Oktoberfest is here and numerous places around Tysons are hosting celebrations.
In Germany, celebrations began last Saturday (Sept. 21) and will run through Sunday (Oct. 6), but local businesses in the Tysons area plan to host both traditional and unorthodox events through the end of the month.
Tysons Biergarten (8346 Leesburg Pike) planned activities to celebrate the merriment all month long. This Saturday (Sept. 28), the Biergarten is hosting its Dogtoberfest from 3-7 p.m. There will be dogs from local shelters available for adoption, and beer from Flying Dog Brewery will be on tap. Check their website for events happening throughout October.
They will wrap-up the celebration on Saturday (Oct. 19) with a final event featuring live music, games, face painting and five tasing samples. Tickets are $10 and this event runs from 3-7 p.m.
City Works Eatery and Pour House
This season, City Works (1640 N. Capital One Drive) is offering a specialized menu on top of their house German-style lagers, including a house-made herb spaetzle and a chicken schnitzel. These will be available until Sunday, Oct.6.
This location is hosting an event on Monday (Oct. 14) from noon to 6 p.m. to educate the community about the similarities between beer and wine.
Audacious Aleworks Brewery and Taproom (110 E. Fairfax Street) will host an Oktoberfest celebration on Friday (Sept. 27) from 4-9 p.m., Saturday (Sept. 28) from noon to 7 p.m. and Sunday (Sept. 29) from noon to 6 p.m.
Sweetwater Tavern Merrifield (3066 Gate House Plaza) is offering customers unlimited food and two drink tickets. All age groups are welcome and tickets start at $35 for adults and $12 for children. Those who purchase tickets in advance will be entered in a raffle to win $50.
For those who do not drink or would rather take part in other fall festivities, there are other options around town including festivals and volunteer opportunities.
This free fall festival on Saturday (Oct. 5) from 1-5 p.m. will feature family-friendly events including face painting, balloons, crafts and photobooths.
This festival gives attendees the opportunity to enjoy some fall weather while listening to live music, enjoying brews from Caboose Brewing Company in Strawberry Park and shop at the local farmers market and on-site craft fair. This event is free to attend and takes place from 11 a.m to 6 p.m. on Saturday (Sept. 28).
Also, the Vienna Business Association needs volunteers to work Vienna Oktoberfest 2019. There are a variety of time-slots and shifts available including ticketing attendants, clean-up, set-up and customer service associates.
Tysons Reporter’s first birthday is next week.
To celebrate, editor Catherine Douglas Moran and reporter Ashley Hopko will be working at a different coffee shop each day next week, so come by and say hello. (There will be free swag!)
Here’s where to find the editorial team from 9 a.m.-2 p.m.:
- Monday (Sept. 30): Star Nut Gourmet (1445 Laughlin Avenue)
- Tuesday (Oct. 1): Caffe Amouri (107 Church Street NE)
- Wednesday (Oct. 2): Mom and Pop (2909 District Avenue)
- Thursday (Oct. 3): Republik Coffee Bar (7915 Jones Branch Drive)
- Friday (Oct. 4): Rare Bird Coffee Roasters (230 W. Broad Street)
In addition to the newsroom pop-ups at local coffee shops, Tysons Reporter’s editorial and business teams are hosting a happy hour party at Tysons Biergarten next Thursday evening.
Can’t make it but still want to chat with us?
Shoot an email to [email protected] or submit an anonymous tip.
Squash players in the Tysons area now have a new place to practice at.
Play Squash Academy held a grand opening earlier this month for its spot at 8455-L Tyco Road.
The Tysons location is the third one for the squash academy, which offers programs for junior and adult players in McLean and Potomac, Md.
The new facility has three internationally sized courts. The academy programs include clinics, private lessons and match play.
Photo via Play Squash Academy/Facebook
(Updated at 9:40 a.m.) Two apartment buildings are now open in The Boro development in Tysons.
The Rise and Bolden buildings in Meridian Group’s 1.7 million-square-foot development opened last weekend, according to tweets.
“The Boro offers the perfect blend of a spacious, airy, and accessible living environment with an urban, amenity-rich retail district designed to connect people to everything around them,” Tom Boylan, the senior vice president of The Meridian Group, said in a press release.
Both apartment buildings (8305 Greensboro Drive and 1660 Silver Hill Drive) started leasing in the spring.
The 32-stories-tall Rise has more than 400 apartments, while Bolden, which sits atop the upcoming Whole Foods Market, offers 133 residences.
Both Rise and Bolden include a fitness center, yoga studio, club room with entertainment kitchens, indoor bike room and pool with a lounging area. They share an elevated outdoor sky park with a theater, bar area, fire pits and lounges.
Architectural firm Shalom Baranes Associates designed both of the buildings. Rise’s interior was designed by Perkins Eastman, while the Bolden’s was done by RD Jones + Associates.
The apartments include washers, dryers, dishwashers and walk-in closets.
The least expensive apartment listed in the online brochure is a one-bedroom, one-bathroom in Bolden starting at $2,098. The most expensive one listed is a two-bedroom, 2.5 bath apartment with a den in Rise for $5,488. Some of the rents are not listed and require inquiry.
“The opening of Rise and Bolden at The Boro marks a significant milestone in the transformation of this Tysons’ community into a walkable urban place, or ‘Walk-UP,'” Boylan said.
The number of stolen tires reported in the Tysons area has now reached two dozen this year.
Tysons Reporter has been keeping an eye on where wheels have been reported stolen — dubbing the thief(s) the “Tysons Tire Bandit(s).”
The 24 reports span from Merrifield and the Vienna/Fairfax-GMU Metro station area up to Tysons, according to the Fairfax County Police Department’s daily crime recaps. (Fairfax County’s weekday police recaps are not comprehensive lists of every incident and the addresses are approximate.)
Some of the areas had multiple reports, including:
- four reports in the 1500 block of Westbranch Drive
- three reports in the 7900 block of Jones Branch Drive
- two reports in the 9400 block of Lee Hwy
- two reports in the 1500 block of Lincoln Way
A few of the incidents also include stolen rims.
The robberies have mostly occurred in the residential areas of rapidly urbanizing Tysons and Merrifield.
FCPD recaps noted between one to five stolen tire reports per month this year. The most recent incident was noted in the Monday (Sept. 23) recap.
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors is set to move forward two projects aiming to make Tysons and Vienna more walkable and bikeable.
At Tuesday’s meeting (Sept. 24), the board is slated to approve an extra $3 million for a project that will add a pedestrian and bicycle bridge over I-495, connecting the east side of Tysons to Tysons One Place.
“The project will provide for the design and construction of a 10-foot shared-use path along Old Meadow Road beginning at the intersection of Route 123 and Provincial Drive, and terminating at Tysons One Place near the intersection with Fashion Boulevard,” according to county documents.
Construction is slated to start on the project in spring 2021 and finish in spring 2022, according to the Virginia Department of Transportation.
“The project area has a mix of retail, business, and residential communities with no bicycle and pedestrian access across I-495,” the document says.
Previously, the project was fully funded, but changing right-of-way estimates and construction costs increased the costs, according to the county.
The board is also set to authorize the director of the county’s transportation department to work with VDOT on improving bike access to the Vienna/Fairfax-GMU Metro station.
The project includes:
- construction of a new shared-use path along the south side of Virginia Center Blvd
- removing the existing sidewalk on the west side of Sutton Road
- construction of a two-way cycle track and sidewalk along the south side of Country Creek Road
- adding bike wayfinding signage and shared lane markings
The work on the trails is part of the I-66 project, according to county documents.
Map via VDOT
Autumn has officially arrived today (Monday) despite it still feeling like summer with temperatures in the 80s and 90s.
While the weather doesn’t have that crisp fall feeling (yet), other signs ushering in the new season have arrived. Pumpkin spice lattes returned a month ago and Halloween-themed stores and selfie museums are popping up in the Tysons area.
To celebrate the start of a new season, Tysons Reporter wants to know what your favorite fall activity is.
Dumpster Fire Broke Out at Tysons Building — Firefighters responded reports of smoke from a dumpster fire in a Tysons building in the 1500 block of Boyd Pointe Way Sunday (Sept. 22) afternoon. The fire sprinklers were activated and the fire was extinguished. No injuries were reported. [Fairfax County Fire and Rescue]
McLean Community Garage Sale Recap — “More than 100 people stood in line to enter the Fall Community Garage Sale hosted by the McLean Community Center, where more than 50 vendors had set up shop on Saturday morning.” [Connection Newspapers]
Falls Church Group Home Wins Award — “The City of Falls Church will be presented the “Community Health” Innovation award by the Virginia Municipal League (VML) in recognition of the Miller House, a group home for adults with disabilities. The award will be presented to the City at the annual VML conference in October.” [City of Falls Chuch press release]
Tysons Tech Center Renovated — “Element Critical, a leading provider of data center and IT infrastructure services driven by customer-centric solutions and backed by engineering expertise, today announced completion of a major renovation and transformation of its 280,000 square foot Tysons Technology Center on its 14.5 acre campus near Tysons.” [Yahoo]
McLean Makes Best Places to Live List — Dranesville landed on the #14 spot on Money’s “Best Places to Live in 2019” list. [Money]
Tysons Office Sells for Millions — “Brandywine Realty Trust has sold 1900 Gallows Rd., here for $35 million. The buyer of the 210,000-square foot building is Foulger-Pratt.” [GlobeSt.com]
Tysons-Based Tegna Acquires 11 TV Stations — “Tysons-based Tegna Inc. has completed its $740 million cash acquisition of 11 television stations from Texas-based Nexstar Media Group… The 11 stations were among 19 divested by Nexstar for a total of $1.32 billion to meet federal antitrust requirements as it acquires Chicago-based Tribune Media for $7.2 billion.” [Virginia Business]
Mental Health Awareness Walk in Tysons — “More than 400 supporters came out to Tyson’s Corner on Saturday to raise funds for programs that help people cope with depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia.” [Local DVM]
Glass Still in Falls Church Recycling Bins — “With some surrounding jurisdictions ditching the one-size-fits-all mentality when it comes to recycling, the City of Falls Church is continuing to accept all kinds of items — including glass — at the curb while joining local governments in informing residents to remove other disposables from recycle bins altogether.” [Falls Church News-Press]
Falls Church Has Nearly $3 Million Surplus — “The City of Falls Church scored a whopping $2.4 million surplus over budget for the Fiscal Year 2019, which ended June 30, the City’s Director of Finance Kiran Bawa reported to the F.C. City Council at its work session Monday night.” [Falls Church News-Press]
Tysons may not have the liveliest nightlife at the moment, but that could soon change as more late-night restaurants and places to hang out open. “Tysons After Dark” will highlight a different spot every week.
Today is National Pepperoni Pizza Day and to celebrate, Tysons Reporter has rounded up eateries and pizza chains in the area serving up pepperoni pies.
New York-style pizza fans are in luck — many of the pizzerias in the area offer that type.
Here’s a list of local pizza places and mostly regional chains that serve up pepperoni pizza options:
- Crust Pizzeria Napoletana (8415 Old Courthouse Road): The locally-owned restaurant serves up Neapolitan pizzas, including a pepperoni one with tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella and fontina.
- Andy’s Pizza (2001 International Drive): Located in Tysons Galleria, Andy’s Pizza offers pepperoni pizza by the slice and whole pizza.
- Lost Dog Cafe (1690A Anderson Road): Known for its specialty sandwiches and dog-themed murals, the local cafe offers three gourmet pizzas with pepperoni — and diners also have their option to create their own.
- Paisano’s (8603 Westwood Center Drive): Diners have their choice between “Paisano’s Supreme” with pepperoni, sausage, ham, meatballs, onions, mushrooms and green peppers and “Meat Lovers ” with pepperoni, sausage, meatballs, ham and cheese. Paisano’s also offers a create-your-own option.
Some national chains in the area include:
- California Pizza Kitchen (7939 Tysons Corner Center, Suite L): The chain offers a variety of pizzas with pepperoni, like “The Works” with spicy Italian sausage, pepperoni, mushrooms, mozzarella, red onions, green peppers, olives and wild Greek oregano or the “Mushroom Pepperoni Sausage” topped with everything in its name. Diners can choose from thin cust, regular crust and gluten-free options.
- Sbarro (1961 Chain Bridge Road): Based on the “original New York slice,” Sbarro serves up a pepperoni pie and stromboli.
- Famous Famiglia (1961 Chain Bridge Road): Don’t want a whole pizza? The Famous Famiglia chain offers pepperoni pizza by the slice, in addition to whole pizzas and pepperoni strombolis.
- Papa John’s (8501 Tyco Road, Suite 1A): Diners have until midnight to decide if they want a pepperoni or meatball pepperoni pizza from the chain at its Tysons location.
- Manhattan Pizza (8365 Leesburg Pike): Located along Leesburg Pike, the pizza place sells the “Brooklyn Meat Pie” with tomato sauce, pepperoni, Italian sausage, ham and meatballs and the “Manhattan Supreme” with tomato sauce, mozzarella, pepperoni, Italian sausage, onions, green peppers and mushrooms.
- &pizza (1961 Chain Bridge Road): &pizza offers gluten-free and vegan dough options. While people can create their own pizzas, one of the popular pizzas there is the “American Honey” with spicy tomato, mozzarella, pepperoni, arugula, goat cheese, hot honey and red pepper flakes, according to the website.
- MOD Pizza (8350 Leesburg Pike): The newly opened eatery in Pike 7 Plaza offers artisan pizzas. The “Mad Dog” has mozzarella, pepperoni, mild sausage, ground beef and red sauce, while the “Tristan” has mozzarella, asiago, roasted red peppers, mushrooms and pesto.
Photo via Lost Dog Cafe/Facebook
A woman-owned consulting firm recently announced that it packed up its boxes and moved its headquarters from Arlington to Tysons.
Founded in 2004, eGlobalTech provides management consulting and IT solutions. The company was previously located at 3865 Wilson Blvd, Suite 700.
“We outgrew our previous headquarters in Arlington and chose a location closer to our key customers. The layout of the new space was designed with our employees in mind to foster collaboration and innovation,” Joe Zimmerman, the company’s chief operating officer, said in a press release.
Now, the company is located at 1900 Gallows Road in the Old Courthouse neighborhood in Tysons.
The new headquarters includes a dedicated space for a technology lab, which “serves as an incubation engine to solve client-related technical challenges by building repeatable, leading-edge solutions and capabilities,” the press release said.
We’ve moved to a new headquarters in Tysons Corner! Our new HQ allows for more collaboration and innovation as we continue to grow as a company. Learn more about our new HQ here.https://t.co/TQ8xaDKtmO pic.twitter.com/LyFrFxYbq6
— EGlobalTech, a Tetra Tech Company (@EGlobalTech_EGT) September 17, 2019
Image via Google Maps
