(Updated at 10:35 a.m. 8/12/19) 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.
Be sure to take a close look at the paintings if you dine at Randy’s Prime Seafood and Steaks— one of three new restaurants by Great American Restaurants at 8051 Leesburg Pike.
The restaurant’s five paintings not only feature some well-known faces, but also have some Easter eggs and surprising twists.
One shows Michelle Obama hugging former President George W. Bush. Another features “Margaritaville” singer Jimmy Buffet strolling along the beach with billionaire Warren Buffet.
Jack Gable, the painter for all five pieces of art, is no stranger to Great American Restaurants (GAR). Diners can find his art at all but Mike’s American in Springfield and Best Buns — the second option at the Tysons spot.
An architect introduced Gable, a Maine-based gallery painter, to GAR CEO Randy Norton about 20 years ago.
“I’m willing to do different styles,” he said, adding that he’s painted everything from rowing to sports, from historical figures to cars.
While some artists stick to a particular style, Gable said that he enjoys the challenge of different techniques and methods. “The real joy is the physical act of creating the painting,” he said.
Norton said that he and his wife Patsy choose the subjects for the paintings in Randy’s, which include Patsy with her two favorite actresses — Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts. Norton said he calls that one “The Three Iconic Women.”
Norton said that the painting of Washington Capital’s Captain Alex Ovechkin “was the easiest one to pick.”
“I wanted to convey the message that we do not want the restaurant to be too serious,” Norton said, adding that the paintings are meant to add a lighthearted tone to the green mohair booths and mahogany carving at the restaurant.
The fifth painting shows Bruce Springsteen performing with Clarence Clemons. “It’s not a painting you would normally see in a ‘nice’ restaurant,” Norton said.
Meanwhile at Patsy’s — the final one in the Leesburg Pike trifecta — diners can find two murals by Gable and Christopher Cart that feature about 30 individuals in as slight caricatures in carnival scenes.
Randy’s is open from 4-9 p.m. on Sundays, 4-9 on Saturdays, 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday-Thursday and 11:30 a.m.-11 p.m. on Fridays.
New shops, restaurants and entertainment will start opening at The Boro development in Tysons this fall.
The development by The Meridian Group includes a 70,000 square-foot flagship Whole Foods set to open this fall, a 14-screen ShowPlace ICON Theatre and an onsite food hall and brewery.
The Boro recently announced that City National Bank will join The Boro’s line up.
Pick your favorite below and tell us in the comments which other ones you are ready for.
Image courtesy The Meridian Group
Fairfax County police are investigating a robbery at the T-Mobile store in downtown McLean.
The incident took place around 7:30 p.m. last night (Wednesday) at 1400 Chain Bridge Road, according to a police report.
Police said that five people stole merchandise and assaulted an employee in the store.
“The suspects are described as black, in their teens,” police said.
In a separate incident last night, police said that someone was assaulted in the 7900 block of Tysons One Place right by Tysons Corner Center shortly before 7 p.m.
More from FCPD:
While taking trash to the compactor area of a building, the victim found a man already in the room. Without warning the man began to cut the victims arm with a knife. The victim did not require medical treatment and the injuries were described as superficial.
Police are still looking for the man, who police described as “a black man with dreadlocks, in his 20s, 5’8″ and very skinny. He was last seen wearing all black clothing with holes in his jeans.”
SoulCycle and Equinox are facing a backlash and boycotts, including in Tysons, after news broke that the company’s billionaire owner is hosting a fundraiser for President Donald Trump.
Stephen Ross, the owner of the parent company for the two fitness studios, plans to host a fundraiser for Trump on Friday and “will reportedly charge attendees up to $100,000 for a photo with the president,” ABC7 reported Wednesday (Aug. 7).
Many of the 150 comments under Equinox’s Aug. 6 Facebook post for the Tysons spot expressed disappointment and anger about the support for Trump.
People wrote that they plan to boycott Equinox by canceling their memberships and working out at other fitness places, like FlyWheel.
“I have been considering an Equinox membership for a while now, but not anymore given what I’ve learned about where my money would be going,” one person wrote.
Another commented, “Quit supporting Trump! Boycott until then.”
“Why is Stephan Ross hosting a fund raiser for trump??? I do NOT>>NOT>>NOT want a portion of my dues going to fund trump! Damn I just joined your Burbank Blink Gym..with this news I will have to look for a new gym,” another person wrote.
Comedian Billy Eichner and model Chrissy Teigen took to Twitter to push for boycotting Equinox.
https://twitter.com/chrissyteigen/status/1159192308077563904?s=20
Just contacted @Equinox to cancel my membership after many years. Money talks, especially with these monsters. If it’s too inconvenient for u to trade one LUXURY GYM for another, then you should be ashamed. (No disrespect to the many wonderful employees at my local Equinox). Bye!
— billy eichner (@billyeichner) August 7, 2019
Equinox’s Tysons spot is at 8065 Leesburg Pike. SoulCycle’s only Virginia location is in Arlington.
Both Equinox and SoulCycle responded to the criticism on social media by saying that neither one endorses the political fundraising, adding that Ross is a “passive investor” who does not manage their business.
“SoulCycle has nothing to do with the event and does not support it,” SoulCycle tweeted
Equinox tweeted that “no company profits are used to fund politicians.”
A note from our CEO pic.twitter.com/UwxBWR76B0
— SoulCycle (@soulcycle) August 7, 2019
— Equinox (@Equinox) August 7, 2019
Ross has defended the fundraiser.
“I always have been an active participant in the democratic process,” Ross said to a Bloomberg reporter. “I have known Donald Trump for 40 years, and while we agree on some issues, we strongly disagree on many others and I have never been bashful about expressing my opinions.”
Photo via Equinox Tysons Corner/Facebook
Updated at 1:35 p.m. 8/9/19 — Police said that after a thorough investigation, “our detectives have concluded no criminal activity occurred.”
More from FCPD:
An ex-employee of a business within the building sent a suspicious group text message to some of his formercolleagues but there were no direct threats made. The following day, an employee in the building overheard two co-workers discussing the text message and asked another employee for additional information.
There was a language barrier and through the use of a cell phone translator program, the message was interpreted as a present threat of a man in the building with a gun. Building security relayed the information they received to our dispatch center, prompting the emergency response.
Our investigation determined that no one was actually seen with a gun and we do not have any evidence that the subject who sent the text message was at the building on Wednesday.
Earlier: Fairfax County police responded en masse to reports of a man with a weapon at Gannett headquarters in Tysons shortly after noon on Wednesday.
The police department tweeted about the incident at 7950 Jones Branch Drive, in the Valo Park office complex, at 12:25 p.m. today (Wednesday). Police vehicles swarmed the area as the building was evacuated.
Gannett, which publishes USA Today and hundreds of local newspapers across the country, this week announced a merger with fellow newspaper chain GateHouse.
USA Today reported around 1:15 p.m. that the incident resulted from “a mistaken report of a person with a weapon.” Fairfax County Police said that they “have found no evidence of any acts of violence or injuries.”
Police Chief Edwin Roessler Jr. said police received a 911 call around noon that said a former employee was spotted inside the building with a gun. Roessler said there is a person of interest being sought, but that there are no gunshots reported in the building. As of 2 p.m., Roessler said police were still searching the building floor by floor.
“Right now, we do not have any reports of gunshots being fired,” Roessler said. “This is a very large office complex, going to take several more hours to clear the building and make the determination that it’s all clear.”
A reunification center was established at the McLean Hilton (7920 Jones Branch Drive) for evacuated employees.
At a later press conference, Roessler said that police were talking to the person of interest, who was said to be a former employee of a company at the Valo Park complex. The person was located in a different part of Fairfax County and there is no evidence of a crime, Roessler said, adding that officers had “cleared every single inch of that building, from the basement to the roof to the parking garages.”
Police are still reviewing surveillance video to determine if the person of interest was actually in the building, as reported by the 911 caller.
Roessler said the large police response — which included heavily-armed SWAT officers and the Fairfax County Police helicopter overhead — was consistent with how the department would respond to an active shooter situation. The response was necessary, he said, given the initial report of an armed ex-employee.
In a press release this evening, police said that the person of interest “was identified in an unrelated area of the county and officers spoke with him, however, criminal charges are not expected.”
“The investigation is ongoing but we don’t have any evidence that a crime occurred – we’re thankful that this was a non-event,” Roessler said in the press release.
“The right decision was made today, even though it disrupted businesses,” he said. “Our prayers have been answered, everyone is safe.”
TYSONS EVACUATION SCENE @WUSA9 #breaking pic.twitter.com/qW7skv2xyj
— Mike Valerio (@ValerioCNN) August 7, 2019
Meanwhile, a scene from inside one of the stairwells at the @usatoday headquarters. (From @NewsCannon.) pic.twitter.com/4MkhttEqjv
— Brad Heath (@bradheath) August 7, 2019
https://twitter.com/trevorkchan/status/1159141416414654464?s=12
We are responding to reports of a man with weapon at the Gannett Building located at 7950 Jones Branch Drive in McLean. Please avoid the area, updates to follow #FCPD pic.twitter.com/cwz3c9wdUx
— Fairfax County Police (@FairfaxCountyPD) August 7, 2019
The anticipation is almost over for bicyclists and drivers who have been waiting for permanent lane markings along Greensboro Drive by The Boro development.
Jennifer McCord, a spokeswoman for the Virginia Department of Transportation, told Tysons Reporter that the roadwork is being completed by a developer under permit.
“The developer plans to install the pavement markings for the bicycle lane on Greensboro Drive between Westpark Drive and Solutions Drive on Thursday, Aug. 8, 2019, weather permitting,” McCord said. “The other markings should be in place by Aug. 21.”
“I’m not sure how a bike commuter, pedestrian, scooter (or an [Single Occupant Vehicle] even) is supposed to safely navigate this area,” a self-identified cyclist tweeted Aug. 1.
Please please help. Thx. I'm not sure how a bike commuter, pedestrian, scooter (or an SOV even) is supposed to safely navigate this area. pic.twitter.com/mEGhKrSO6m
— Chris French (@chrislfrench) August 1, 2019
Tysons-based Gannett is merging with fellow newspaper chain GateHouse to form what is by far the largest newspaper publisher in the country.
The merger was announced Monday and will result in a behemoth that owns 1 in every 6 newspapers in the U.S., including hundreds of local daily and weekly papers and the flagship USA Today national paper. The debt-financed, cash-and-stock deal was valued at nearly $1.4 billion.
The combined company will be called Gannett and will continue to be based in Tysons, at the Valo Park office complex, at 7950 Jones Branch Drive. Gannett signed a 12-year lease on the space in 2015.
Valo Park was sold by TV station owner TEGNA, which was split from Gannett and is now based at The Boro in Tysons.
Photo via Valo Park
What started as a small Tysons startup quickly gained attention from high-profile investment firms.
Vest originated in 2012 as an independent entity before partnering with the international investment firm C’boe. Instead of renaming the company, they integrated the two titles and became C’boe Vest (1765 Greensboro Station Place).
The company attempts to create a safer model of economic investment by offering a type of “insurance,” CEO Karan Sood told Tysons Reporter.
The company markets their products and services to financial advisors who in turn manage investments and money for single entities, like families or individuals.
“We have a unique product for the marketplace. In some sense, we compete with anyone who helps make investments,” Sood said.
C’boe Vest offers a service called “Target Outcome Investments” that sets them apart from the pack, Sood said. Their models work with financial advisors to protect their investors from the natural risk associated with the stock market.
Intellectual Rights
One of the largest struggles facing the company is a lack of security when it comes to intellectual property and legal protection. “In the investment space, it is hard to protect intellectual property through conventional methods, such as patents,” he said.
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office ruled in the past that many tactics of investment companies are not eligible for patents and the office discourages startups from applying for them, Sood said.
Investment companies are required by law under the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to disclose certain aspects of their business model that makes a patent difficult to obtain. Sood told Tysons Reporter that they don’t necessarily see this as a problem as the company tries to be transparent with clients.
“Our secret sauce, so to speak, is out in the open,” Sood said.
There are three smaller startups testing out similar models to C’boe Vest, but Sood doesn’t seem worried that they are trying to “emulate” its models since he said C’boe Vest has the experience and innovation on their side.
Keeping Local Roots
When the company first opened its Tysons headquarters in 2014, Sood said that they assumed the location would be temporary. They chose it because it was a central meeting point for employees, the co-founder was from the area and real estate was affordable, he said.
“I got the sense there was more capacity here,” he said.
Sood still said he considers the company to be in its startup stage. “We think of ourselves as a pioneer.”
Image via Google Maps
Fairfax County Public Library is trying something new this year — a county-wide, adult summer reading challenge.
In years past, various branches held individual challenges for adults, but after demand rose, the county designed a unified program, according to Mary Mulrenan, a spokesperson for FCPL.
“A small committee worked together to create a system-wide program that would provide a way for all library customers to participate,” she said.
So far, participants have turned in 1,534 logs to the library — significantly more than they originally anticipated, according to Mulrenan. “We are surveying customers and to date, 73 people have completed our survey. Out of this number, 92% have rated it excellent or very good and 95% will participate again next summer.”
Anyone interested in participating can pick up reading logs at any local FCPL branch or print them out on the website. The nearest location is the Tysons-Pimmit Regional Library (7584 Leesburg Pike).
To complete the challenge, participants must complete two reading logs, each consisting of a challenge to read or listen to four books and complete one other task, like trying out the library’s research database or following FCPL’s social media accounts.
Participants who return one log will be given goodies such as free snacks, discounts, fine forgiveness at the library or free entry to a Fairfax County recreation center.
Upon completion of a second log, participants will receive a drawstring bag and be entered into a drawing at the end of the summer for a canvas bag filled with a Barnes and Noble gift card, a journal and a portable beach blanket. Individual branches may offer additional prizes, according to the county library website.
Anyone interested in participating can still turn in reading logs until Aug. 31.
The library plans to offer more incentives next summer, due to this year’s high demand.
“It’s wonderful that we have exceeded that number and we still have time (one month) to gain more finishers. We also hope to encourage more businesses to sponsor coupons,” Mulrenan said.
Image via Fairfax County
Fairfax County police are investigating a robbery at a 7-Eleven near Tysons Corner Center.
“A man walked behind the counter [and started] taking money and merchandise,” according to a police report.
The incident took place on Friday, Aug. 2, shortly before 9 p.m. at 1931 Old Gallows Road.
“The suspect is described as a black man wearing all black clothing,” police said.
Police said that no one was injured.
Image via Google Maps
