Alexandria Appetite: Vola’s Dockside Grill to Bring Classic Fare to Waterfront
The restaurant and bar take the place of the former Waterfront Market near the Torpedo Factory.
Saunter toward the waterfront in Old Town Alexandria and you’re sure to spy progress afoot near the Torpedo Factory. The former Waterfront Market space at 101 N. Union St., closed since last year, is being transformed into Vola’s Dockside Grill and Hi-Tide Lounge, with an aim at opening in August after months of construction.
Alexandria: 'Escape Room' Trend Continues to Grow
Darren Sonnier was traveling in Prague when he and his wife, Ginger Flesher, decided to do their first escape room together. After a few more, they were hooked.
Alexandria: Changes Coming to Victory Center
Planning approves three additions.
The Victory Center has sat empty and untouched for a decade, but after a controversy over the Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) potential move to the site, developers are working to make the complex more appealing.
Alexandria: Transit Improvements Arriving
Governor announces road and rail projects.
The Atlantic Gateway is underway. Gov. Terry McAuliffe discussed the details of the $1.4 billion plan to reform regional road and rail projects at Alexandria’s Union Station on July 8. For Northern Virginia, the program means road expansions and more express lanes, but for Alexandria a big piece of the proposed improvements could be the rebuilding of the Long Bridge parallel to the 14th Street Bridge.
Alexandria: Residents React to Revenge Killing
Police chief says July 2 murder was “street justice.”
The July 2 murder of Saquan Hall in the 1000 block of First Street comes only weeks after the murder of Pierre Clark less than a block away. At a community meeting on July 6, local residents urged the audience to come together. But many said they couldn’t escape the sense that these same pleas and plans had been spoken again and again at these meetings but the violence keeps occurring.
Alexandria: Trying To Ease the Pains of Childhood Hunger
Massive need requires massive effort.
Childhood hunger in Alexandria is just beyond the doorstep. Some of the underlying causes include lack of knowledge about the existence of the problem or the resources available to alleviate it.
Alexandria Obituary: Deborah J. (Dougherty) White
Deborah J. (Dougherty) White died on July 3, 2016, after fighting a courageous battle with cancer.
Alexandria: ‘Not a Box’ Now on Display
New installation exhibit at the Torpedo Factory.
“Not a Box” is the Art League Gallery’s first installation exhibit. All 13 pieces transform the gallery space using a range of materials and techniques.
Alexandria Letter: City Government Extravagance
Letter to the Editor
The Alexandria Bike Share program is a case of a good idea badly executed. No doubt it began when someone decided the public should be enticed to use bikes in lieu of using cars. So far, so good. But when it came time to convert concept into reality, instead of turning to the private sector, it went Venezuela. It became a government-owned venture.
Alexandria Letter: Statue: Not a Traffic Hazard
Letter to the Editor
Members of the Ad Hoc Advisory Group on Confederate Memorials and Street Names failed to ask important questions and gather necessary facts about several essential matters before voting on their recommendations to City Council.
Alexandria Letter: Selling Out The Parkway
Letter to the Editor
The intent and purpose of the George Washington Memorial Parkway (GWMP) was made clear in 1887 by Edward Fox, who, building on the idea that “every patriotic American who visits Washington makes a pious pilgrimage to the home and tomb of the Father of his Country,” suggested that “immediate steps should be taken to make a splendid drive from the Virginia terminus of the Aqueduct Bridge to Mount Vernon.”
Alexandria Letter: Here’s How Citizens Feel
Letter to the Editor
Our City Council hardly hesitates to backhandedly dismiss citizens’ thoughtful concerns about whatever deal-du-jour City Council fancies — Ramsey Homes, Woodbine, Colonial Inn, North Old Town Giant site, hardly used bicycle lanes on King Street Hill, La Bergerie, etc.
Alexandria Letter: Effects of Higher Property Taxes
Letter to the Editor
We have just paid 2016 property taxes on different apartment buildings and the tax increase alone over last year's taxes equates to about an extra $15 per month per apartment unit.
Alexandria Letter: Not Enforcing Zoning Code
Letter to the Editor
Every City Council in the history of zoning laws in this city has sought to preserve and protect the residential character of neighborhoods by implementing and enforcing a zoning code … but not the current City Council.
Alexandria: Opening Day Fire Engulfs Al’s Steakhouse
Fundraiser to be held at Holy Cow July 14.
Al’s Steakhouse, a favorite in the Del Ray community for decades, suffered extensive damage when a three-alarm fire swept through the restaurant July 6, the grand reopening day for new owners Emily Breeding and the Breeding family.
Making America Pokémon Trainers Again
Pokémon Go is a hit in Alexandria.
Across the street from Pop’s Ice Cream, on a path that runs through Oronoco Bay Park, even down the road from the VéloCity Bicycle Cooperative on Del Ray’s Mt. Vernon Avenue — these are all places that digital creatures, known as Pokémon, can appear in the new smartphone game “Pokémon Go.”
Alexandria Mentor of the Month
Lucy on her love for Courtney
My mentor-tutor Courtney McSwain has been with me for over six years. It has been such a wonderful thing. Her program commitment was only one year, but she chose to stay on this long with me anyway. What a precious angel Courtney has been to my life. She’s the best mentor-tutor anyone could ever have.
Alexandria Column: What Would Dr. King Say?
Commentary
Our nation is tragically and inextricably gripped by violence, last month in Orlando, then Minnesota and Baton Rouge, and now Dallas. All of these incidents are unthinkable and heartbreaking in their own way. Our thoughts and prayers go out to those who have suffered in all of these locations.
Alexandria: Learning about Civil War from a ‘Drill Sergeant’
Nine children — eight boys and one girl — aged 9 to 12, participated in Fort Ward’s Civil War Kid’s Drill Day on Saturday, July 9, from 9 a.m. to noon.
Celebrating Alexandria's 267th Birthday
Members of the Alexandria community gathered to celebrate the city’s 267th birthday at Oronoco Bay Park on Saturday, July 9. Spectators were able to enjoy an evening of live music along with birthday cupcakes and a variety of food vendors. The night concluded with a performance from the Alexandria Symphony Orchestra and a fireworks display.