Visit Alexandria revealed new restaurants, marketing campaigns and more Friday morning at its annual ‘What’s New’ event.
Visit Alexandria, the nonprofit organization charged with promoting Alexandria locally, nationally and internationally, is starting 2020 with strong standing, having been named one of the no. 3 Best Small Cities in the United States in the annual Condé Nast's Traveler Readers' Choice Awards.
Beautiful architecture, a small-town feel, history, food, shopping and Alexandria’s walkability are among the biggest drivers for tourism in Alexandria.
The remaining 11 months of the year will bring new restaurants and retail, public art and a variety of initiatives to move Alexandria forward.
King Street Place
Alexandria officials are considering turning a portion of Lower King Street into a pedestrian-only zone. The pilot project proposed for this summer will close the last blocks of King Street to vehicular traffic on weekends. Weekday closures for one week may also be part of the pilot project. A survey by Alexandria Living Magazine showed overwhelming support among survey respondents for the pedestrian zone. (Read more here.)
Barca, Misha’s, Carlyle Diner and More
Alexandria continues to be a true destination for dining.
The City is excited to welcome several new eateries in 2020, including the following:
Construction for Barca (rendering shown) will start in late February or early March. The new project from Alexandria Restaurant Partners is set to open in summer 2020 along Alexandria’s waterfront. The space is being designed by HapstakDemetriou, the star designer of some of the area's top eateries including Rose's Luxury and Fiola Mare. The design includes two 30-foot shipping containers. It will include a full service wine bar and an outdoor seasonal restaurant. (Read more about it here.)
The cat café Mount Purrnon will be opening this spring. Mount Purrnon Cat Café started with a successful crowd-funding campaign in 2018. Visitors will be able to interact with cats who are up for adoption through a partnership with a local shelter. Plus, they can snack on cheese plates, hummus, fruit, cookies and cupcakes, while drinking coffee, tea, milk or juice. The cat café will offer free wifi and a series of special events.
Hank & Mitzi’s, the new twist on Hank’s Pasta Bar, will open in the coming weeks. The new restaurant will feature pizza and shared plates, rustic entrees and classic Italian cocktails. Executive Chef Will Artley will be at the helm. Artley's impressive resume includes helming BLT Steak in DC, Pizzeria Orso in Falls Church and Evening Star Cafe in Del Ray. He's also participated on the Food Network's "Chopped" cooking show as a finalist. The restaurant gets its name from owner Jamie Leeds' parents, Hank and Mitzi.
Other restaurants are percolating, too, including the second location of Misha’s Coffee, The Mill, and Taqueria Picoso. (Read more about several of these new restaurants here.)
New Retail: Monte Durham’s New Salon, Sephora, Fat Face
Monte Durham’s new salon will be opening in May.
“I have ‘Said Yes’ to Alexandria’s waterfront, and I’m extremely excited,” Durham quipped during the Visit Alexandria event Friday morning. The longtime Belle View resident will be opening a new salon on South Union Street at the Watermark, next to Hotel Indigo.
“I am beyond excited and maybe a tad overwhelmed with this salon deal,” he said. The small space will host three senior stylists and Monte’s private style room. It will also feature his haircare line and the coming launch of a men’s haircare line. The salon will include a few tributes to Monte’s mother, who passed away last year. “She held the ladder for me to climb to the stars,” Durham said.
In addition, Durham is filming a “sizzle reel” – the precursor to a new television pilot, and he has an inspirational book about his life in the works.
Durham will be the VIP guest and host of the fashion show at the Alexandria Wedding Showcase on April 26 at The Westin Alexandria Old Town. (Learn more and get tickets here.)
In other news:
Sephora’s new Old Town Alexandria store is hosting its grand opening today (Friday, Jan. 24).
The fully renovated George Mason Hotel will be opening in 2020, as well, bringing 144 rooms to a historic building along with a rooftop restaurant and an alley restaurant. (Learn more about the project here.)
New Experiences
Get Air Trampoline Park will be opening in the spring in Alexandria’s West End, taking the place of a former large U.S. Post Office.
The Tall Ship Providence will be opening this year, as well. The ship is a reproduction of the original Providence, the first ship authorized to serve in the Continental Navy. Once the ship opens to the public, visitors can step aboard and learn about 18th-century life on the sea, the history of the original ship and meet a John Paul Jones reenactor. Weekly sails, tours, craft brew cruises, private tours and charters will take place on the ship, bolstering entertainment offerings on the waterfront. (Trivia: The ship appeared in one of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies!)
The Office of Historic Alexandria is opening a new African-American Heritage Waterfront Trail this year, a self-guided online map with 20 stops along the Alexandria Waterfront.
In addition, the Manumission Tour Company will be launching a new tour on Alexandria and the Underground Railroad.
Wonder Woman 1984
Filmed in part at Alexandria’s shuttered Landmark Mall, the movie has a June 4 release date. (See the trailer here.) A variety of local businesses and venues are planning trivia nights, costume contests, launch parties and more. Stay tuned.
Waterfront Park: Public Art Installation
Brooklyn-based and Nigerian-born artist Olalekan Jeyifous will bring Wrought, Knit, Labors, Legacies to Alexandria in March. It is the second in the Site See: New Views in Old Town annual public art series. The art will be on display through November 2020. When Jeyifous visited Alexandria, he was most impacted by his visit to Freedom House Museum, which the City of Alexandria recently acquired and plans to expand.
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