Wolf Trap Animal Rescue is hosting its last adoption event of October tomorrow (Saturday) starting at 11 a.m.
The event will be held in the Tysons Petsmart (8204 Leesburg Pike) with 16 puppies, 15 kittens and two adult dogs.
The team will start collecting names at 7:30 a.m. Adoptions are on a first-come, first-serve basis in order of check-in, so those hoping to bring a furry friend home are encouraged to come early. Adopters must file an application online.
According to the event page, all of the pets are spayed/neutered, have their age appropriate vaccines, dewormed, and available to be taken home that day.
The next adoption event will be on Nov. 3, with a special National Adoption Weekend event planned for Nov. 10 — both also at the Petsmart.
Volunteers are also needed to help set up and manage adoption events on Saturdays between 8 a.m.-1 p.m. Volunteers must have an application on file with the organization.
https://www.facebook.com/wolftrapanimalrescue/posts/2191280291195370
Photo via Facebook
Cubicles are out. Coworking is in.
Coworking is a well-established trend in office spaces, packing a number of different companies into a single office space. It’s popular with both tiny startups — which no longer have to occupy garages and dining room tables — and large firms seeking a local presence. The advantages include flexible terms, the ability to upgrade to larger spaces as your company grows, and common area amenities.
The king of coworking, WeWork, has a location in Tysons, as does traditional real estate players Regus and Carr. But some smaller, specialized coworking spaces are scattered through the area as well.
Like we did for apartments in Tysons, we’ve put together a list of coworking spaces available in the area.
- WeWork (1775 Tysons Blvd) — prices range from $350 per month for a desk to 21-50 seat offices at $12,100 per month.
- MakeOffices (1751 Pinnacle Dr, 6th floor) — prices start at $300 per month for shared spaces to $600 or more for private offices.
- Chisel (1751 Pinnacle Dr, 10th floor) — A coworking space specifically for lawyers, prices range from $300 for a desk to $1,400 for a furnished office.
- Play, Work or Dash (8214 Old Courthouse Rd) — A coworking space that also offers childcare; prices and access to childcare facilities vary with membership levels.
- Metro Offices (1765 Greensboro Station) — A regional coworking space, prices range from $300 for a dedicated desk to $800 or more for private offices.
- Regus (2010 Corporate Ridge) — prices range from day-to-day options to longer-term plans.
- Carr Workplaces (1750 Tysons Blvd) — prices range from $35 per month for an unreserved seat in a common area to several hundred dollars or more for a reserved office.
- Office Evolution (8609 Westwood Center Dr) — prices range from $349 per month for a dedicated desk to $860 for a private office.
- Source Office Suites (1420 Spring Hill Rd) — prices are unavailable online, but information on available suites can be requested online.
- Intelligent Office (1934 Old Gallows Rd) — price quotes are available online.
Sameride, a rideshare app that connects commuters on the same route, has opened up new lines running through Tysons.
With Sameride, app users can either drive or sign up as passengers along a commuter route. Multiple passengers means free access to HOV / HOT express lanes that would otherwise be tolled. App users input their home or office zip codes and can browse commuting route options.
One line runs from Stafford and Fredericksburg to Tysons. There are commuter lot locations throughout Stafford and Fredericksburg for pickup, while any destination inside Tysons can be selected. According to Samride, riders save an estimated $230 each month on the trip compared to train or bus fares and $1,450 per month in potential tolls compared to driving solo.
The other route runs from Woodbridge to Tysons. Like the first route, there are lot locations throughout Woodbridge for pickup and any destination in Tysons can be selected. Average cost per month for train or bus fare would be $280 or $1,110 in tolled express lanes.
What does the Tysons of 2050 look like?
Tysons 2050, an event hosted by the Tysons Regional Chamber of Commerce yesterday at the Tysons Hilton (7920 Jones Branch Drive), brought technology experts across the region together to discuss how trends in cyber-security and AI will impact Tysons.
Rodney Lusk, director of National Marketing for Fairfax County Economic Development Authority, says the County expects 200,000 jobs in the Tysons area and 100,000 residents by 2050.
This growth will continue to spur development, which is well underway in various corners of Tysons. The View, a 3 million-square-foot mixed-use building planned for Tysons, is planned to be 600 feet tall, dwarfing the 470-foot Capital One Tower that currently claims the title of tallest in the region.
As Tysons moves forward, Lusk says there are certain elements beyond just office space and retail needed to make the area more than just a commuter hub. For instance, Lusk said, Tysons will need to have at least two performing arts centers in the area and a research university.
Paul McNeal, the co-founder of CryptoMarket360, said the future Tysons will look like something out of science-fiction.
“If you’ve seen Minority Report or Demolition Man,” said McNeal, “that’s where Tysons is headed in 2050.”
McNeal envisions technology driving Tysons towards a “frictionless society” with interactive ads based on user data and self-driving cars.
But as Tysons moves into the future, one of the main discussions centered on how new technology will also present challenges and opportunities for Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS).
“The student to teacher ratio is going to be 200 to one,” said George Strawn, former National Science Foundation CIO. “But that’s carbon-based teachers. Everyone will have their own silicon tutor.”
Not everyone who spoke saw the future so starkly different as today.
Tarun Upaday, founder of Gallop.ai, said that the artificial intelligence in classrooms will be used more to complement the teachers rather than replace them. Upaday pointed to the current status of chess championships, where the top teams are not brilliant chess players or supercomputers, but fusions of the two that beat solely computers or solely human teams every time.
Upaday also said the work of Pindar Van Arman, whose machine artists were recently on display at Tysons Corner Center, represented what man and machine can accomplish working in harmony.
Falls Church-based education specialist Tosin Adetoro said artificial intelligence can also be used to support student populations that often fall through the cracks of the education system. In particular, Adetoro said personalized AIs have been found to be very helpful for students on the autism spectrum.
Jay Garant, director of Business and Community Partnerships at FCPS, emphasized that as valuable an asset as AI will be, it can’t replace teachers. As students begin to spend more and more of their lives staring at their phone screens, Garant said schools will be critical in teaching empathy.
“When kids begin to fail, they are more likely to [positively interact] with a human than anything else,” said Garant. “That won’t go away.”
Get the fresh fruit and veggies while you can, because several local farmers markets will be closing for the season next month.
In and around Tysons, there are at least four weekly farmers markets to choose from:
- Tysons Farmers Market (last day: Sunday, Nov. 18)
- McLean Farmers Market (last day: Friday, Nov. 16)
- Vienna Farmers Market (last day: Saturday, Nov. 3)
- Mosaic Central Farmers Market (year round)
The Tysons Farmers Market is held Sundays from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. at the National Automobile Dealers Association parking lot (8400 Westpark Dr). Organized by Community Foodworks, the market features a variety of vendors offering everything from empanadas to coffee to fresh produce.
Like the Tysons market, the McLean Farmers Market starts up for the season in May and closes in mid-November. There are four market days left for the popular McLean bazaar of locally-produced food, which is held every Friday from 8 a.m.-noon in Lewinsville Park (1659 Chain Bridge Rd).
In addition to a variety of vendors, the Master Gardener Plant Clinic sets up at the McLean market to help locals learn more about the vegetation of their yards.
The Vienna Farmers Market, meanwhile, will not be open this weekend, according to its website. There’s only one market day remaining before the Vienna market closes for the season: Saturday, Nov. 3, from 8 a.m.-noon.
For those in the area who need to get their farmers market fix year round, the Mosaic District hosts a weekly farmers market on Sundays that runs through the winter. Mosaic Central Farmers Market is held at 2910 District Ave from 9:30 a.m.-2 p.m. — that is, until the end of December.
From January to March, the market shifts to a winter market, with modified hours and 40 vendors instead of the usual 55, according to its website.
Photo via Facebook
There is no shortage of places to eat in Tysons, though sometimes it can be hard to pick a lunch option or figure out a good meeting spot for a sit-down dinner.
We scoured the dozens of restaurants in the immediate Tysons area on Yelp and picked out the highest-rated options.
Included are everything from fast casual eateries to high-end steak and seafood restaurants. Many, as one would imagine given the local landscape, are located in malls, office buildings and single-story shopping plazas.
The top 15 restaurants are below, with the best-reviewed options at the top.
- Blessing Cafe (8618 Westwood Center Dr) — 5 stars — “While working basically next door this was the close place to grab a quick lunch and it certainly did not disappoint. I had the chicken teriyaki one day and then the beef bulgogi another day. Both were great.”
- Lei’d Poke (8032 Leesburg Pike) — 4.5 stars — “Lei’d Poke is a solid spot to get your raw fish fix. If you didn’t know, this joint is run by the same owners of Chasin’ Tails, Teas’n You, and Roll Play… Here, I’d recommend getting Matcha Edamame Rice with Sweet Maui Onion Salmon and Class Shoyu Tuna.”
- Banban Fusion Eatery (8251 Greensboro Dr) — 4.5 stars — “The restaurant… is a small office cafe-optimized for people to grab their lunch and go. They have several menu items such as sandwiches, bibimbap, and hibachi bowls.”
- Roll Play Grill (8150 Leesburg Pike) — 4.5 stars — “This is the real deal place for pho and Banh Mi sandwiches… go directly to the flat screen and place your order.”
- American Prime (1420 Spring Hill Road) — 4.5 stars — “Skip over everything else on the menu and order the house-smoked prime rib with sides of bone marrow mashed potatoes and bacon creamed corn.”
- Charlotte Artisanal (Tysons Corner Center, 1961 Chain Bridge Rd) — 4.5 stars — “This crepe stand is located inside Tysons Corner mall in front of [the] Gap store… I ended up getting banana Nutella crepe and it was TERRIFIC!”
- Super Chicken (8357 Leesburg Pike) — 4 stars — “You know those rotisserie chickens you get from grocery stores? What if they were really really good? What if they were really cheap and came with sides (two sides per order) like chickpeas, veggies, fried rice, fried plantains, French fries, etc.? Well that just about describes the chicken at this place.”
- Coastal Flats (7860 Tysons Corner Center) – 4 stars — “Forget your usual mediocre, overpriced mall restaurants, this place is legit worth checking out. The have a pretty extensive menu so there’s something for everyone. Be sure and get the Ozzie rolls.”
- Eddie V’s Prime Seafood (7900 Tysons One Pl) — 4 stars — “Eddie V’s provides a tasteful atmosphere which combined with the live music and nice views, makes for a nice dining establishment. Beyond that, however, my experiences here have had a tendency to be inconsistent.”
- Crust Pizzeria Napoletana (8415 Old Courthouse Rd) — 4 stars — “Great, authentic Naples pizza – finally! – in Tysons/Vienna… Decent selection of drinks, good side dishes, slightly grumpy guys in charge – so just like Naples!”
- Nostos (8100 Boone Blvd) — 4 stars — A favorite of Washington Post food critic Tom Sietsema, who wrote: “My favorite place to eat in Tysons continues to be Nostos, home to a Greek menu and charming service.”
- Paddy Barry’s Irish Pub and Restaurant (8150 Leesburg Pike) — 4 stars — “Great spot for a Guinness and if you are looking for a quiet place for a business lunch, this is the place to go… It’s a rather large Irish bar with a good Irish draft beer selection and a good menu. Two in my group left no crumbs in their large Shepard’s pie and the fish and chips was a hit too.”
- The Capital Grille (1861 International Dr) — 4 stars — “I think this is possibly even better than Morton’s and Ruth’s Chris, certainly less stuffy although around the same price points and comfortable but very upscale ambiance. A great experience all around from excellent service to amazing food.”
- CAVA (8048 Tysons Corner Ctr) — 4 stars — “Cava bowls have a special place in my heart! They are nutritious and packed with flavor. It’s good to have an option of fast food that you don’t have to feel guilty about.”
- Thai’s Corner (8607 Westwood Center Dr) — 4 stars — “Probably the best Thai restaurant I have ever been to. Food is definitely good and the service is excellent… My favorite: Pad Thai, Drunken Noodles, Spring Rolls, Basil Chicken Fried Rice. Basically everything is good.”
Want to go out at night after your meal? Nightlife in Tysons leaves something to be desired, but there are several popular options to choose from.
And in case you’re wondering about the lowest-rated restaurant in Tysons with at least 5 reviews on Yelp — it’s the McDonald’s in Tysons Corner Center mall, at No. 207 on the list.
Photo via Instagram/Lei’d Poke
(Updated 12:20 p.m.) Tysons Corner Center’s ice skating rink will not be making a return to the mall this year.
“We are not having the ice rink this year,” said an employee in the mall’s management office. “I don’t know if there will be one somewhere else, but it will not be on mall property.”
A call to the rink’s phone number reaches a voicemail box thanking guests for a successful 2017-2018 season and saying the rink would return in November, which is no longer the case, we’re told.
The rink has been an annual winter activity at the mall for the fast few years, after its debut in 2015. It was even the site of a marriage proposal in 2016.
Becca Willcox, events and communications manager for Tysons Corner Center, confirmed that the rink would not be returning. Willcox said unpredictable weather and wind made it difficult to keep the rink open for a full season.
If you’re looking for other ice skating rinks in the area though, Tysons Reporter has you covered.
Photo via Facebook
Auditing giant KPMG LLP will be bringing $30 million dollars and 500 new jobs in a sweeping expansion of its Tysons operations.
KPMG will be moving into seven floors of Boro Tower, part of a massive mixed-use development near the Greensboro Metro station, Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam (D) announced Wednesday morning.
The building, expected to open in early 2019, is a block away from the offices that KPMG currently occupies at 1676 International Drive. That building, in turn, is also set for a substantial renovation.
A $1 million grant from the Commonwealth’s Opportunity Fund was approved by Northam as an economic incentive to facilitate the move. Virginia also offered a slew of other incentives, including a Major Business Facility Job Tax Credit for the new full-time jobs coming with the expansion and employee retraining activities provided by the Virginia Jobs Investment Program.
“We’re committed to Fairfax County and are excited about the growth that we’re seeing here in world-class innovation and leading-edge technology — two areas that align with our own core services and strategic approach,” said Jerry Carlson, a KPMG managing partner, in a press release.
The expansion was also facilitated with local help from the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority (FCEDA) and the Virginia Economic Development Partnership.
“KPMG has been a major employer and corporate citizen in Fairfax County for years, and we are delighted to see that the company has chosen the county as a base to expand its audit, tax and advisory business significantly,” said Gerald Gordon, president and CEO of the FCEDA, in a press release. “This coincides with the continued growth and diversification of the county economy and the increasing realization that this is a great draw for the workforce the company wants to attract and retain.”
“This illustrates our strength in the professional services sector that creates so many jobs here, and is a great vote of confidence in the kind of business community that we promote here,” a FCEDA spokesman added.
When Tysons Reporter posted polls on Facebook and on our website last week asking whether Tysons was a fun place to go out at night, the answers were… not great for the area.
Only 6.5 percent of responders at the website said Tysons has an active nightlife, though 56.2 percent said it’s starting to get better. While the “getting better” number is encouraging, the overwhelming lack of satisfaction is a sign that Tysons still has some rough spots to work out as it tries to morph into “America’s Next Great City.”
A notable bright spot, according to several Facebook commenters said, was the Tysons Biergarten.
Commenters described the Biergarten as the kind of casual and affordable late-night activities the area needed more of, so we reached out to Biergarten owner Matt Rofougaran to get his thoughts on the current state of local nightlife and how to make it better.
Rofougaran was a managing partner with Washington, D.C. nightlife hotspots like Ultrabar for years and was eager to move that scene to where he grew up: Tysons. But when the Biergarten started two and a half years ago, Rofougaran said there local nightlife scene was scarce.
“There was none,” said Rofougaran. “You had no real place for nightlife unless you wanted to sit in a bar or restaurant, and that’s not everyone’s scene.”
Rofougaran said the late-night locales in the area catered to specific interests, like the now-closed international hookah bar Babalu and Iris Lounge, which catered to an older, wealthier crowd.
“The difference with Tysons Biergarten was we were aiming for all ages,” said Rofougaran. “You can be 21 or you can be 65. That was our main aim and focus.”
Fast forward to today and Rofougaran says the nightlife scene has hardly improved. Tysons Biergarten and the nearby Greenhouse Bistro are two of the only thriving late-night spots in Tysons, but Rofougaran said their popularity is mainly because they’re one of the few options available, not an indicator of market interest for late-night activities.
“A lot of people leave here,” said Rofougaran. “They’re done with their job at 6:30 or 7 p.m. and they go home. They don’t come back. If they want to go out, they go to Arlington. If we had ten places here open late night, all of them would sink. They would all be empty. There isn’t that crowd of people that want to go out at night in Tysons.”
Andrew Taherzadeh, digital communications manager for Fairfax County Economic Development Authority, reiterated that Greenhouse is a popular hub of activity on Friday or Saturday evenings, but that aside he admitted that local late-night entertainment is sparse.
“Currently nightlife in Tysons is minimal,” said Taherzadeh. “That should change in the upcoming years with new development.”
New late-night options are coming in with developments like The Boro, which will also bring with it more housing — crucial for making Tysons a more vibrant place at night and not just a daytime destination for workers. But Rofougaran says nightlife in Tysons faces an uphill battle against the more entrenched establishments in Arlington and the more lax alcohol laws in Washington, D.C.
“In D.C., you can be open until 3 a.m.,” Rofougaran said. “Here, we do last-call at 1:30 a.m. and our doors are locked and closed by 2 a.m.”
But like Taherzadeh and 56.2 percent of Tysons Reporter’s readership, Rofougaran said it’s going to get better.
“Tysons is heading that way, it’s just not there yet,” said Rofougaran. “In another five years, it’ll be a different story. It just takes time.”
Photo via Facebook
The Tysons Regional Chamber of Commerce’s Tysons 2050 event tomorrow (Wednesday) will take a look at the challenges and opportunities that come with the title “America’s Next Great City.”
The second annual event, held at the at the Hilton McLean Tysons Corner (7920 Jones Branch Drive), features discussions of emerging social and technological trends with a focus on how they will affect Tysons over the next 30 years.
The opening keynote speakers are Daniel Hoffman, a former station chief with the CIA, and Rodney Lusk, coordinator of the national marketing team for the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority.
The event will run from 4-8 p.m. Panels are scheduled to cover issues like cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, and education, with speakers from both national and local organizations. In addition to panels, an expo will be taking place throughout the event, allowing attendees to try out the futuristic technology.
Registration for Tysons 2050 is $50 for Chamber members and $75 for non-members. Pre-registration for the event closed last night, but on-site registration is available at an additional $10 fee.
Photo via Facebook
