Alexandria is gearing up for its 25th annual First Night celebration tomorrow (Tuesday).
First Night is the city’s annual New Year’s Eve celebration featuring various local businesses and civic organizations. Events are scheduled to take place across Old Town. Kids entertainment is scheduled to start at 6 p.m. while music starts at 7 p.m.
A half dozen businesses and residences in Old Town have been selected by a local, very niche group as the best exterior holiday decorations in the historic district.
The Old Town Walled Garden Club announced the winners of its 51st annual decorating contest. The contest evaluates decorations by the originality of design, scale, color, contrast and attractiveness from the street.
The new cat cafe that has the town talking is going up to the Planning Commission for approval early next month.
The Mount Purrnon Cat Cafe is slated to open at 109 S. Alfred Street and offer both a place to drink and play with adoptable cats.
(Updated at 11:15 a.m.) Alexandria’s plans to convert one block of King Street into a pedestrian-only zone are starting to come together.
The plan would close King Street between Lee Street and Union Street on weekends, according to a report presented to the Waterfront Commission Tuesday morning.
Where better to celebrate the ugly sweaters so associated with Christmas than Alexandria’s yarn store Fibre Space?
At a free event tonight (Tuesday) from 608 p.m. at Fibre Space (1319 Prince Street), guests can either wear their ugly sweaters or finish working on their sweaters with friends.
Le Tache’s 210 King Street location opened ten years ago as something of a controversial prank — a prank chronicled by the New York Times, no less. But after a long stay in Old Town the “couples boutique” has finally closed.
The store offered a variety of explicit accessories, from lingerie to… well, we’ll tell you when you’re older. It was a large store that occupied multiple floors of a historic, brick building near the waterfront. The interior has been emptied, however, and a sign has been posted in the window saying the building is available for rent.
Three elected officials visited businesses across Alexandria as part of an effort to drum up support for a paid family and medical leave bill.
Rep. Don Beyer, Del. Carroll Foy and State Sen. Jennifer Boysko — all Democrats — visited three businesses on Friday (Dec. 13) and spoke with business owners who were supportive of the bill. The trio visited Lori’s Table (1028 King Street), Bishop’s Boutique (815 King Street) and Let’s Meat on the Avenue (2403 Mount Vernon Avenue).
(Updated at 2:25 p.m.) Democratic presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg unveiled a new plan to cut carbon emissions at a campaign event in Alexandria this morning.
The billionaire owner of Bloomberg LP and former New York City mayor addressed a crowd of supporters and members of the media at Blackwall Hitch on the waterfront. Bloomberg was originally supposed to hold the event outside the gates of the GenOn power plant, but that plan was scuttled due to rain.
There are no signs on the walls or permits from the city visible, but there are nevertheless signs of life at the former King Street Blues restaurant at 112 N. St. Asaph Street.
Neighbors told ALXnow that movers bringing equipment into the space told them the new restaurant would be called Old Hat. A company under that name with the King Street Blues address was created on Sept. 11 this year.
A lawsuit to try to prevent the owners of a late-18th century home in Old Town from demolishing parts of the historic property has been thrown out, but the plaintiff in the case has filed an appeal.
The house at 619 S. Lee Street has been owned by various local dignitaries over the years, from former mayor and editor of the Alexandria Gazette-Packet Edgar Snowden to Hugo Black, a member of the Supreme Court from 1937 to 1971. Black notably wrote the majority opinion in a decision justifying the internment of Japanese Americans during WWII, filibustered an anti-lynching bill while a U.S. senator, and was at one point a member of the KKK.
Shortly after scooping out a spot in Old Town, Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams is hosting a grand opening celebration next Thursday (Dec. 19) with a scheduled appearance from the eponymous Jeni Britton Bauer.
The grand opening celebration is scheduled from 7-11 p.m. at Jeni’s (102 S. Patrick Street). Free ice cream and “swag” is promised to the first 50 people in line.
