I-66 Tolls Shifted Behavior, Did Not Improve Traffic — “The new high-occupancy toll lanes on one of the busiest highways in the Washington region have sparked dramatic shifts in commuter behavior, prompting motorists to alter their commute times and routes, data show, while yielding tolls as high as $47.50 — some of the highest per mile in the country.” [Washington Post]
‘Green’ Vienna Businesses Recognized — “Nine Vienna businesses who have successfully completed the Town’s 2018 Sustainability Challenge were recognized at last night’s Town Council meeting…Â Through the program, certified businesses tally points on a checklist of green practices that they undertake as part of day-to-day operations.” [FairfaxNews]
Local Restaurants Open On Christmas — Staying in town for the holidays and planning to dine out? Patch has compiled a list of McLean, Vienna and Tysons restaurants that are planning to remain open on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. [Patch, Patch]
Rough Night for Silver Line Commuters — Those heading home on the Silver Line last night faced delays, offloading and other issues during the evening commute due to a track problem outside of Foggy Bottom. [Twitter, Twitter]
New French Bistro Coming to Mosaic District — “Brothers Ian and Eric Hilton are betting third time’s a charm for the Mosaic District space where both RJ Cooper’s Gypsy Soul and Mike Isabella’s Requin Brasserie imploded. The restaurateurs behind Chez Billy Sud, Marvin, and around a dozen other bars and restaurants will open a French bistro in the Fairfax development by early summer.” [Washingtonian]
How to Prevent Clogged Pipes — “Avoid clogged pipes this holiday season — don’t pour fats, oils and grease down the drain. Wipes pots and pans clean before rinsing them in the sink. Cooking oil can be recycled at the I-66 transfer station and I-95 landfill complex.” [Twitter]
Holiday Hours for Tysons Malls — “Many malls will be offering extended hours in the days before Christmas, including Tysons Corner Center and Tysons Galleria.” [Patch]
The Tysons Corner Center ice skating rink won’t be coming back this year, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t still options to put on those skates and hit the ice.
Ranked by proximity to the Tysons Corner Center, site of the former rink, these are your skating alternatives throughout the region:
- SkateQuest (1800 Michael Faraday Ct) — An indoor ice-skating rink 8 miles/12 minutes away in Reston. The skating rink offers public skating sessions over the weekends and during lunch on Wednesday and Friday. SkateQuest also has various types of skating classes and pick-up hockey games Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday.
- Fairfax Ice Arena (3779 Pickett Road) — An 8 mile/15 minute drive south of Tysons.
- MedStar Capitals Iceplex (627 N Glebe Rd) — An 8 mile/15 minute drive to Arlington’s Ballston neighborhood, though that time estimate could vary considerably with traffic on I-66. Like SkateQuest, the rink offers public skating on weekends as well as pick-up hockey games.
- Reston Town Center Ice Skating Pavilion (1818 Discovery St) — A 10 mile/13 minute drive from Tysons to Reston Town Center, if you’re willing to take the Dulles Toll Road. This is the closest choice for those looking for the outdoor plaza skating experience.
- Pentagon Row Outdoor Ice Skating (1201 S Joyce St) — A 13 mile/20 minute drive from Tysons, this Arlington ice skating rink bills itself as the largest outdoor rink in Northern Virginia and the second largest rink in the state.
Photo via Facebook
Vienna Mulling Economic Development Push — “Vienna is the only Northern Virginia locality without personnel expressly devoted to economic development, but that may change soon. Vienna Town Council members, in a joint work session Dec. 3 with their Planning Commission counterparts, supported town staff’s proposal to hire a consultant (for about $100,000) who would develop an economic-development strategy and conduct a market study.” [InsideNova]
NBC4 Covers Vienna Bike Corral — The Vienna Town Council’s concern about a bike corral potentially taking up a single parking space on Church Street was the subject of an Adam Tuss story on NBC4 yesterday. Via Twitter, the bikes@vienna store said in response: “Needless to say, we at bikes@vienna support the move. Will the Town get on board with providing much needed bike infrastructure, or will cars still rule?” [Twitter, Twitter]
Photos: Reindogs in McLean — “The 2018 Greater McLean Chamber of Commerce Reindog celebration, which took place Dec. 1… brought out the creativity of local residents and the understanding of canines who found themselves dressed up in holiday-themed costumes.” [InsideNova]
Fairfax Approves Funds for Tech Firm’s Tysons Move — “Cloud computing company Appian Corporation will receive $4 million from Fairfax County for the company’s expansion and new headquarters in Tysons… The Fairfax County’s Board of Supervisors approved the Development Opportunity Fund grant from the Commonwealth at its meeting on Tuesday (Dec. 4).” [Reston Now]
Christmas is just a couple weeks away, so it’s time to stop procrastinating and go out and grab a tree.
In Vienna, the Lions Club is selling a variety of trees outside the Walgreens (225 Maple Ave W) in Vienna.
Prices range from $55 for Fraser firs under 9 feet tall or “giant” firs for $100. Other Christmas accessories like wreaths, pine roping, coloring books and cans of Virginia peanuts are also on sale.
Trees can be purchased between 2-8 p.m. during week days, 9 a.m.-8 p.m. on Saturdays, or 10 a.m.-8 p.m. on Sundays.
Those in Vienna could also shop at the Optimist Club of Greater Vienna’s Christmas Tree Sale at 359 Maple Ave E, outside of the Giant grocery store. All profits go towards supporting students in local schools.
Sale hours for the Optimist Club’s sale are 2-8 p.m. during weekdays, 9 a.m.-8 p.m. on Saturdays, or 9 a.m.-6 p.m. on Sundays.
Two churches in McLean are also hosting Christmas tree sales.
The Saint John Academy’s Christmas Tree Sale is located in the parking lot in front of the St. John the Beloved Catholic Church at 6422 Linway Terrace. In addition to trees, the sale will include wreaths and garlands.
The Trinity United Methodist Church at 1205 Dolley Madison Blvd is also selling Christmas trees in the church lot.
The reindeer are getting the day off: Santa Claus is coming to Vienna on a fire truck.
From Dec. 12-19, the Vienna Volunteer Fire Department (VVFD) will be escorting Santa around the town in a 1946 Maxim fire engine.
“Look for Santa as he drives around the town’s residential streets,” said the VVFD in a press release. “When you hear the sirens and music and see the flashing lights, please come outside to see Jolly Old Saint Nick and to receive a candy cane from one of his honorary elves.”
According to the VVFD, Santa will be making the rounds to most Vienna neighborhoods, stopping at 5 p.m. in various parts of the town.
- Dec 12: Southwest Vienna between Park Street and Hillcrest Drive
- Dec 13: Northwest Vienna between Lawyers Road and W&OD trail
- Dec 14: Northeast Vienna between W&OD and Beulah Road
- Dec 15: Southwest Vienna west of Hillcrest Drive. Note: this will be the only scheduled Santa stop at 1 p.m. rather than 5 p.m.
- Dec 15: Northwest Vienna west of Madison High School and Lawyers Road
- Dec 18: Southeast Vienna east of Center
- Dec 19: Northeast Vienna east of Beulah Road
Santa will also make an appearance at a Holiday Pancake Breakfast on Dec. 15. The doors open at 8 a.m. and Santa will be available between 9:30-11 a.m.
Tickets to the breakfast are $8 for adults or &7 for seniors. Children ages 5-12 are $6 and those under 4 are free. All proceeds will benefit the Vienna Volunteer Fire Department.
Photo via Facebook
Fairfax Co. Sales Tax Receipts Rise — “The Virginia state government distributed $15.6 million in sales-tax receipts to the Fairfax County government in October, an increase of 4.3 percent from a year before, according to new figures from the Fairfax County Department of Management and Budget.” [InsideNova]
Local Nonprofit Seeks Holiday Volunteers — “Fairfax-based non-profit Britepaths (formerly Our Daily Bread) is seeking individuals, families, companies and community groups to assist 800 individuals and families in need who reside throughout the Fairfax County area for the December holidays.” [Britepaths]
Taxpayer Groups, County Employees Split on Pension Proposal — “Before deciding on proposed changes to Fairfax County’s pension plans early next month, the Board of Supervisors will have to weigh the potential impact on employee happiness and recruitment versus the public’s ability to pay.” [InsideNova]
The United Methodist Women of Andrew Chapel’s annual Christmas Market returns to the Tysons area next weekend.
The market will run Dec. 8 and 9, from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. on Saturday and 11 a.m.-3 p.m. on Sunday. The Christmas Market will be held inside the Andrew Chapel at 1301 Trap Road.
The market will feature handcrafted holiday gifts, jewelry, photography and other items available for purchase. Any and all gifts will be wrapped while you continue to shop.
On Saturday, Santa will be available to take pictures from 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
Proceeds of the Christmas market will support women and children’s missions.
Photo via Andrew Chapel
A Civil War Christmas, a collection of stories linked by a pageant of carols, is coming to Tysons’ 1st Stage Theater (1524 Spring Hill Rd) starting next week.
The play, written by Pulitzer Prize winner Paula Vogel, follows several intertwining lives on Christmas Eve in 1864 from Northern Virginia battlefields to the White House.
A Civil War Christmas will run from Nov. 29 through Dec. 23. Showtimes are:
- Thursdays at 7:30 p.m.
- Fridays at 8 p.m.
- Saturdays at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.
- Sundays at 2 p.m.
General admission tickets are $29. Tickets for seniors (65+) are $36. Student and military tickets are $15.
Captioned performances will be held the weekend of Dec. 6-9. An audio description will be available at the Dec. 8 performance.
1st Stage Theater also offers community conversations after several shows, giving audience members a chance to talk with the designers, cast, and cast about the show’s production and creative process. Prior to the Dec. 20 show, Sarah Jencks, Director of Education and Interpretation at Ford’s Theatre, will talk about the historical context of the show.
1st Stage Theater bills itself Tysons’ only stage theater venue. It was founded in 2008 in a converted office space.
A Civil War Christmas is the second production of the 1st Stage Theater’s 2018-2019 season.
Image via 1st Stage Theater
Long Lines at Local Whole Foods — If you ordered turkey or anything else for Thanksgiving dinner from the Whole Foods Market in Idylwood Plaza, expect long lines this morning. [Instagram]
County Offices Closed for Holiday — Fairfax County Government offices will be closed Thursday and Friday due to the Thanksgiving holiday. Also, the Fairfax Connector will be running on a modified holiday schedule both days. [Fairfax County, Fairfax County]
Turkey Frying Safety Tips — “Using a turkey fryer this year to cook your Thanksgiving dinner? Please make sure you fry the turkey and NOT your home!” [Fairfax County Fire and Rescue]
‘Political Transformation’ in Fairfax Co. — “A group of younger candidates is gathering in the wings, frustrated by crowded classrooms, traffic congestion and the rising cost of living in the county of 1.1 million — Virginia’s most populous jurisdiction and its undisputed economic engine.” [Washington Post, Erika Yalowitz]
Holiday Stroll Planned in Vienna — “The 22nd annual Church Street Holiday Stroll is slated for Monday, Nov. 26 along historic Church Street in Vienna. Santa is expected to glide into the area on a 1946 fire truck at 6:15 p.m., then help Mayor Laurie DiRocco light the holiday tree at 6:20 p.m.” [InsideNova]
Big New Development for West End of Falls Church — “The development team of EYA, PN Hoffman and Regency Centers was chosen by the Falls Church City Council Monday night to orchestrate a dense and diverse $500 million development of 10.3 acres of City-owned land where its George Mason High School currently sits,” near the West Falls Church Metro station. [Falls Church News-Press]
