Tysons is far from the cultural wasteland it once was, but there are still challenges ahead as the area develops a creative arts scene.
If Tysons truly hopes to become “America’s Next Great City,” it must become a cultural hub as well as a technological and financial one.
Urban planners across the country use arts districts to bring reinvestment to neighborhoods, and cultural amenities can be a powerful draw to the creative class. However, there are still many obstacles in the way of local artists.
Arts in the area are served by public programs like the $500,000-a-year ARTSFAIRFAX grants, but ARTSFAIRFAX is a county-wide program and its budget is relatively modest for such a large jurisdiction.
High property values can be a major obstacle to those who would rent studio or gallery space. The Katibeh Art Center, which featured works by the Iranian artist Ebrahim Emad, recently closed.
Emad told Tysons Reporter that he’d had to close the gallery in part because of difficulty physically advertising its presence, as he was unable to hang promotional signs — and because his location in a mid-rise office building offered very little pedestrian traffic.
While the Katibeh Art Center has closed, here are some other art galleries open around the area:
- McLean Project for the Arts (1446 Chain Bridge Rd, McLean) — The McLean Project for the Arts hosts exhibitions, classes for all ages, and special events. The upcoming exhibition, Intention/Invention, will run from January 10 until March 2, with an opening reception on January 12 and an artist talk on January 26, featuring abstract works by two contemporary artists. The Project’s classes cover a wide range of media, and include many classes meant for adults with some artistic background as well as both classes and summer camps for children.
- MK Gallery (1952 Gallows Rd, Tysons) — This gallery, a Tysons establishment for over 15 years, primarily features artists of Korean nationality or heritage. The current exhibition, on show until January 11, is a double, featuring two exciting artists. The first, B. G. Muhn, a professor of art at Georgetown, organized the first-ever exhibition of North Korean art in the United States. The other, Suh Yongsun, is based in Seoul and uses strong color to depict themes of modern social and political life.
- Dara Global Arts (7501 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church) — Dara is a small pop-up gallery focused on painters from Syria and other Levantine countries. Featuring “a highly curated collection of original art that reflects the empowerment of artists and their freedom of expression,” it particularly features the work of women.
- LIK Fine Art (Tysons Galleria, 2001 International Drive) — Peter Lik’s latest of seventeen luxury galleries offers large-format landscape photography.
- Wentworth Gallery (Tysons Galleria, 1807 International Drive) — This gallery brings the work of internationally-recognized artists to Tysons. A wide variety of painters are represented, from neo-impressionists to pop artists. Wentworth rotates their gallery frequently, bringing a new artist every month for a show and a reception so that patrons have a chance to meet the artist. Every month brings something “new and different.”
- The Hermitage Gallery (6831 Tennyson Drive, McLean) — Offering both fine art framing and an exhibition gallery, the Hermitage represents a variety of local and international artists.
- YMM Art Space (8216 Old Courthouse Rd C, Vienna) — YMM is not a gallery, but rather a space of creation and education “dedicated to stimulating the imagination and enhancing the creativity of each and every student.” They “offer classes like fashion design, comics design and origami to students as young as 8, so kids have the opportunity to develop their interests in pretty specific areas,” and there are also classes for younger children and for adults.
- Tysons Art and Learning (8343 Greensboro Dr, Tysons) — This space offers a wide range of art courses for a variety of ages. Their courses extend to digital arts and to writing, and registration and schedules are flexible.
D. Taylor Reich is a freelance journalist who writes about urbanism and development. They are a Fulbright scholar, a 2017 graduate of Brown University and a proud alum of Arlington Public Schools.
A credit card fraud suspect led police on an extended foot pursuit through Tysons last night — during which he tried to open the doors of cars stopped in evening rush hour traffic.
The incident happened around 6 p.m., when police responded to the Bloomingdales at Tysons Corner Center for a report of two men fraudulently using credit cards.
“When officers tried to stop the suspects, one was arrested while the other ran away, leading officers on a 30-minute foot pursuit,” Fairfax County Police said in a crime report. “During the pursuit, the suspect was trying to open doors of cars that were stopped in traffic. One of the drivers called in the man’s suspicious behavior. Officers quickly responded to the area and caught James Lambert, 24, of New York.”
“Lambert and Darren Saunders, 23, of New York, were charged with credit card fraud,” police said.
Photo via FCPD
‘Historic’ Tysons Apple Store May Move — “When Apple opened its first two retail spaces just hours apart at Tysons Corner Center and Glendale Galleria on May 19, 2001, nobody predicted the cultural impact and broad success Apple stores would have across the world. Now, that same success may cause Apple to leave the space that sparked a revolution in retail.” [9to5Mac]
New Tysons Chamber Chair Focusing on Growth — “‘When I look around Tysons, I can’t help but notice that we have one of the biggest darned fishing poles in the state of Virginia,’ he said. ‘There’s a lot of opportunity out there. All you have to do is look out these windows and see the construction, traffic and development.'” [InsideNova]
County Grappling with Government Shutdown — “One couple that contacted [Rep. Jennifer] Wexton had to return Christmas presents. Since they work for the same federal agency and are now both furloughed, they are now worried that they will not be able to pay their mortgage or the cost of their son’s preschool.” [Fairfax Times]
Vienna Council Squabbles Over Proclamations — “The Vienna Town Council on Jan. 7 approved, if a tad irritably, approved a pair of proclamations regarding social issues beyond its usual scope of duties… Council member Carey Sienicki, while not disputing the Council’s good intentions in signing off on the proclamations, wondered if those actions weren’t a little far afield.” [InsideNova]
Hedge Fund Gunning for Gannett — Tysons-based newspaper giant Gannett is considering a takeover offer from “a hedge-fund-backed media group known for buying up struggling local papers and cutting costs.” [Wall Street Journal]
Developer Buys NADA HQ — “The Meridian Group has acquired the NADA headquarters building and an adjacent development site, adding to its growing Boro District near the Greensboro Metro station in Tysons.” [Washington Business Journal]
Police Expanding Dressing Room Filming Case — Fairfax County Police have added Fair Lakes Promenade and Springfield Town Center to the list of shopping centers where they think 39-year-old Mumtaz Rauf secretly filmed women in the dressing room of stores like Forever 21, Gap, H&M, and Old Navy. Rauf was already suspected of filming at Fair Oaks Mall and Tysons Corner Center. [FCPD]
Park Fees May Increase — “Fees for using the Fairfax County Park Authority’s RECenters, gardens, historic sites, rental facilities and trails would increase under a slate of fee changes proposed by agency officials. The fee package would bring in an estimated $656,000 more revenue, officials said.” [InsideNova]
Tysons Startup Moving to California — “Tysons personal data startup Kork… recently got a $5 million term sheet from a New York-based private equity firm for its Series A round that values the company at $15 million… But the growth has also led to another big moment — Kork plans to move to California in the coming months, according to CEO and co-founder Robert Wensley. ‘We tried really hard to raise money here in D.C. but it’s impossible unless you are cybersecurity of some sort,’ Wensley said.” [Washington Business Journal]
Tysons Startup Raises $10 Million — “McLean-based Verato Inc., which provides cloud technology to consolidate medical records, has raised $10 million in Series C financing… Verato has already outgrown its 6,000-square-foot headquarters, so it plans to move in July to another Tysons space totaling 12,000 to 14,000 square feet.” [Washington Business Journal]
Tysons Agenda is a listing of interesting events for the week ahead in the Tysons area.
We’ve scoured the web for events of note in Tysons, Vienna, Merrifield and McLean. Know of any we’ve missed? Tell us!
Tuesday, Jan. 8
Food 4 Thought: Likely Federal Policy and Budget Priorities for 2019
Temple Rodef Shalom (2100 Westmoreland St)
Time: 10-11:30 a.m.
Tim Shaw, senior policy analyst for the Bipartisan Policy Center, will host a discussion of congressional budget priorities. The event is free and open to the public.
Wednesday, Jan. 9
Inca Social Soft Opening
Inca Latin Kitchen (2670 Avenir PL)
Time: 4-9 p.m.
The new Inca Latin Kitchen in Merrifield will host a soft opening this week before a grand opening planned in early February.
Thursday, Jan. 10
Chairman’s VIP Breakfast
The Tower Club (1700 Towers Crescent Drive)
Time: 7:30-10 a.m.
The Tysons Regional Chamber of Commerce will host a breakfast with community and business leaders featuring a discussion about the future of Tysons. Admission is $45 for chamber members or $65 for non-chamber members.
Meet Brad Meltzer
Tysons Corner Center Barnes & Noble (7851 Tysons Corner Ctr)
Time: 7-9 p.m.
Author Brad Meltzer will be stopping by the Barnes & Noble for a signing of “The First Conspiracy,” a non-fiction book about a plot to kill George Washington.
Old World vs. New World Wines
Chain Bridge Cellars (1351 Chain Bridge Rd)
Time: 7-8:30 p.m.
The McLean wine store Chain Bridge Cellars will host an exploration of the difference between old and new world wines. Tickets are $30.
Friday, Jan. 11
Chesterbrook PTA Meeting
Chesterbrook PTA (1753 Kirby Rd)
Time: 9-10 a.m.
The Chesterbrook PTA will host its first meeting of 2019. The meetings are open to members of the Chesterbrook Elementary School community, including parents, guardians, teachers and staff.
Voyages Opening Reception
Torpedo Factory Artists at Mosaic (2905 District Ave)
6-9 p.m.
The Torpedo Factory Artists’ Association will host an opening reception for Voyages, the latest exhibit in the group’s Mosaic District gallery. The gallery will run through Jan. 27.
There’s plenty of acclaimed restaurants around the Tysons area, but the selection for vegetarians or vegans are a little more slim.
Chains like Cava and &pizza have vegan options and several locations across the Tysons area. Honeygrow, a stir-fry chain with vegetarian options and a vegan dish, recently opened at 8409 Leesburg Pike.
Happy Cow, a website that lists vegetarian-friendly food options, lists a handful of vegetarian-friendly restaurants in the area. Most are in Vienna or Merrifield.
So if you’re a lifelong vegetarian or someone trying out Veganuary, here’s a look at some vegetable-heavy dining options around the area.
Vienna
Amma Vegetarian Kitchen (344 Maple Ave E) — A quick service restaurant featuring South Indian cuisine like dosa, chole bhatura and uttapatham. Happy Cow notes that the restaurant uses dairy in some products, but still has vegan options.
The Pure Pasty Co (128 Church St NW) — This British pies and pastry shop in downtown Vienna is not vegetarian focused but has vegetarian hot and frozen options and frozen vegan options.
Sunflower Vegetarian Restaurant (2531 Chain Bridge Rd) — An Asian cuisine restaurant with extensive vegan options.
Merrifield
Spice 6 Modern Indian (2674 I Avenir Place) — An assembly line-style Indian restaurant that serves meat but has vegan options. The menu has several vegetarian meals and curries, and the whole wheat naan is vegan.
Lost Dog Cafe (2729 Merrilee Drive) — A restaurant with locations throughout the region that features a large selection of sandwiches. The menu marks items that are vegetarian and has vegan options for sandwiches.
Puree Juice Bar (2905 District Ave) — A juice bar with organic produce, vegan smoothies and salads.
True Food Kitchen (2910 District Ave) — The menu changes seasonally at the True Food Kitchen, a national chain of restaurants with another location in Ballston Quarter, but always includes vegan and vegetarian choices. Options include tofu bowls and cheese-less pizzas.
Jinya Ramen Bar (2911 District Ave) — A casual Japanese food and ramen chain, with a new location opening soon in Vienna. Vegan ramen options are available, with vegetable-based sides and salads.
Oath Pizza (2920 District Ave) — A pizza restaurant with vegan cheese and some vegan toppings.
Tysons
Mixing Bowl (7949 Tysons Corner Center) — A Korean tacos, wraps and bibimbap restaurant on the first floor of the Tysons Corner Center mall with vegan options.
Earl’s Kitchen (7902 Tyson’s One Place) — A restaurant near the Tysons Corner Center mall with vegan options, including sushi, salads and bowls.
New Sidewalk Officially Open — The small stretch of sidewalk along Route 7 that officially opened with a ribbon-cutting ceremony yesterday (Thursday) “is one more step in urbanizing Tysons, making it safer for pedestrians and hopefully reducing some vehicle traffic.” [WTOP]
Man May Have Filmed Dressing Rooms in Tysons — The man arrested for secretly filming a teenager in a dressing room at Fair Oaks Mall is believed to have also filmed dressing rooms at Tysons Corner Center between Dec. 15-24, according to Fairfax County Police. FCPD says some of the videos appear to show the dressing rooms at H&M and Old Navy at the Tysons mall. [WTOP, WJLA, Washington Post]
McLean Commander Wants More Cops — The McLean District police station “has 138 sworn officers, at least 11 of whom must be on patrol duty during day shifts and at least nine on midnight shifts. [Capt. Alan] Hanson said one of his top priorities will be increasing staffing. In the next four or five years, he would like to add 24 officers and four supervisors to the station’s Tysons Urban Team, which now has nine officers and two supervisors.” [InsideNova]
WUSA 9 Back on Fios — After several days of being blacked out for Verizon Fios customers as a result of a fee dispute between Verizon and Tysons-based broadcaster Tegna, local CBS affiliate WUSA 9 has returned to the Fios lineup. [Washington Business Journal]
Fresh off sidewalk improvements opening west of the Tysons Corner Center Mall, plans for bicycle and pedestrian improvements east of the mall just been approved and are moving forward towards a 2020 completion.
The new path would run along Old Meadow Road south from Route 123 through the rapidly redeveloping Tysons East to a bridge that would connect to the Tysons Corner Center mall.
The new path would offer a connection to the mall for the new residential and commercial developments proposed for the area. The project would also include a 10-foot shared-use path connected to other paths and sidewalks in the area.
“The project received design approval in December 2018,” said Abraham Lerner, associate manager of special project development with the Virginia Department of Transportation. “We are working on the final design… The main focus in the next two months is on advancing the engineering design of the pedestrian-bicycle bridge over the Beltway.”
Lerner said the final design process uses the alignments approved but with refinements and additional details to ensure the facility aligns with current standards.
According to Lerner, if the project continues as scheduled, VDOT will begin looking at right-of-way acquisition for the project starting in spring. Utility relocation is scheduled to run from November 2019 until April 2020, with construction from April to November 2020.
Images via VDOT
Four New York residents were arrested in the parking lot outside the Tysons Corner Center mall on New Year’s Day on charges related to credit card theft.
According to Fairfax County Police, the department’s “Christmas Anti-Theft Team” was working on a shoplifting case when they were notified by a loss prevention officer at the mall of possible credit card fraud.
“The Loss Prevention Officer indicated he saw a woman in this store who was recently seen using fraudulent credit cards in a Maryland store,” police said in a crime report. “Our officers began watching her while other officers made contact with the victim who lives in California. While watching the woman, other suspects were developed.”
Police arrested two men and two women were arrested outside of the mall at their car. Police allege over $10,000 in fraudulently purchased merchandise was discovered inside.
According to the crime report:
“Han Lin, 34, of New York was charged with three counts of credit card theft, two counts of credit card fraud, and identity fraud. Chaojun Shao, 34, of New York, was charged with three counts of credit card theft, two counts of credit card fraud, receiving stolen goods and identity fraud. Shousheng Wang, 33, of New York, was charged with two counts of credit card theft and credit card fraud. Xiabing Lin, 34, of New York, was charged with [conspiracy] to commit credit card fraud. Additional charges are pending.”
Photo courtesy FCPD
(Updated at 2 p.m.) Fairfax County Police arrested a man at the Bloomingdales in the Tysons Corner Center mall last Friday (Dec. 21) after officers allegedly discovered stolen merchandise concealed under his clothes.
“Officers were called to the store for a man was concealing merchandise,” FCPD said in a crime report. “Officers found numerous additional items in the man’s jacket, waistband, and backpack. Also found in his backpack were wire cutting tools and drug paraphernalia.
“Quynh Tran, 45, of Maryland, was charged with grand larceny, receiving stolen goods, and possession of burglarious tools,” the crime report continues. “Additional charges are pending.”
It was a busy couple days for FCPD in Tysons Corner Center. The day before, two women were arrested in the mall for credit card theft.
Photo via FCPD
