively.
All Alexandria Library branches are closing at 4 p.m. today due to “expected severe weather,” according to the library website.
If you’re looking to escape the heat in one of Alexandria’s public pools, time is running out.
Starting in two weeks, Alexandria’s pools will start to close. The first to go is Memorial Pool at 901 Wythe Street, which is open through Sunday, Aug. 20.
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.
The National Weather Service has updated its earlier hazardous conditions with a new Tornado Watch.
The watch is in effect for many localities across Northern Virginia and as far down as the Richmond area. The watch and hazardous conditions come one week after another storm hit Alexandria and took out power to much of the city.
The Alexandria Police Department is investigating two back-to-back shootings early Sunday and Monday in the West End.
Police were notified of multiple gunshots on Sunday at around 2 a.m. in the 200 block of N. Pickett Street near Holmes Run. Officers in the area heard the shots, according to scanner traffic, although no injuries were reported or arrests made.
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.
Last night’s storms might only be the start, according to the National Weather Service (NWS).
The city has had a rainy few weeks and now, the NWS says there’s a “hazardous weather outlook” in effect today and tonight for much of the region. NWS said the primary threat is damaging winds, but other threats include possible tornadoes and large hail.
Good Monday morning, Alexandria!
⛈️ Today’s weather: There is an 80% chance of showers and thunderstorms today, with possible heavy rainfall up to half an inch and temperatures reaching 90°F. South winds are expected at 8-11 mph. Tonight, expect more showers and thunderstorms before 8 pm, followed by a chance of continued rain between 8 pm and 2 am. Temperatures will drop to around 73°F with southwest winds at 9 mph, and additional rain amounts up to three-quarters of an inch are possible.
A 25-year-old Alexandria man was arrested after a terrifying incident early Sunday morning in which he allegedly drove his SUV into multiple vehicles and almost hit bystanders in an Arlandria parking lot.
Mike Vasquez Lopez is being held on a $3,500 bond after being charged with reckless driving, driving while intoxicated and two counts of hit and run property damage.
This week started with a bang: around 17,000 without after storms this weekend, but by early on Monday that power was mostly restored and the week got off to a better start.
There was exciting new business news around Alexandria this week, with a new craft brewery opening and a new vegan cookie shop coming to town. They couldn’t all be winners though: most of the sentiment on social media was disappointment that the Banana Republic on prime real estate in Old Town would be replaced with a Chase Bank.
The newsletter This Week in Alexandria’s History frequently includes interesting tidbits of Alexandria lore, and this week, the Office of Historic Alexandria’s newsletter highlighted a strange 19th-century incident in the city’s Del Ray neighborhood.
The neighborhood was once home to the St. Asaph Racetrack, a horse racing facility in an area known as the Town of Potomac. The track started operations in 1894 and, in 1898, was the scene of a stampede of U.S. Army mules housed at the site during the Spanish-American War.
