A new authority responsible for promoting railways in Virginia said the only real solution to a degraded bridge over King Street is full replacement.
The Virginia Passenger Rail Authority (VPRA) made its recommendation to the Transportation Commission earlier this month. The CSX bridge over King Street is nearly 120 years old and is notorious for causing closures and shutdowns.
(Updated 2:30 p.m.) If you’ve got a Christmas list, there’s a mailbox in Alexandria dedicated to sending letters to Santa Claus and he’s responding.
For the second straight year, Bill and Stephanie Pastewait included the Christmas-red mailbox to their ever-growing holiday display in front of their home at 3103 Russell Road in Warwick Village.
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.
An Alexandria Police officer went undercover to assist in the arrest of a Baltimore man, who was sentenced to 15 years in prison on Monday (Nov. 28) for sex trafficking three women in the D.C. area.
Ryan Odell Oliver, 40, was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison, followed by 15 years of supervised release. He was arrested in Baltimore in January 2019, and admitted to forcing women against their will into prostitution.
An upcoming zoning change could both cut through some development red tape and make funding for transportation projects more accessible after years of noncompliance from developers.
The city is looking at reshaping Transportation Management Plans (TMP), one of the core pieces of any new development that’s remained basically unchanged since 1987. The goal of a TMP is to ensure new development promotes public transportation, walking, biking or rideshares rather than driving to work alone.
Event location
Duvall House
305 Cameron Street
Alexandria, Virginia 22314
Join George Washington at the beautiful, historic Duvall House—the site of his “coming home” celebration after the Revolutionary War! Libations and hearty hors d’oeuvres will be served. Tickets are $150 per person, with proceeds benefiting the 2027 George Washington Birthday Parade in Alexandria. Reserve your space at the event website, or email us at [email protected] if you prefer to pay at the door.
It’s Giving Tuesday, and a number of Alexandria businesses are donating a percentage of sales to nonprofits in partnership with the Old Town Business Association.
Unless specified, funds from these businesses will go to MedStreet, The Dream Project, The Potomac Conservancy and The Spitfire Club.
Alexandria-Based Affordable Housing Developer Chooses New Leader — “Wesley Housing, which recently opened the Waypoint at Fairlington, will be under new leadership after its leader of 15 years retires.” [Patch]
It’s Tuesday — Mostly cloudy throughout the day. High of 52 and low of 36. Sunrise at 7:08 am and sunset at 4:49 pm. [Weather.gov]
Updated at 5:45 p.m. Mia’s Italian Kitchen has a permanent home in Alexandria.
Douglas Development Corp. sold 100 King Street to Alexandria Restaurant Partners for $8.6 million on October 28, according to city records.
Carpenter’s Shelter has been awarded a $2.5 million grant by the Bezos Day 1 Families Fund, and plans to use the money to rapidly re-house homeless Alexandrians.
The $2.5 million is the largest private gift in the history of the Fund, which was created by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos in 2018. The fund has given more than $520 million to similar organizations and nonprofits doing “compassionate, needle-moving work” to provide shelter and hunger support for young families around the country.
Alexandria is planning for a transit-oriented overhaul of Duke Street, and city staff connected to the project told an advisory group earlier this month that rumors about eminent domain being used for the project are inaccurate.
Yon Lambert, the director of the Department of Transportation and Environmental Services (T&ES), told the Duke Street in Motion Advisory Group that public concerns about eminent domain being invoked to acquire right of way for the Duke Street changes is at least premature if not unfounded.
