Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Orb for the new cultural center

Voting is underway to name the new cultural center being constructed in Rosslyn at the old site of the Newseum.  Candidate names are "Artopolis," "Artisphere," and "Orb." Including "art" in the name of the cultural center shows a lack of art. With the name Orb, you can Orbit, go Orbital, or head into the Orb. It's an orbane name for a fashionable place.

The staff of the Ode Street Tribune unanimously favors the name "Orb" (which should be "The Orb").  I hope that you do, too. Vote!


Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Bold neighborhood service celebration

In honor of Bold, the Ode Street Tribune's Neighborhood Hero of the Week, last night we organized a volunteer crew of loyal Ode Street Tribune readers to clear the snow off the steps of the pedestrian bridge over Rt. 50.  Continuing this chain reaction of neighborhood service, this morning some other community organization cleared more snow around the pedestrian bridge and added a salt/gravel mix to the stairs.  The pedestrian bridge over Rt. 50 still has packed snow on the top crossing.  But the steps are now much less hazardous to navigate.


power interruptions and outages in Rosslyn

Work is ongoing to improve the reliability of the power supply in Rosslyn.  This post will record power interruptions and outages that I've experience in Rosslyn from Dec. 2009 on.  Please add in the comments any other power outages that you've experienced.  I'll pin this post on the right side of the Ode Street Tribune's front page for easy access.

Power outages:
  • 7/8/10 -- about 6 seconds, 7:11pm
  • 6/22/10 -- less than a second, 7:55pm
  • 2/19/10 -- approx. 6 second, 7:19pm
  • 2/05/10 -- approx. 3 seconds, 2:06pm; approx 1 second, 8:05pm
  • 12/19/09 -- approx. 5 second power interruption at 3:52 pm
  • 12/21/09 -- series of 5 short (roughly 1 second or less) power interruptions at 5:11 pm
  • 3/9/10 -- about 5:30pm; long enough to reset clocks

Monday, December 21, 2009

Piola lit up for the holidays



If you're planning to get lit up during the holidays, I suggest walking to one of our fine neighborhood establishments.

Phoenix Bikes on the roll

Phoenix Bikes, a community bike shop developing bike and life skills in Arlington youth, has recorded impressive performance since it opened in 2007.  A recent Phoenix Bikes letter mentioned:
  • 150 students have participated in the Earn-a-Bike program since its inception
  • Earned revenues have increased from $18,000 in our first year to almost $50,000 in 2009
  • 55 Youth Mechanics have logged over 25 hours apiece in Phoenix activities; 15 have logged more than 100 hours apiece; and 11 have logged more than 300 hours apiece
  • We have recycled approximately 500 donated bikes back into the community
  • Almost 400 youth participated in or were directly impacted by the Phoenix Bikes activities last year including teaching other students and adults, riding with Team Phoenix, and participating in Earth Day, BikeDC, and Arlington's Community Bike Ride
Phoenix Bikes is a great educational institution.  Find out how you can help.

Sunday, December 20, 2009

call it 16 inches

Snowfall at the official Ode Street Tribune snow measurement point totaled 16 inches, up from 12 inches yesterday.  I had 18 inches on top of my car.  Rt. 50 is clear.  Local roads appear to be passable, but constricted.  Sidewalks are full of snow.  We recommend sledding.

Saturday, December 19, 2009

postal service delivers

Greg, our neighborhood's unstoppable postal carrier, made his deliveries today.  He even brought packages to individual apartment doors.  Especially for a guy working on Saturday, he definitely deserves some neighborhood appreciation.


snow falling

A major snow storm continues to bury Rosslyn.  Early this afternoon, I measured snow depths at various points around the neighborhood. Measurements varied from 9 inches (downhill on Fort Myer Dr.) to 14 inches (top of my car).

I hereby declare the official Ode Street Tribune snow measurement site to be the intersection of Ode St. and Fort Myer Dr., just in front of the Westmoreland sign (see banner above). That spot had 12 inches of snow as of 1:30pm today.

Dealing with extraordinary weather requires creative, ingenuity, and patience (it will melt).  Bold, who lives in the Nalbert Apartments across the street from Westmoreland, built a snow shovel from the materials he had at hand.  Not only that, he demonstrated the effectiveness of his shovel by clearing a path to the door of his apartment building.  I hereby declare Bold to be the Neighbor Hero of the Week.




Bold explained to me that in Mongolia it gets cold, but it doesn't snow like this. If we get snow like this a few more times this winter, I'm going to look into moving to Mongolia.

As of early this afternoon, Café Assorti, Piola, and the Rosslyn Safeway were open.  Santa Fe Café is closed.  Rt. 50 is snow-covered, but some cars are traveling on it (probably Canadians). 

Additional news: I experienced a 5 second power outage at 3:52 today.  Power spikes are tough on computers and other electronic gears.  In this neighborhood, a surge protector or an uninterruptible power supply is a good idea.

Thursday, December 17, 2009

fashion show at Rosslyn Spectrum this Friday, 2pm

Hot news just in from Caterina Fox:
The Students of the Art Institute of Washington will be putting on their winter holiday fashion show entitled “Frosty Fairytale” at the Rosslyn Spectrum on Friday, December 18, at 2pm. The show has been produced by the school’s Fashion and Retail Management Program’s Event and Fashion Show Production Class.
  
The Event and Fashion Show production class started their fall quarter session back in October. They came up with the idea of doing a holiday fashion show - but not just any regular holiday show. They wanted to produce a show that would benefit the community. So instead of going out and buying clothes for the fashion show, the students teamed up with Goodwill of Greater Washington D.C. They also organized a clothing drive at their school, which invited their peers to participate in the holiday spirit.
 
The donated clothes were used to select the runway looks. The result is a refreshing perspective on fashion – unwanted clothes are updated and combined to become relevant again. After the show, all donations will be delivered to Goodwill.

Gossip Boutique ( 566 23rd St S., Arlington) supported the show by supplying accessories to complete the runway looks. The Graham Web Academy will be in charge of hair and make-up.
 
The concept Frosty Fairytale was not only created to help produce a great show, but to create a meaningful experience. This season should be a selfless one – a season of joy, giving, and hope for the less fortunate. Frosty Fairytale explains that in this frosty holiday season we desire to fulfill someone’s dreams and make their own fairytale come alive.

Come and join AIW’s Event and Fashion Show Production Class as we give back the gift of fashion at the Rosslyn Spectrum, 1611 North Kent Street in Arlington , VA 22209.


Admission is free and clothing donations will be accepted.
This is my kind of fashion show. Unfortunately my day job will prevent me from attending this great fashion show. The Ode Street Tribune would be grateful to anyone who could step up and cover this important neighborhood event.





comment moderation turned on

Apparently spammers have cracked blogger -- I'm starting to get a lot of comment spam.  So I've turned comment moderation on.  That means you won't see your comments until I approve them.  Sorry. I'll try again with comment moderation off sometime in the future.

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

RAFOM Holiday Party biggest yet

From Stan Karson, President of our civic association RAFOM:
This past Friday evening, we sponsored the 5th Holiday Party for our lower-income residents at Wilson School. RAFOM, the County Parks and Recreation Department and the 2nd District County Police Team worked together to make the event the best and the largest we have had. At least, 125 people attended, most of them young children. We had an abundance of free food and soft drinks, but the main attraction for the younger guests was the toys, which the Police officers had received from Toys for Tots. Santa was ever present, and the kids had their pictures taken sitting on his lap which were provided them.

Many must be thanked for their effort and time to make this a wonderful experience for all. RAFOM members -- including Patricia Darneille, who helped organize the event, Bob Blakeman, Soo Lee Davis, Steve and Nicole Campbell, Ken Robinson, David Treworgy, Doug Jerger, Stuart Stein, Larry Reed, Leslie Arminski, -- all contributed mightily by obtaining the food from the neighborhood restaurants, handing out the food, setting up and cleaning up, posting the notices at the affordable housing apartments.etc. etc. We owe special thanks to six RAFOM residents who answered our pleas for help that evening: Cathy Crane and Michael Simpson from Prospect House and Jim and Diane Villars, Charles Harvey, and Meli Morcuendo from the Wooster and Mercer Condominium. Carol Hoover from the County Parks and Rec Dept. once again was enormously helpful in so many ways. The Police officers, headed by 2nd District Captain Brian Berke, brought the Santa Claus and the elves, all of whom were greeted with sustained applause form the residents attending. We appreciate very much the restaurants in our area who donated the good food for the occasion. They are Bertucci's, Cafe Assorti, Domino's in Rosslyn, Il Radicchio, Piola's, Santa Fe Cafe and Toscana Grill. Remember their generosity when you head out to patronize Arlington restaurants.

All in all, a most gratifying success story. Our best wishes to you for a very good holiday and a Happy New Year.

Stan Karson
From the RAFOM Yahoo list, reposted with permission.

Monday, December 14, 2009

authentic New Mexican food at Santa Fe Café

Santa Fe Café at 1500 Wilson Boulevard in Rosslyn is a locally owned restaurant serving reasonably priced New Mexican food in a casual, homey dining space.  I've had Santa Fe's chicken Quesadillas ($8.95, a starter that could make a light meal) and the Blue-Corn Chicken Enchiladas ($12.75).  Both are excellent.

Last week I found on the Santa Fe menu pork chops with chocolate mole.  I've had chocolate bars for dinner before, but never chocolate with pork chops.  Mole, a type of sauce, is in fact the national dish of Mexico.  Moreover, it has impressively cosmopolitan roots reaching back to Islamic cuisine that still contributes to the taste of Indian curries.  The dish came with mashed sweet potatoes and a nicely seasoned vegetable mix (onions, peppers, zucchini, squash, mushrooms).   One of the Ode Street Tribune's expert food consultants described the sauce as tasty, but the pork chops a bit dry.  I would rate the dish as worth a try, but not one of my favorites.  Maybe I've just got low-brow burrito tastes.



I like that Santa Fe Café is a business with a big heart.  The restaurant opened in 1988, and four out of five of the original employees are still working there. That says a lot about the way the business is run.  Owner Kip Laramee actively supports the Arlington Street People's Assistance Network, both with donations of food and his personal participation in neighborhood events.   This past September Santa Fe Café participated in "Farm to Table" Month, which involved preparing dishes with locally grown ingredients.  So if you need an extra excuse to walk over to Santa Fe Café and enjoy a great Mexican dinner, know that by eating there you're supporting a vibrant, caring neighborhood.

Santa Fe Café is opens at 7am on weekdays, and serves breakfast and lunch. Dinner is served Tuesday through Saturday up to 9 pm (10 pm on Friday and Saturday). The restaurant is closed on Sundays. Location: 1500 Wilson Blvd, Arlington VA 22009.  Phone: (703) 276-0361. All items are available for carry-out and can be delivered through drdelivery.com.

overturned car closes eastbound Rt 50


About 9:15pm, eastbound Rt 50 coming into Rosslyn was closed due to an overturned car under the Meade St. bridge.  I hope that everyone in the car got out safely, but it doesn't look good.  Drive carefully!

Saturday, December 12, 2009

traffic jam on Rt. 50 through Rosslyn

Here's Rt. 50, going through Rosslyn this Thursday night at 6:30pm.


Even on a cold windy night, most of these people would be happier if they were biking from work.  Go for it!

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

neighborhood discussion

An Ode Street Tribune reader suggested that the Ode Street Tribune host a neighborhood discussion space.  The comments to this post are open for any discussion about neighborhood issues.  A link to this post is permanently fixed on the right side of the main Ode Street Tribune page, under the "News You Can Use" heading.

Many opportunities are available across the Internet to discuss a wide range of issues.  Please keep posts here relevant to this geographic neighborhood.

While persons in this neighborhood purchase a variety of products and services, please do not use the comments to promote commercial products.  Notes of upcoming neighborhood events are fine.

Many adults engage in griping, axe-grinding, insulting, antagonizing, and misery-spreading.  Please make here childish posts with a spirit of play, amazement, fun, and enthusiasm.

Thursday, December 3, 2009

lights, chili, cheer



Light Up Rosslyn today signaled the start of the holiday season with the flipping of a large switch to turn on lights lining the tops of buildings in Rosslyn.  The event also culminated the collection of winter clothes for Arlington's Street People Assistance Network (A-SPAN) to serve homeless persons in Arlington.  The Metropolitan Choir, under the expert leadership of Barry Hemphill, contributed joyful renditions of holiday anthems. The Santa Fe Café, which services authentic New Mexican food right here in Rosslyn, contributed free hot chili and hot cocoa to the event. Not only that, Santa Fe Café owner Kip Laramie was there personally serving the chili.  The lights turned on to celebrate Light Up Rosslyn are energy-efficient LED bulbs. Despite some weaknesses in our neighborhood's power grid, we've received no reports of that this event impacted anyone's power supply.

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Artful Weekend this weekend at Fort CF Smith


The Arlington Artists Alliance is holding an art exhibition and sale this weekend at the beautiful Fort CF Smith park off Lorcom Lane in Arlington.  The show features 40 Arlington artists. The opening reception is this Friday, 6-8pm.  Additional exhibition hours at Saturday, 10am - 5pm and Sunday, 12noon - 4pm.  The Stardust Dance Band will play at 1pm on Saturday.  Buy holiday gifts made right here in Arlington!

Image: Andrea Schellma's painting, Down near the River. See it at the show.

Yaku restaurant closing

Yaku restaurant, which is somewhat hidden on Clarendon Blvd near Hollywood Video, will close this January. I've been meaning to review Yaku, but never got around to it. Part of Yaku problem seems to be poor location, i.e. lack of public awareness of its existence. The Ode Street Tribune apologizes for not making a small contribution to addressing Yaku's problem.

A new "rock ‘n’ roll/sushi establishment" will open at Yaku's location. We hope to have an investigative team bring you a full report once this new restaurant opens.

In other news, I had a fine lamb kabob dinner tonight at the Afghan Kabob House.