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Vol. 16, Issue 5 September/October 2026
CONTENTS ■ FEATURES EDUCATION
52
Cheating With AI
Is technology tempting more high schoolers to take the easy path to an A?
60
Lessons Learned
Beloved teachers reflect on all that they’ve learned from students, on the job and in life.
68
College Bound
Which colleges and universities were most popular among this year’s high school graduates? See where the Class of 2026 applied and where they were accepted. HOME
84
Serenity Now
ON THE COVER: Illustration by Chris Whetzel
8 September/October 2026 ■ ArlingtonMagazine.com
LAURA METZLER
A 1950s Arlington rambler is transformed into a Scandinavian-inspired jewel box.
Conference call. Mammogram. Soccer practice.
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Vol. 16, Issue 5 September/October 2026
CONTENTS 126 132
108
■ DEPARTMENTS Letter from the Publisher
14
Contributors
16
Around Town
Autumn is just around the corner with fall festivals, farm weekends, 5K races and plenty of spooky Halloweenery.
24
Photo Gallery
Scenes from this year’s Best of Arlington bash at Mercedes-Benz of Arlington.
26
Big Picture
All hail these local Olympians!
28
Familiar Faces
If you’re looking to charter a private jet, he’s your guy.
32
My Life
Raising kids in an interfaith household.
103 Great Spaces Outdoor entertaining never looked so good.
104 Prime Numbers
126 Driving Range
The area’s most expensive home sales. Plus, the latest residential real-estate trends by ZIP code in Arlington, McLean and Falls Church.
Immerse yourself in fall foliage and small-town hospitality in a revitalized Appalachian hamlet.
108 Restaurant Review If you’re craving bistro-style cuisine with art on the side, McLean has a café for that.
112 Home Plate Time-tested tacos, Asian street food and one-stop shopping for your DIY Oktoberfest.
114 Places to Eat Consult our dining guide for bitesize write-ups on more than 250 area restaurants and bars.
10 September/October 2026 ■ ArlingtonMagazine.com
132 Get Away Who says beach season is over? It’s always sunny on the French Riviera.
136 Back Story Recalling the satanic panic surrounding a popular role-playing game in the 1980s.
SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTIONS 35
Women in Business
78
Private Schools
89
Home Experts
DEB LINDSEY (TART); COURTESY OF LEWIS FARM; OLIVIER HUITEL (HÔTEL LE NEGRESCO)
12
M A X M A R A / L A FAY E T T E 1 4 8 / R A L P H L A U R E N
M A X M A R A / L A FAY E T T E 1 4 8 / R A L P H L A U R E N
M A X M A R A / L A FAY E T T E 1 4 8 / R A L P H L A U R E N
AU T U M N. E M B O L D E N E D.
TYSONSGALLERIA.COM
letter from the publisher
Easy A? WHEN I THINK ABOUT cheating in school, I am immediately brought back to the scene in Animal House in which Bluto and D-Day, members of the Delta Tau Chi fraternity, are searching through a dumpster for a copy of the soon-to-be-administered psych exam. A triumphant Bluto pops out of the piles of papers with the exam in his hand. What they don’t realize is they’ve walked right into a trap. Their rival fraternity, the arrogant and entitled Omegas, placed a copy of the exam with the incorrect answers in the trash. Damn those Omegas! The age-old tradition of cheating in school has come a long way since Animal House landed in movie theaters in 1978. Late-night dumpster diving and passing notes back and forth during tests seems so quaint today. My fraternity had a unique and organized approach to gaining an advantage. We had an officer who was responsible for maintaining an archive of “scoop”—code for tests and quizzes from prior years. Some of our professors administered the same tests year after year, so my fraternity brothers collected and organized these documents into a library of sorts. Taking the Psych 101 midterm next week? Go get the scoop (last year’s exam) and memorize it. Today’s students are armed with a new, revolutionary tool—AI. In our cover story, writer Gabe Hiatt explores how local high school students are leveraging it. They use AI in productive ways, like creating study guides. They use it in starkly unethical ways, like blatant cheating on tests. There are gray areas, like relying on AI to polish presentations and papers. Some students shared that if they don’t use AI to cheat, or at least cut corners, they are at a disadvantage relative to their peers. We live in a competitive area and everyone else is doing it, right? Hiatt also interviews educators and administrators about the fast-changing landscape of AI policy,
12 September/October 2026 ■ ArlingtonMagazine.com
what they’re seeing from students and how they try to sniff out when AI is being misused and abused. Speaking of educators, this issue also includes our annual “Lessons Learned” feature. Tamara Lytle interviews six accomplished teachers and administrators who share some of the wisdom they’ve gained after many years of service to our schools and our children. Their insights are revealing, humorous and, at times, poignant. Shifting to another school-related topic, I laughed when I read Kim O’Connell’s Back Story column. In the 1970s and 1980s, nerds everywhere (including me; I was a closet dork in the sixth grade) were enjoying the role-playing fantasy game Dungeons and Dragons (D&D), which features a host of demons, dragons, the undead and other unsavory monsters. Parents across the nation freaked out and believed the game was leading to nefarious behaviors. APS decided to formally ban it in the schools. Every generation thinks the next generation is up to no good. I hope you find our September/October Education issue useful and enlightening. If you’re not already a subscriber, please join us today by visiting Arlington Magazine.com and clicking on the bright orange rectangle that says “subscribe” at the top. Not ready to plunk down $19.95 for one year of terrific local journalism? Give us a test drive by signing up for our free email newsletter at arlingtonmagazine.com/email. As always, we love hearing from you. Feel free to reach out to me at greg.hamilton@arlingtonmagazine.com. Have a great fall!
Greg Hamilton Publisher & Owner
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■
contributors
PUBLISHER & OWNER
Greg Hamilton EDITOR
Jenny Sullivan ART DIRECTOR
Laura Goode PRODUCTION MANAGER
Danny Ryan DIGITAL EDITORS
Stephanie Kanowitz, Helen Partridge WEB PRODUCER
Erin Roby DINING CRITIC
Warren Rojas COPY EDITORS
Braulio Agnese, Barbara Ruben
Chris Whetzel
Jennifer Barger
CO-FOUNDER
LIVES IN: Gloucester County, N.J., outside
LIVES IN: “Adams Morgan in D.C., but I’m
of Philadelphia
originally from Texas and lived in both Arlington and Falls Church.”
WRITERS
on academic cheating in the age of AI EDUCATION: University of the Arts in Philly
(now closed) FAVORITE TEACHER: “My high school art teacher was super supportive and let me work way outside the scope of any class assignment.” AS SEEN IN: Whetzel’s illustrations have appeared in the LA Times, ESPN Magazine, Food Network, Men’s Health, Rolling Stone, GQ, Sports Illustrated, Major League Baseball, and numerous city and regional magazines. CURRENTLY WORKING ON: “An ongoing, fun personal project, making up ridiculous hand-drawn Pokémon cards with my kid.”
IN THIS ISSUE: Writes about the
transformation of a typical Arlington rambler into a Scandinavian-inspired jewel box EDUCATION: “I went to Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas (go Tigers!), where I studied journalism and English and was on the school paper.” FAVORITE TEACHERS: “It’s corny, but
I took my own professor father’s polisci and literature class in college. It emphasized how much both he and my mom (an English teacher) taught me about reading, writing and curiosity.” CURRENT PROJECTS: “I do a travel and
language, maybe French.”
design newsletter called The Souvenirist on Substack. I’m also writing a book about the history of souvenirs and where to travel to buy great crafts or antiques.”
FELINE FACT: “All cats that I meet
ALWAYS WANTED TO LEARN: “How to
ALWAYS WANTED TO LEARN: “A foreign
immediately adore me.” OFF THE CLOCK: “I like to hang out at the
library and in used books stores in South Philly, such as Mostly Books.” ONLINE: chriswhetzel.com
upholster a chair or speak Spanish” SCALING UP: “I was previously editor-inchief of a fashion magazine published by The Washington Post. Our most memorable photo shoot involved putting watches on a live snake.” ONLINE: jennbarger.com, @dcjnell
Get our email newsletter. Sign up at arlingtonmagazine.com/email 14 September/October 2026 ■ ArlingtonMagazine.com
Susan Anspach, Jennifer Barger, Tim Ebner, Gabe Hiatt, Tamara Lytle, Kim O’Connell, Jason Schlosberg PHOTOGRAPHERS & ILLUSTRATORS
Skip Brown, Epic Branding, Stacy Zarin Goldberg, Lisa Helfert, Tony J. Lewis, Deb Lindsey, Rey Lopez, Laura Metzler, Donna Owens, Gary Rubin, Alex Sakes, Jason Schlosberg, Hilary Schwab, Michael Ventura, Chris Whetzel, Stephanie Williams
ADVERTISING ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES
Traci Ball, Kristin Murphy, Lori Reale FINANCE & CIRCULATION MANAGER
Julie Rosenbaum
ARLINGTON MAGAZINE is published six times a year by Greenbrier Media LLC © 2026 Subscription price: $19.95 To subscribe, visit arlingtonmagazine.com. For advertising information: Call 703-534-0519 or visit arlingtonmagazine.com. Letters to the Editor: We want to hear from you. Please email jenny.sullivan@arlingtonmagazine.com. How to contact us: Editorial: editorial@arlingtonmagazine.com Subscriptions and Customer Service: customerservice@arlingtonmagazine.com Advertising: advertising@arlingtonmagazine.com Website: website@arlingtonmagazine.com Arlington Magazine/ArlingtonMagazine.com P.O. Box 5510, Arlington, VA 22205 Phone: 703-534-0519
ILLUSTRATION BY CHRIS WHETZEL; COURTESY OF JENNIFER BARGER
IN THIS ISSUE: Illustrated our cover story
Steve Hull
The Best of Both in Senior Living City culture meets small-town charm. Williamsburg Landing combines the intellectual energy of a university town with the amenities of a premier senior living destination. America’s history, culture, and connection paired with a maintenance-free lifestyle and a full continuum of healthcare. Our Life Plan Community Features: Neighbors of Colonial Williamsburg, William & Mary, golf courses, and more A 153-acre wooded campus with eight distinct neighborhoods Community Center with a theater, art studios, bistro, and bar 25,000 sq. ft. Health Club & Spa Pickleball, bocce, outdoor/indoor pools, and walking trails Multiple dining venues with chef-prepared meals Come see for yourself! Call (757) 565-6505 to schedule a tour or visit williamsburglanding.org/Arlington
5700 Williamsburg Landing Drive I
Williamsburg, VA 23185
AROUND TOWN by Stephanie Kanowitz
PERFORMING ARTS SEPT. 5-20
Bonnie & Clyde The Arlington Players Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow go from being nobodies in West Texas to national folk heroes—and America’s most wanted criminals. Tickets are $33 for adults, $28 for seniors and military, and $23 for children. 125 S. Old Glebe Road, thearlingtonplayers.org SEPT. 8-20
Something Wonderful: Broadway’s Leading Ladies Signature Theatre Actress Tracy Lynn Olivera pays homage, through song, to Broadway greats including Ethel Merman and Julie Andrews. Tickets begin at $61. 4200 Campbell Ave., Arlington, sigtheatre.org SEPT. 26-OCT. 2
Hansel & Gretel Encore Stage & Studio Two kids outsmart a wicked witch after stumbling upon her gingerbread house in this Grimm’s fairytale classic. 125 S. Old Glebe Road, Arlington, encorestage.org OCT. 8-25
Betrayal
OCT. 2, 7:30 P.M.
Ballet Hispánico New York Alden Theatre Celebrate Latino cultures with the nation’s premier Hispanic and Latin dance company. Tickets are $25-$35. 1234 Ingleside Ave., McLean, mcleancenter.org
16 September/October 2026 ■ ArlingtonMagazine.com
1st Stage Married couple Emma and Robert have a history with Jerry. He’s Emma’s former lover and Robert’s best friend. As their marriage unravels, the relationships spiral. Tickets begin at $15. 1524 Spring Hill Road, Tysons, 1ststage.org OCT. 9-10, 7 P.M. & 9:30 P.M.
Mary Lynn Rajskub Arlington Cinema & Drafthouse Best known for playing Chloe O’Brien in 24
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■ around town
JAZZ IT UP SEPT. 12, 1-7 P.M.
OCT. 13, 7 P.M.
Treasure Island Reimagined: Jane Hawkins and the Pirate’s Gold Alden Theatre In this adaptation of the Robert Louis Stevenson classic, 12-year-old Jane leaves her humdrum life in 1754 England to embark on an action-packed adventure. Three performers provide character voices and sound effects as 1,200 projected illustrations on panels help tell the story. Best for ages 8 and older. Tickets are $25-$35. 1234 Ingleside Ave., McLean, mcleancenter.org OCT. 20-DEC. 20
All the World’s a Stage Signature Theatre A closeted math teacher at a small-town high school mentors a student for a theater competition. The experience reveals the depth of the town’s intolerance—and the difference a teacher can make. Tickets begin at $47. 4200 Campbell Ave., Arlington, sigtheatre.org OCT. 23, 7:30 P.M.
David Cross
Birchmere Music Hall A recognizable face from Arrested Develop-
Rosslyn Jazz Fest Rosslyn BID Bring a lawn chair or picnic blanket and enjoy an all-day party with live jazz, funk and soul at Gateway Park. This year’s lineup includes the Grammy-nominated Afro-Caribbean band Plena Libre. Free. 1300 Lee Highway, Arlington, rosslynva.org
ment, Modern Family and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Cross is also known for his hilarious standup comedy routines. Tickets start at $63. 3701 Mount Vernon Ave., Alexandria, birchmere.com
MUSIC SEPT. 1-2, 7:30 P.M.
James Taylor
Filene Center at Wolf Trap The legendary artist has been writing hits since 1968. How sweet it is to welcome his fifth appearance at Wolf Trap. Tickets begin at $71. 1551 Trap Road, Vienna, wolftrap.org SEPT. 5, 7:30 P.M.
Blackberry Smoke: 25th Anniversary Tour Capital One Hall The Southern rock band takes listeners on a years-long journey through its song-making history, blending elements of country, blues, soul and Americana. Tickets begin at $54. 7750 Capital One Tower Road, Tysons, capitalonehall.com
18 September/October 2026 ■ ArlingtonMagazine.com
SEPT. 5, 8 P.M.
Feeling 22: Tribute to Taylor Swift State Theatre Swifties, get ready to belt out your favorite hits from every era along with this highenergy cover band. Friendship bracelets optional. Tickets are $20.50 in advance or $25.50 at the door. 220 N. Washington St., Falls Church, thestatetheatre.com SEPT. 20, 7:30 P.M.
Rufus Wainwright Birchmere Music Hall Join the prolific singer-songwriter for an unpredictable evening of baroque pop, indie ballads and classical music from his 11 studio albums. Tickets start at $136. 3701 Mount Vernon Ave., Alexandria, birchmere.com OCT. 8, 7:30 P.M.
Laura Veirs with Karl Blau Jammin’ Java Veirs, a vocalist who plays guitar, bass and percussion, will share songs from her latest self-produced album. Tickets are $27. 227 Maple Ave., E., Vienna, unionstagepresents.com
ALEX SAKES
and Gail the Snail in It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Rajskub brings the giggles to four shows over two nights. Tickets begin at $20. 2903 Columbia Pike, Arlington, arlingtondrafthouse.com
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■ around town
xxxxx
ART IMMERSION SEPT. 19-20, 11 A.M.-5 P.M.
Celebration of the Arts
Toad the Wet Sprocket’s Rings: The Acoustic Tour Capital One Hall Odd name aside, the alt-rock band is known for ’90s hits such as Walk on the Ocean and All I Want. Tickets begin at $54. 7750 Capital One Tower Road, Tysons, capitalonehall.com OCT. 30, 7:30 P.M.
Art Garfunkel Capital One Hall The angel-voiced tenor whose folk catalog (with Paul Simon) includes legendary hits such as Bridge Over Troubled Water and The Sound of Silence takes the stage with his band for one night only. Tickets start at $101. 7750 Capital One Tower Road, Tysons, capitalonehall.com
ART SEPT. 1-13
Rude Screen Museum of Contemporary Art Arlington The artistic duo known as Crassis (Andy Davis and Anne Lukins) uses sculpture,
video and installation to explore themes of longing, seduction, evasion and capture. Free. 3550 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, mocaarlington.org SEPT. 5
Columbia Pike Mural Celebration Goodwill on the Pike Celebrate the county’s most diverse corridor with the unveiling of a new mural by Baltimore-based artist Rowan Bathurst. 4714 Columbia Pike, Arlington, columbiapike.org SEPT. 15-OCT. 25
Metamorphosis Arlington Artists Alliance Works by DMV artists depict life’s many transformations—whether physical, emotional, spiritual, environmental or societal—in this show celebrating the changes that shape us. Free. 2700 Clarendon Blvd., Arlington, arlingtonartistsalliance.org SEPT. 26-27
Arlington Visual Art Studio Tour Multiple Arlington locations Take a peek inside the studios of nearly
20 September/October 2026 ■ ArlingtonMagazine.com
60 working artists during this annual countywide open house. Meet the creators of works in a variety of media, including painting, drawing, photography, sculpture, printmaking, paper crafts, letterpress and jewelry. Look for printed tour maps in local libraries, community centers and arts venues. Free. arlingtonartstudiotour.org
BOOKS SEPT. 1, 7 P.M.
Double Launch Party for Precious Children and Testament of Leaves One More Page Books Local authors Mary G. Thompson and Carolyn Ives Gilman share the spotlight to discuss their newest sci-fi thrillers. Free. 2200 N. Westmoreland St., Arlington, onemorepagebooks.com
EPIC BRANDING
OCT. 23, 7:30 P.M.
Capital One Center The second annual blocky party brings a celebration of visual art, music and food to Tysons. Swing by for live performances, artmaking activities, an Art Bark for dogs, a Kids Park and a Battle of the Artists competition. 1820 Capital One Drive, S., Tysons, capitalonecenter.com
SEPT. 8, 7-8 P.M.
Author Talk with Lorelei Brush Fonts Books & Gifts YA author Brush chats with fellow author Sara Fitzgerald about her newest book, The Boy with the Butterfly Mind, a middle-grade novel about two kids, one of whom has ADHD, who must find common ground when their parents form a blended family. Free. 6262 Old Dominion Drive, McLean, fontsbooks.com SEPT. 17, 7 P.M.
Author Talk with Rep. Jared Huffman One More Page Books The California Democrat will sit down with Rep. Don Beyer (D-Virginia) to discuss his new book, No Prophets: The Fight to Save Democracy from Christian Nationalism. Tickets are $35 and include a copy of the book. 2200 N. Westmoreland St., Arlington, onemorepagebooks.com
The Falls Church Education Foundation supports wellness, belonging, and excellence across Falls Church City Public Schools. Every year, we award teacher grants, scholarships, and assistance for families facing f inancial hardship. Register for our upcoming events—the annual FCEF Run for the Schools on September 20, 2026, and the Little City Scramble Golf Tournament on October 7, 2026.
learn more at fcedf.org
SEASONAL SEPT. 1, 6:30-8 P.M.
Remembrance to Renewal: Community Reflection on 9/11 Amazon HQ2 Lt. Gen. Patty Horoho and former Arlington fire chief Jim Schwartz will share local accounts of the events that unfolded on Sept. 11, 2001, with Phyllis Wilson, executive director of the Military Women’s Memorial. 1770 Crystal Drive, Arlington, womensmemorial.org SEPT. 18-20
Oktoberfest Courthaus Social Test your stein-holding strength and compete for the honor of “best lederhosen” during this three-day food and drink festival in Courthouse. 2300 Clarendon Blvd., Arlington, courthaussocial.com SEPT. 19, 10 A.M.-4 P.M.
50th Annual Falls Church Festival City of Falls Church Community Center Head to the heart of the Little City for live entertainment, kids’ activities, a beer garden, and booths showcasing nearly 100 crafters and businesses at this milestone festival. The annual Taste of Falls Church is part of the program, so
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ArlingtonMagazine.com ■ September/October 2026
21
■ around town come hungry. Free. 223 Little Falls St., Falls Church, fallschurchva.gov SEPT. 19, NOON-6 P.M.
Samuel Beckett’s Annual Celtic Festival Samuel Beckett’s Irish Gastro Pub Get ready for traditional Irish music and dance, food and drinks, and a pop-up makers market. Campbell Avenue will be closed so revelers can sip and stroll. Free. 2800 S. Randolph St., Arlington, samuelbecketts.com SEPT. 20, 7:45 A.M.
22nd Annual Run for the Schools Falls Church Education Foundation Pound the pavement in support of Falls Church City Public Schools. Choose between the 1 mile or 5K options. Both courses loop through the Little City, beginning and ending at Cherry Hill Park. Registration is $20-$40. 300 Park Ave., Falls Church, fcedf.org
SEPT. 26, 11 A.M.-6 P.M.
Clarendon Day Clarendon Alliance Celebrate all things Arlington at this annual street festival featuring art and crafts vendors, neighborhood food, live music and family-friendly activities. Free. 3100 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, clarendon.org SEPT. 26-27, 11 A.M.-6 P.M.
Mosaic Fall Fest Mosaic District Pumpkin spice and everything nice will take over the streets of the Mosaic District. Get gourds and fresh veggies, watch special live performances, and shop vintage vendors. Free. 2905 District Ave., Fairfax, mosaicdistrict.com OCT. 4, 10 A.M.-4 P.M.
McLean Artfest McLean Central Park Formerly known as MPAartfest, this annual outdoor showcase features artworks by more than 30 local and regional visual artists, plus a beer and wine garden, live
22 September/October 2026 ■ ArlingtonMagazine.com
music and interactive art experiences. Free. 1468 Dolley Madison Blvd., McLean, mcleancenter.org OCT. 9-11, 6-9 P.M.
Fall Wine Festival George Washington’s Mount Vernon Sample Virginia-made wines, explore the first president’s home after hours and take a pic with Washington himself. Live music by Bruce Ewan & Johnny Burgin Blues Band provides the evening’s soundtrack. Tickets begin at $40.80. 3200 Mount Vernon Memorial Highway, mountvernon.org OCT. 10, 10 A.M.-3 P.M.
Falls Church Farm Day Cherry Hill Farmhouse Go back in time to learn about the history of the Cherry Hill Farmhouse (circa 1845), including 19th-century crafts such as basket-weaving, beekeeping and blacksmithing. The event also features live music and visits with farm animals. Free, with some ticketed activities. 312 Park Ave., Falls Church, fallschurchva.gov
OCT. 24, NOON-8 P.M.
OCT. 31, 2-4 P.M.
Pike Fest 2026
Dogma Bakery/Lucky Dog Animal Rescue Trick or Treat
Festival of Frights and Trunk or Treat
Village at Shirlington Bring Fifi and Fido in costume to trick-ortreat for chews, dog cookies and other goodies at participating locations around Shirlington. A $25 registration fee benefits Lucky Dog pet rescue efforts. 2700 S. Quincy St., Arlington, villageat shirlington.com
Old Firehouse Center McLean’s Old Firehouse welcomes locals of all ages for a spooktacular night of music, games, food, contests and candy. Children younger than 10 must be accompanied by an adult. 1440 Chain Bridge Road, McLean, mcleancenter.org OCT. 31, 6-9 P.M.
OCT. 31, 5-8 P.M.
Mosaic Halloween Spooktacular
Columbia Pike Partnership Celebrate life on the Pike with live music, local food, artisan vendors and seasonal photo ops. Free. 2597 Columbia Pike, Arlington, columbia-pike.org OCT. 24, 2-4 P.M.
Trick or Treat Trail Village at Shirlington No need to wait until nightfall. Bring the little ones in their Halloween best, pick up a map of participating shops and restaurants, and then stroll the route to get candy and other treats. Free. 2700 S. Quincy St., Arlington, villageatshirlington.com OCT. 24-25
Marine Corps Marathon The nation’s third-largest marathon returns for its 51st year with a course that begins in Arlington and winds around iconic D.C. sites. General registration is $250. See the website for race weekend activities, including an 8K and a kids’ run. marinemarathon.com
OCT. 31, 5-8 P.M.
Thriller on Ice Westpost Ice Rink Zoom around the outdoor ice rink in costume to the sound of creepy Halloween music. Stop by any of the nearby restaurants to fuel up, or get a frozen sugar fix at Mimi’s Handmade Ice Cream. Free. 1201 S. Joyce St., Arlington, westpostva.com
Mosaic District Start with some trick-or-treating at restaurants and stores at this popular mixed-use development, then spread out on a blanket in Strawberry Park to watch an on-theme movie. Free. 2905 District Ave., Fairfax, mosaicdistrict.com
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big picture ■ by Stephanie Kanowitz | photo by Gary Rubin
NVSO medalist Bernard Stamm, 86, won gold in the long jump in 2025.
26 September/October 2026 ■ ArlingtonMagazine.com
Let the Games Begin! There’s no torch making its way through Arlington, but excitement is igniting ahead of the 44th annual Northern Virginia Senior Olympics (NVSO). More than 1,000 athletes are preparing to go for gold in roughly 80 sporting and recreational events at some 30 area locations. The friendly competition runs Sept. 11-Oct. 4, with the official opening ceremony taking place Sept. 19 at Arlington’s Thomas Jefferson Community Center. “There is competition, but the emphasis is actually more on fellowship and socialization than it is on winning,” says Michael Coleman, chairman of the 2026 NVSO Executive Committee. “Our motto is living healthy longer. Exercise, mental acuity and socialization are the most important things for seniors to have active, healthy, enjoyable golden years.” Coleman speaks from experience. The 75-year-old Falls Church resident competed in his first NVSO in 2014 as a rower and was hooked. He enjoyed it so much that he joined the organizing committee as a way of giving back to the community. “You can’t really put a price tag on how rewarding that can be,” he says. The games’ storied history dates back to 1980, when the City of Falls Church and Fairfax County partnered to host an athletics event for seniors. Two years later, Loudoun County joined and NVSO was born. Today, it’s an all-volunteer nonprofit with eight sponsoring jurisdictions that fund and support the games: Arlington, Fairfax, Fauquier, Loudoun and Prince William counties, plus the cities of Alexandria, Fairfax and Falls Church. Anyone 50 and older who lives in those places can participate. Coleman says most competitors are 65-85 years old, although plenty of nonagenarians compete, too. Arlington resident Alease Brooks, 93, an aerobics instructor and longtime volunteer at VHC Health, has competed in the games for 21 years, earning more than 100 gold medals in events ranging from pickleball to rowing. “I love the people. I love the excitement,” Brooks says. “It’s not about winning medals, it’s about staying fit. Life is so beautiful as you age. I call it aging backwards, or turning back the clock.” The games’ $20 registration fee buys athletes entry into unlimited events. Traditional sports include cycling, diving, track and field, but new contests are introduced annually. This year, darts and indoor rock climbing join the roster. There are mental acuity categories, too, such as mahjong, crossword puzzles and Sudoku. “These are just as—if not more— important for seniors as the sports,” Coleman says. “You have to keep up your mental sharpness.” Top performers win bronze, silver and gold medals. Everyone gets a branded T-shirt, a baseball cap and a chance to make meaningful connections. “It may sound crazy,” Brooks says, “but I love getting old.” ■
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familiar faces ■ by Barbara Ruben
Cleared for Takeoff WHETHER HE’S decking out a political candidate’s campaign jet from nose to tail in red, white and blue or brokering a private plane to shuttle uber-wealthy vacationers to Martha’s Vineyard or Aspen, Colorado, Gregg Brunson-Pitts gets his clients where they need to go in style.
A resident of Arlington’s Williamsburg neighborhood, Brunson-Pitts founded his company, Advanced Aviation Team (AAT), in 2015 after serving as director of the White House Travel Office during the George W. Bush administration. AAT doesn’t own or lease aircraft; instead, its superpower is
28 September/October 2026 ■ ArlingtonMagazine.com
logistics. Politicos routinely rely on the team to make all of the arrangements to fly candidates—and their entourage of staff, press, security and donors—to campaign stops across the nation. This includes chartering planes, configuring cabin layouts and overseeing aircraft graphics and branding. Dur-
COURTESY OF ADVANCED AVIATION TEAM
Gregg Brunson-Pitts navigates the high-stakes world of VIP air travel.
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■ familiar faces ing the height of the pandemic in 2020, AAT emblazoned the exterior of Joe Biden’s 737-500 campaign jet with the Biden-Harris logo and the slogan “Battle for the Soul of the Nation.” Inside, the seats were arranged to promote social distancing. “We pride ourselves on [seeing] our clients through from the beginning of the trip to the end,” Brunson-Pitts says. Those clients have included candidates on both sides of the aisle, from Florida’s Ron DeSantis to Vermont’s Bernie Sanders. If a campaign tour goes smoothly (logistically, at least), that means Brunson-Pitts and his team are doing their jobs well. One of the trickiest types of campaign flights they’ve pulled off is for the announcement of a presidential running mate. “That is always a very clandestine, interesting operation,” he says. “Coordinating the VP announcement is obviously very sensi-
tive. We don’t even know who the person is [until the last minute].” In 2024, AAT organized the flight that delivered Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz to Philadelphia for his official announcement as Kamala Harris’ vice presidential pick. Twelve years earlier, while working for an air charter company, Brunson-Pitts did the same for U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan when he joined the Mitt Romney ticket. Coordinating travel for presidential teams is nothing new to BrunsonPitts, but how he landed in this career astounds even him. He was a student at Bowling Green State University—majoring in political science, history and constitutional law—when he landed a White House internship in 2002. After graduation, he found work on Bush’s 2004 reelection campaign, which had him traveling the country and abroad, handling advance prep and organizing public events.
He proved so capable that he was quickly promoted after the inauguration. “I was offered a job directing the White House Travel Office, and I had no idea what that was,” he says with a laugh. “But when you’re offered a job at the White House, you don’t turn it down.” There was one catch, however: “I didn’t really have a background in aviation,” he admits. But he was a quick learner. His main responsibility was managing the charter aircraft that traveled alongside Air Force One—the planes that carried the White House press corps, Secret Service personnel and staff members who didn’t travel aboard the presidential aircraft. One trip stands out in his memory above all the others: a 2008 visit to five African nations with President Bush to promote the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, commonly known as PEPFAR. “It was really important
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to him, and I loved the policy, so that was a really special trip,” BrunsonPitts says. “Visiting countries such as Ghana and Liberia and seeing firsthand the impact the program was having on people’s lives was remarkable. It made a lasting impression on me.” When Bush left office in January 2009, Brunson-Pitts stayed on briefly to help the incoming Obama team transition its travel operations. Jobs with several private aviation companies followed until he decided to strike out on his own. Though AAT’s initial focus was on political candidates and elected officials, the company’s scope has evolved over the years to include corporate executives and well-heeled private clients. As with public figures, attention to detail is everything. Whether it’s nervous flyers or tumultuous weather, AAT is there every step of the way, he says. “We’re constantly
sending updates, seeing around all the corners and answering all the questions.” Nantucket and other exclusive Northeastern beach communities are popular in the summer months, while winter travelers often head to the Caribbean. Ever discreet, Brunson-Pitts is tightlipped about the cost of AAT’s services. He says the price depends on factors such as food catering and whether a flight attendant is requested. (But for comparison, direct competitor Global Charter lists the price of a small plane from Washington, D.C., to Martha’s Vineyard starting at $5,700.) Some chartered flights depart from Dulles International Airport, while others take off from Washington Manassas Airport or Leesburg Executive Airport, which are smaller and easier to navigate, he says. He still does a lot of his job above 30,000 feet, traveling to destinations
both international and domestic to supervise the preparation of aircraft his clients will use. But he flies commercial to get there. How does that feel after orchestrating so many cushy private flights? “It’s frustrating, but it is what it is,” he says with a shrug. When he’s not in the air, he cherishes his time at home in Arlington, where he lives with his husband, Brooks Brunson-Pitts, and their two children, ages 8 and 10. On weekends, the family enjoys bicycling around Westover or eating at their favorite French bistro, Café Colline. “I lived in D.C. for the longest time, and then my husband and I had our first child, so we moved to Arlington in early 2016,” he says. “It’s really a great place to raise a family.” How time flies. ■ Barbara Ruben is a writer and editor in Kensington, Maryland who flies coach.
ArlingtonMagazine.com ■ September/October 2026
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my life ■ text and photo by Jason Schlosberg
Both I’m Jewish. My wife is Catholic. This is how we are raising our kids. WE WERE BOTH a long way from
The author with his family on a trip to Iceland
32 September/October 2026 ■ ArlingtonMagazine.com
New York. Donna was getting her Master’s in Library Science at Catholic University. I was at American University’s Washington College of Law. Native New Yorkers adrift in the late 1990s in a city that felt, at first, like someone else’s. We found each other anyway—the same sense of humor, the same appetite for adventure, the same reflexive loyalty to the Yankees. In a town full of transplants, we recognized something in each other. I put up a wall when things started getting serious. My intention had been to marry Jewish. But Donna has a habit of being right about things I’ve convinced myself are fixed, and she broke that wall down. When we fell in love— and you cannot always control who you fall in love with—the conversation about how we’d raise our future children came quickly and naturally. She never had a wall. She was making a leap of faith too—a Catholic woman agreeing to raise her children in both traditions, trusting that her own religion would have a place in our home. I have never fully forgotten that. I knew what I was stepping into. As a Jewish father, I wondered whether our children would hold onto Jewish identity growing up in a home that also celebrated Christmas and Easter. That question lived quietly inside me. But love is love. We got engaged, and the Catholic Church required a Pre-Cana retreat—a
premarital workshop held over a weekend. I agreed to go under one condition: If anyone started singing “Kumbaya,” I was out the door. The weekend turned out to be nothing like I’d imagined. I’d pictured something intensely evangelical, not entirely comfortable territory for a Jewish man who didn’t share the theology. Instead, it was warm, grounded and surprisingly universal. On the final morning, one of the priests asked if he could join us for breakfast. When Donna and I told him we were an interfaith couple—she Catholic, I Jewish—he set down his coffee and said, simply, “As long as you believe in God, it doesn’t matter. Love is love.” I felt a weight lift off my chest that I hadn’t fully realized I’d been carrying. I should mention that in the last 20 minutes of that Sunday afternoon, they
had us all hold hands and sing “Kumbaya.” I gave Donna the stink eye. She laughed. We have been doing some version of that routine ever since—me with my walls and my conditions, her laughing them down. When people ask what religion we’re raising our daughters, Jocelyn and Claire, Donna and I say the same thing: both. We know how that sounds. We joke that it may result in some serious therapy bills when they’re older. But both is the honest answer. Both is what we are. Donna runs our house, and that includes the holidays—all of them. We decorate for Hanukkah and Christmas. She makes raisin kugel and matzoh ball soup from scratch. She helps ensure the girls study their Hebrew and Torah portions. I have tried to show up for her faith the way she shows up for mine.
Every year, I string the outdoor Christmas lights. These days, it’s from a ladder on the ground, though in my younger years I was the Jew on the Roof, draping icicle lights from our second-floor eaves. I drove the girls to and from CCD at the church around the corner. Early in our relationship, I gave Donna a diamond cross necklace that she still wears today. Our daughters have surprised us. Jocelyn loved CCD. Claire didn’t much care for it. We assumed we knew which way each daughter would lean, and we were wrong about both of them. Jocelyn had her bat mitzvah in February 2024. Afterward, she stepped further into Jewish life, starting a Jewish student cohort at H-B Woodlawn, an Arlington secondary school comprising students in grades 6-12. The group
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■ my life she founded drew students across all grade levels, including seniors. She sometimes wears a cross and a Star of David together. When people ask, she tells them she’s interfaith, as if it’s the most natural thing in the world. For her, it is. She’s found a place for both. Claire is a different person, which is its own kind of gift. She is a social butterfly who makes friends easily, but she has never quite bonded with more than one or two kids at religious school. She doesn’t love Sunday mornings. She has been honest with me—sometimes bracingly so—about the questions she carries. God is one of them. When Claire tells me these things, I try to listen rather than argue. There is no gain in pushing back; she will simply dig in and become more certain of her own position. She comes by that honestly. I thought I saw a crack last spring when her religious school organized a field trip to Ellis Island and she spent
the day tracing the immigrant threads that brought her family to this country, Jewish and Italian alike. Claire is the kind of traveler whose mantra is “touring is boring.” She would rather be in a pool in Aruba with a smoothie in one hand than in any museum you could name. But something caught her at Ellis Island. She moved through the exhibits slowly, reading things I would have expected her to breeze past, turning to me with insights she’d just learned. The history was getting through—her history, from both sides. When we finally left, she said, “Dad, don’t hold this against me. But I think this time, touring isn’t so boring.” It didn’t change her mind about religious school. She is clear that she is finishing her bat mitzvah and that will be that, at least as far as the temple is concerned. After her bat mitzvah, she’ll continue toward her Catholic Confir-
34 September/October 2026 ■ ArlingtonMagazine.com
mation. You can plant seeds, but you cannot decide where they take root. On October 3, Claire will stand on the bimah at Temple Rodef Shalom in Falls Church. She will chant in a language she has spent years learning, in a tradition her Catholic mother helped keep alive in our home, in front of a family that contains multitudes. She will do this not because she believes everything it represents, but because she made a commitment and she is going to honor it. That, I have come to understand, is its own kind of faith. There is no escape, of course, from having to be Yankees fans. Some things are non-negotiable. ■ Jason Schlosberg is an attorney, writer and photographer who lives in Arlington with his wife, Donna, and their two daughters. He is currently writing a novel about faith, fatherhood and survival, set in Israel after October 7.
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Samantha Siranli, DMD, PhD SIRANLI DENTAL
Q: What motivates and inspires you? A: Helping people regain their confidence. For veneers and dental implant cases, we need to observe the patient’s authentic smile. They start with a learned smile, so we must coax it out. But when the patient sees the results, they can instantly reflect their joy with a genuine, radiant smile. Watching this transformation is extremely gratifying and life-changing for the patient.
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A: We believe that smile design starts with the face. Our unique approach begins by studying the patient’s distinct facial structures, including cheekbones, lip support, smile line and teeth display. We consider resting and full smiles and carefully listen to the patient to understand their goals. Only then can we deliver the stunning yet natural-looking smiles that built Siranli Dental’s reputation. Our in-house, state-of-the-art lab is also unique. Technicians craft veneers and crowns onsite, collaborating directly with our doctors and patients to ensure the best aesthetic and functional results. Seeing a patient’s transformation firsthand adds an extra level of passion and dedication.
Q: What advice would you offer to women just starting out? A: As women, we have the incredible
Awards & Honors
MICHAEL VENTURA
— Diplomate, American Board of Prosthodontics — Fellow, American College of Prosthodontists — Diplomate, American Board of Oral Implantology
ability to multitask and excel in various roles. We can be successful doctors, leaders, business owners, wives and mothers. It’s all about embracing our strengths and pursuing our goals with passion and determination.
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ArlingtonMagazine.com ■ September/October 2026
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Arlington Law Group BRIDGET A. ALZHEIMER, ESQ.
Q: Why do you do what you do? What motivates and inspires you? A: From the start of my career, I’ve been
drawn to helping clients solve problems and plan with confidence for the future. In my estate and trust administration practice, I have the privilege of supporting people through some of life’s most difficult moments—the incapacity or loss of a loved one. At Arlington Law Group, our team brings extensive knowledge of fiduciary law, tax matters and court procedures to every case. It’s incredibly rewarding to guide clients through the legal process and help bring stability and reassurance when everything feels overwhelming.
Q: What’s the best advice you’ve ever received, and how has it helped you?
A: One of the most valuable reminders
1739 Clarendon Blvd. Arlington, VA 22209 703-842-3025 clients@arlingtonlawgroup.com www.arlingtonlawgroup.com
36 September/October 2026 ■ ArlingtonMagazine.com
TONY J. LEWIS
Arlington Law Group serves clients across Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C., specializing in estate planning, probate and trust administration, guardianship and conservatorship, business law and real estate transactions.
I’ve received—both from my partner, Ryan Brown, and many other seasoned attorneys—is that we’re not just lawyers; we’re counselors at law. Our work goes far beyond legal expertise to include compassionate guidance, empathy and perspective when our clients need it most. When a loved one passes or becomes incapacitated, the legal complexities can be all-consuming, especially when family dynamics are strained. Our role is to bring calm to the chaos, offering both a steady presence and a sympathetic ear, as well as the objectivity needed to help clients move forward with strength and peace of mind.
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Evermay Wealth Management, LLC
Evermay brings together wealth management, tax and estate planning to simplify life’s financial complexities, helping clients make confident decisions and build richer lives.
Evermay Wealth Management, LLC is a registered investment adviser. Upon request we will provide you with our firm brochure that contains important information about the firm’s advisory and financial planning services, estate coordination and document production, fees, portfolio management, and investment strategies. Tax preparation and advice are offered through Evermay Tax, LLC. Evermay Wealth and Evermay Tax are separate but affiliated companies. Evermay Wealth and Evermay Tax are not law firms and do not provide legal advice.
Q: How does Evermay help women navigate life’s biggest financial transitions? A: For many women, life’s biggest
HILARY SCHWAB
financial transitions are deeply personal. They may include building a career, raising a family, caring for aging parents, leading a business, navigating divorce or widowhood, preparing for retirement, or suddenly becoming the person others rely on for important financial decisions. At Evermay, we understand these moments because many of the women on our team have experienced them personally, and our professionals have spent years helping clients navigate them with clarity and confidence. While we’re proud to highlight the talented women
of Evermay in this feature, supporting women through life’s transitions is a commitment shared by our entire firm. That philosophy is reflected in our Family Office approach. Rather than asking clients to coordinate separate conversations with multiple professionals, our wealth advisors and tax professionals work together to provide thoughtful, integrated guidance that includes investment management, financial planning, estate planning and tax planning, preparation and filing services. The result is a more coordinated experience and greater confidence when making important financial decisions. That same commitment inspired Women in Wealth, a community created by the
women of Evermay to bring clients and guests together through educational programs, meaningful conversations and memorable events. It offers opportunities to learn, build relationships and connect with other accomplished women in a welcoming environment. Whether we’re helping clients navigate a major life transition or creating opportunities for women to learn from and support one another, our goal is the same: helping women feel informed, connected and confident about their financial future.
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ArlingtonMagazine.com ■ September/October 2026
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Megan Francis, NP, Founder NM AESTHETICS | WELLNESS
NM Aesthetics offers personalized aesthetic medicine and wellness services in Ballston, blending advanced treatments with subtle, naturallooking results. “You come to us because you don’t want anyone to know you come to us.™”
Q: What do you look forward to when you go to work every day?
A: Trust your instincts and don’t wait until
A: The relationships, without question.
you feel completely ready. Most growth happens before confidence catches up. Take the opportunity, ask the question, start the business. You can figure out a lot along the way. For me, that meant opening my own practice, treating patients wherever I could and believing in a vision that didn’t yet exist. Taking that leap allowed me to build a business aligned with my values and create the kind of patient experience I always wanted to see: high-quality care delivered with empathy, integrity and attention to detail.
I love seeing familiar faces, hearing life updates, celebrating milestones and being part of people’s journeys. Helping someone feel more confident in their skin is incredibly rewarding, but it’s the trust we build over time that makes this work so meaningful. Serving such a diverse area, we’re fortunate to care for people from many backgrounds and life experiences, which challenges us to continually learn, grow and provide the best care possible.
Q: What will be the biggest
38 September/October 2026 ■ ArlingtonMagazine.com
challenge for the generation of women behind you?
A: Learning to separate their own goals from the constant noise of social media. Women today are exposed to endless comparisons and pressure to keep up with someone else’s version of success. The challenge will be staying grounded in who they are, staying true to their values and defining success on their own terms.
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LISA HELFERT
Q: What advice would you offer for women just starting out?
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Michelle Scott
OWNER AND DIRECTOR, TUTORING CLUB OF MCLEAN
Q: Why do you do what you do? A: Opening Tutoring Club of McLean nearly 17 years ago deepened my understanding of education. I quickly saw firsthand that lasting success starts with understanding each person. Every student learns differently, every family has unique goals and every challenge deserves an individualized approach. It’s a privilege to watch students overcome challenges they once thought insurmountable, whether that’s learning to read confidently, mastering algebra or reaching a college admissions goal. Seeing their confidence grow is incredibly rewarding, as is the pride on a parent’s face. It’s a reminder that education can positively change an entire family, and why I chose this path.
Q: What changes or innovations are on the horizon in your industry?
A: Artificial intelligence is transforming education, but it can’t replace great teaching. As information becomes easier to access, students need more than answers—they need to think critically, communicate effectively and solve problems with confidence and independence. We help students learn to use emerging technologies as tools—not shortcuts—while prioritizing personal responsibility, human connection and genuine understanding. Our goal is to ensure they’re prepared for a future that will require adaptability and lifelong learning.
Q: What qualities should parents look for in an educational partner?
LISA DAMICO
Consistently recognized by Arlington Magazine’s readers as a premier tutoring and test prep service, Tutoring Club of McLean provides personalized academic support for students of all ages and abilities— helping them become confident, capable, independent learners.
A: Look beyond credentials and curriculum. The best educational partners spend time understanding each student’s goals, learning style and challenges, then create a personalized plan with measurable progress and open communication. When students feel known, supported and challenged, they don’t just improve academically—they discover what they’re capable of. That kind of growth lasts long after tutoring ends.
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ArlingtonMagazine.com ■ September/October 2026
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Donna Hamaker, Realtor® RLAH REAL ESTATE
Q: What advice would you offer to women just starting out?
A: Surround yourself with people who inspire you to grow, and seek out those whose professionalism, integrity and work ethic you admire. Introduce yourself. Ask for that coffee meeting. Most successful people are happy to share what they’ve learned. And when it’s your turn, be ready to give back to others. Getting involved in professional and community organizations creates opportunities you’d never anticipate. In retrospect, some of the most meaningful moments in my career didn’t happen because I was chasing opportunities, they came from showing up, getting involved and building genuine relationships.
Q: What continues to inspire you? A: The people. Every client has a unique story, and real estate gives me the privilege of meeting and helping people at every stage of life. I’ve built relationships with clients from across the country and around the world, many of whom have grown into lasting friendships. One of the greatest compliments I can receive is a referral from a past client. That kind of trust is something I never take for granted.
Q: How do you measure success? A: By the trust my clients place in me
— Chair, NVAR Professionalism & Ethics Advisory Group — Certified Residential Specialist (CRS) — Certified International Property Specialist (CIPS) — Accredited Buyer’s Representative (ABR) — Certified Real Estate Negotiator (CREN) — NVAR Lifetime Top Producer
40 September/October 2026 ■ ArlingtonMagazine.com
4075 Wilson Blvd., Suite 720 Arlington, VA 22203 703-582-7779 donna@donnahamaker.com
TON Y J. LEWIS
Awards & Honors
during some of their biggest life decisions. Whether I’m helping a first-time buyer, a growing family, someone downsizing or a client relocating across the country, my goal is always to make the process less stressful and help them feel confident at every step. Outside of work, success means balance—faith and family first, and giving back to the community that’s given my family and me so much.
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Mullett Dove & Bradley Family Law, PLLC JENNIFER MULLETT, LAURA DOVE AND JENNIFER BRADLEY
Awards & Honors — Best Lawyers™ — Washingtonian Top Lawyers — Super Lawyers™ — MartindaleHubbell Client Champion — U.S. New and World Report Best Law Firms — Northern Virginia Top Lawyers — Arlington Magazine Top Attorneys — Virginia Business Legal Elite
Q: How do you measure success? A: Our goal is to help our clients resolve
HILARY SCHWAB
their disputes in a way that leaves them as whole as possible and in a position to successfully move on to the next chapter in their lives. We take an individualized approach to every case, and we measure our success by client satisfaction. We ensure clients are fully informed throughout the process, explain all of their options, explore realistic solutions and pursue the best approach to meet their goals.
Q: What’s changed for women in business during your career?
A: In our experience, clients are
increasingly seeking women attorneys for various reasons. Men frequently find that having a female attorney handle their divorce provides them with better insight into their spouse’s position in negotiations. Women often find that we’re more sensitive to their needs and better able to relate to their interests when going through the divorce process.
Q: What was a major turning point in
and national legal organizations. She helped write Virginia’s existing divorce laws and built a reputation as the “queen” of divorce. When she passed away, we felt compelled to continue her legacy by adhering to the highest ethical standards, maintaining the most advanced knowledge of the law, and serving our clients and community to the best of our ability.
your career?
A: Before founding our firm in 2012, the lawyers of MDB worked for one of the best family law attorneys in the country – Betty A. Thompson. She was the first female president of multiple local, state
Three Ballston Plaza 100 N. Glebe Road, Suite 1100 Arlington, VA 22201 703-522-8100 www.mdbfamilylaw.com
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The Confident Undergrad JENNIFER DIASCRO, PH.D., FOUNDER & COACH
Q: Why do you do what you do? What motivates and inspires you? A: I began my career 30 years ago as a college
professor, and my greatest joy in that role was in the classroom. It was immensely gratifying to teach students how to examine the world critically, to understand complex challenges and find workable solutions. It’s not an accident that—despite a few twists and turns in my life and career—I always return to supporting college students. Now, as a coach, I teach young adults to apply similar tools to challenges in their lives, supporting discovery of solutions that align with their values and goals. There is nothing more motivating or inspiring than the lightbulb moments that mark growth in self-confidence and resilience.
HILARY SCHWAB
confidentundergrad@icloud.com www.theconfidentundergrad.com
KIPOS Botanicals® KONSTANTINA ZARAS, FOUNDER
Q: Why do you do what you do? What motivates and inspires you?
A: My creative spirit has always needed an outlet, and
Konstantina harvesting calendula in the KIPOS Botanicals® garden.
42 September/October 2026 ■ ArlingtonMagazine.com
4364 Lorcom Lane Arlington, VA 22207 703-528-7423 kzaras@kiposbotanicals.com www.kiposbotanicals.com
WILLIAM GALLAGHER
my Greek heritage and lifelong kinship with plants taught me early on that gardens hold nurturing power. Learning to use herbs in daily life deepened their meaning, however it was life’s journey that led to the inspiration behind KIPOS Botanicals®. Sharing a calendula salve with a friend undergoing radiation therapy and seeing it bring real comfort inspired me to share the plants’ skin-soothing gifts with others. Today, each carefully handcrafted product reflects centuries of herbal wisdom and my commitment to gentle, effective plant-based care using the highest-quality ingredients. The qualities gardening has instilled in me—patience, perseverance and resilience—sustain my business and my spirit, and each season brings fresh hope and possibility.
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Helen Saks
FOUNDER, CEO & CREATIVE DIRECTOR | STRIKING MEDIA
Q: What changes have you seen for women in business over your career?
A: Early in my career, at BBC Television Centre in London back in the 2000s, women were often positioned as rivals. Today, I see a much stronger sense of camaraderie and collaboration among women in production. We’re more focused on lifting each other up and doing great work together. I’ve met some incredible women along the way—many of our clients are strong, passionate women who I admire—and I’m committed to carrying that forward at Striking Media. We welcome interns each year, often from NOVA Community College, to give young people hands-on experience in production. Supporting the next generation feels like a natural extension of that shift.
Q: What motivates and inspires you in your work today? A: I love my job and couldn’t imagine
doing anything else! I’m inspired by the people who trust us to tell their stories, and the events and causes we help bring to life. I’m also raising two teenage daughters, and being a positive role model for them is very important to me. My heart soars whenever my family tells me how proud they are of me.
Q: What sets Striking Media apart in a crowded, tech-driven landscape? A: The thoughtfulness with which we
JONATHAN THORPE
Helen’s passion for storytelling led her to work on the British version of “Good Morning America.” She founded Striking Media in 2020, leveraging her 25+ years of production experience to support businesses through strategic, impactful communications.
approach each project. Every client, every story and every audience is different, and we spend a lot of time thinking about our characters, narratives, visuals and what will truly resonate. Our clients know we’ll tell their stories with care and integrity, never in an exploitative way. Technology can’t replace genuine human connection.
703-364-9909 helen.saks@strikingmedia.com www.strikingmedia.com
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Lilian Jorgenson
LONG AND FOSTER REAL ESTATE | FORBES GLOBAL PROPERTIES
Q: How do you measure success? A: By the relationships I build and the trust my clients place in me. The greatest compliment I can receive is a heartfelt review or a referral from a happy client. Knowing that I made a positive difference during one of the most important decisions of their lives is my definition of success.
Q: What do you look forward to when you go to work every day?
A: Helping my clients achieve their goals. Whether I’m
1355 Beverly Road, Suite 109 McLean, VA 22101 703-790-1990 www.lilian.com
JENNY SESSOMS
guiding buyers as they search for the perfect place to call home or negotiating the highest possible price for a seller, I’m committed to making every client feel like they’re my only one. I feel incredibly fortunate to do work that I love—there’s nothing more rewarding than seeing my clients realize their real estate dreams.
Ivy Horan
FOUNDER, PRESIDENT & OWNER, MGI CORPORATE GIFTS LLC
Q: Why do you do what you do? What motivates and inspires you? A: I love creating meaningful connections. As the
202-800-4438 info@mgicorporategifts.com www.mgicorporategifts.com
44 September/October 2026 ■ ArlingtonMagazine.com
MICHAEL VENTURA
founder of MGI Corporate Gifts, I have the privilege of helping organizations celebrate their people, milestones and moments that matter. As a solo entrepreneur, every success feels personal—which made winning the Arlington Chamber Small Retail Business Award incredibly special, especially after three years as a finalist. I felt truly seen and celebrated by the business community I am so proud to be part of. My motivation comes from building a business that allows me to serve my clients; contribute to my community through the Arlington Chamber, WMS Band Boosters and PathForward Gala committee; and still be present for my family. Success is creating a life with purpose, impact and balance.
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Karen Rosales, President and CEO
COMMONWEALTH ONE (FORMERLY ARLINGTON COMMUNITY FEDERAL CREDIT UNION)
Karen Rosales brings 30+ years of financial services experience. Since becoming ACFCU’s President and CEO in 2012, she has led strategy, service, efficiency and innovation, now guiding ACFCU and COFCU.
Q: What changes or innovations are on the horizon in your industry? How are you preparing for them?
COURTESY PHOTO
A: Like many industries, ours is changing rapidly. Technology continues to create new ways for members to bank with ease, but relationships remain central to what we do. When someone has a financial dream or challenge, they want to be heard and supported by an organization that understands their goals and the realities of their everyday lives. The credit union philosophy of “people helping people” is the foundational reason I began a career in banking, and will always guide how we serve.
Our credit union has grown quite a bit over the past decade, and most recently by merging with a neighboring credit union. That growth creates more opportunities for us to meet our members’ evolving needs at every stage of life. A young person building credit for the first time needs something different from a first-time car buyer, a family buying a home, a business owner planning for growth or a retiree thinking about long-term financial security. We meet members where they are, help them understand their options and provide solutions that support their lives today and tomorrow.
Q: What do you love most about what you do?
A: Seeing others succeed—helping members achieve their financial goals, mentoring leaders to their fullest potential and creating environments where team members can celebrate shared triumphs. My career was shaped by leaders who were committed to the success of others and who united teams around a common purpose. My goal is to be that leader in return.
P.O. Box 40070 Arlington, VA 22204 703-526-0200 www.arlingtoncu.org/better-together
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RSVP Catering Q: Why do you do what you do? A: We’re inspired by earning trust. Every event is an opportunity to anticipate needs, solve problems and build relationships before the first guest arrives. Knowing our preparation allows clients to focus on what matters most—connecting with their guests—makes this work incredibly rewarding.
Q: How have you mentored others? A: Mentorship is woven into our culture. We encourage one another to ask questions, embrace new challenges and celebrate successes together. Many of us are leaders today because someone believed in us first, and we’re committed to creating those same opportunities for others.
Q: What’s the best advice you’ve received?
A: People may forget the details, but they’ll always remember how you made them feel. That philosophy guides every relationship—with clients, venue partners and one another—and reminds us that genuine care is just as important as flawless execution.
Q: What’s changing for women in business?
From left: Martha Beitel, Senior Account Executive; Sarah Goldblatt, Executive Chef of Culinary Innovation; Chelsea Dodson, Digital Marketing Specialist; Jordan Wells, Account Associate; Lizeth Reque, Assistant Staffing Manager and Amanda Dearie, Senior Account Executive. Photographed at Newmark - 1250 Eye St., NW, Washington, D.C.
46 September/October 2026 ■ ArlingtonMagazine.com
2930 Prosperity Ave., Fairfax, VA 22031 703-573-8700 | info@rsvpcatering.com www.rsvpcatering.com
SKIP BROWN
“At RSVP, we believe exceptional leaders shouldn’t have to choose between ambitious careers and fulfilling lives. When our people thrive as whole individuals, our clients feel the difference.”
A: One of the most encouraging changes we’ve seen is that women are no longer expected to fit a single definition of leadership. Today’s leaders are valued not only for their expertise, but also for their ability to build relationships, mentor others and lead with empathy. At RSVP, we believe exceptional leaders shouldn’t have to choose between ambitious careers and fulfilling lives. When our people thrive as whole individuals, our clients feel the difference. That’s why we’ve worked intentionally to create a culture where people are supported both professionally and personally. We believe that builds stronger leaders, stronger client partnerships, and ultimately, a stronger business.
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Bean, Kinney & Korman ANDREA CAMPBELL DAVISON, SHAREHOLDER
LISA HELFERT
Andrea Campbell Davison specializes in bankruptcy, creditors’ rights and commercial lending. She currently serves as a Chapter 7 Panel Trustee for the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Columbia.
Q: What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned during your career?
Q: What advice would you offer for women just starting out?
Q: What do you love most about doing business in this area?
A: The practice of law is an art, not a
A: Be open to adapting and remember to take the long view. Opportunities, challenges, mentors and personal responsibilities in your life will change. You may have seasons where you are pushing hard, learning as much as possible and saying yes to opportunities. In other seasons, your priorities might shift or your path might change in ways you did not expect. That does not mean you are behind or that you made the wrong choice. It means you are building a career over time.
2311 Wilson Blvd., Suite 500, Arlington, VA 22201 703-525-4000 | info@beankinney.com www.beankinney.com
science. Though mentors are critical, I think the best lawyers take what they learn from others and adapt it to their own strengths. They develop a voice, a style and a way of practicing that feels authentic while still serving the client effectively. That has been one of the most important lessons of my career: learn the craft from the people around you, but do not be afraid to become your own kind of lawyer.
A: Arlington is amazing and I feel very connected to it even though I wasn’t born here. I love living in Arlington, raising my kids here and participating in the same community where my clients are building their own businesses and lives. I’m so lucky to practice at Bean Kinney & Korman, a firm deeply rooted and dedicated to the area.
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Nikki Macdonald, CFP®
NORTHWESTERN MUTUAL WEALTH MANAGEMENT COMPANY
Nikki Macdonald runs a national financial advisory team partnering with clients seeking sophisticated, data-driven fiduciary strategies to build and preserve wealth, especially for women-led households, busy families and closely-held businesses.
A: My motivation comes from my “why”: the reason I chose this career and ultimately started my own firm. I built my business—in a new industry, during a pandemic, with two small kids—to make a real, positive impact on my family, friends and community. I’m proud to build something bigger than myself, serving markets that are important to me and underserved in our industry. I show other women, fellow business owners and even my own kids what is possible. I focus relentlessly on my clients’ goals and on creating plans to achieve them. They entrust me with their hopes, dreams and
fears, and I get a front-row seat to the highs and lows; something I’ll never take for granted.
Q: What will be the biggest challenge for the generation of women behind you? What advice would you offer them? A: Maintaining meaningful human connection in an increasingly digital world. Technology and AI can improve efficiency, but they can’t replace relationships, mentorship and community. I believe the best advisors distinguish themselves through trust, empathy, the ability to simplify complex concepts and ultimately drive people to take action. My advice: be
intentional about building your network. Some of my most rewarding opportunities have come through local nonprofit boards, community involvement, professional organizations and the remarkable people I’ve met along the way. Get coffee with someone who inspires you, and maybe even intimidates you. Take risks and be curious. Find your village; the relationships you build will become some of your greatest assets!
8405 Greensboro Drive, Suite 230 McLean, VA 22102 703-203-9310 nicole.macdonald@nm.com Nicolemacdonald.nm.com
Northwestern Mutual is the marketing name for The Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company (NM) (life and disability Insurance, annuities, and life insurance with long-term care benefits) and its subsidiaries, including Northwestern Long Term Care Insurance Company (NLTC) (long-term care insurance), Northwestern Mutual Investment Services, LLC (NMIS) (investment brokerage services), a registered investment adviser, broker-dealer, and member of FINRA and SIPC, and Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company® (NMWMC) (investment advisory and trust services), a federal savings bank. NM and its subsidiaries are in Milwaukee, WI. CFP Board owns the marks CFP®, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER®, and CFP® (with plaque design) in the U.S.
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LISA HELFERT
Q: Why do you do what you do? What motivates and inspires you?
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Illuminos Executive Function Coaching WENDY WEINBERGER, PRESIDENT & CO-FOUNDER
Q: What inspired you to start Illuminos?
A: When I founded Illuminos, I wasn’t trying to build a business. I saw a need that wasn’t being met. Growing up around family members with ADHD, processing differences and other forms of neurodiversity, I knew that intelligence and academic success aren’t always the same thing. Too many bright, capable students were struggling, not because they lacked ability, but because they’d never been taught the executive function skills, like staying organized, managing time and following through. What matters most to me is helping students become more independent and confident, taking some of the pressure off at home and giving families back the time they’d otherwise spend fighting over homework, so they can just be a family.
Q: What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned as Illuminos has grown? A: The best outcomes come from
bringing together people with different expertise. I’ve never believed one person has all the answers. I believe in building a team of exceptional professionals who challenge and learn from one another, working together to provide students and families the support they deserve.
Q: What advice would you give to women starting a business or considering a second career?
A: Start with something you care about.
STEPHANIE BRAGG
Illuminos is a premier executive function coaching program serving the Washington metropolitan area, offering personalized, research-driven coaching and the region’s only NeuroComplex™ Coaching to help every student build lasting skills and confidence.
Keep learning, ask questions, listen to people who know more than you do and don’t be afraid to grow as your business grows. For women considering a second career, trust the experience you’ve already gained. The relationships you’ve built, the perspective you’ve earned and the resilience you’ve developed are often your greatest strengths.
571-313-5163 HeyWendy@illuminos.co www.illuminos.co
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Rigby Wood Interior Design SARAH BETH WOOD, PRINCIPAL DESIGNER
With 80+ years of combined experience across luxury interior design, real estate and project management, Rigby Wood’s six-person team collaborates with trusted brands and skilled craftspeople to deliver elevated, functional design personalized for every client space.
From left: Beth Taylor, Erin Baynham, Sarah Beth Wood, Mary Beth Booth and Belinda McRae
A: Interior design is about far more than creating beautiful spaces. At its core, it’s a business built on customer service, logistics and collaboration. The best projects come from true partnerships—with clients and, just as importantly, trusted tradespeople. After more than 20 years in residential design, I still learn something new nearly every day. The greatest lesson has been to lead each project with expertise, empathy and a sense of humor. When you hold things lightly, it becomes easier to navigate inevitable challenges with grace and perspective.
Q: What do you love most about doing business in this area?
Q: What do you look forward to when you go to work every day?
A: Arlington is filled with dynamic,
A: Watching the women on our team
diverse changemakers whose impact reaches far beyond our community. In a transient market like the Washington, D.C. area, I love infusing homes with details that remind our clients of not only where they come from but also where they’re going. A home should reflect the best of the people who live there, grounding them in authenticity, nurturing family life and serving as the heartbeat and backdrop for lasting memories.
703-740-4665 hello@rigbywood.com www.rigbywood.com
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enrich the lives of our clients and one another. Seeing clients light up when a design solution exceeds their expectations is one of the most rewarding parts of what I do. After building this business for 13 years, there’s no better sound than an office humming with laughter, encouragement and genuine community.
SKIP BROWN
Q: What advice would you offer for women just starting out?
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D’Orazio Wealth Advisors
JENNIFER D. VANLANDINGHAM, CFP®, TPCP ® | MANAGING DIRECTOR, TAX PLANNER
Q: What do you look forward to when you go to work every day? A: The opportunity to solve problems
and build meaningful relationships. Every day brings a chance to connect with clients, understand what matters to them and help them move forward with greater clarity and confidence. Business is often measured by results, but I’ve found that the trust, collaboration and shared progress along the way can be just as impactful as the outcome itself. Success is not just about what we accomplish, but how we serve and support people.
Q: What is the most important lesson you learned during your career? A: Reputation and trust matter more
than almost anything. Skills can be developed, markets can change and opportunities can shift, but trust is earned over time through hard work, reliability and consistency. People remember whether you show up, tell the truth, make good on your word and follow through when it matters.
Q: What advice would you offer women just starting out?
A: Build confidence and stay open to
SKIP BROWN
Since 2004, Jennifer D. VanLandingham has helped clients at D’Orazio Wealth Advisors navigate complex tax questions. She leads the firm’s Tax Planning Department, specializing in personal financial planning and strategic tax minimization.
learning and accepting constructive criticism from people you respect. Say yes to challenges that push you beyond your comfort zone, ask thoughtful questions and pay attention to the people whose judgment, leadership and character you admire. Confidence grows from experience, and experience comes from being willing to try, learn and keep going. I would also encourage young professionals not to compare their path to anyone else’s. Everyone’s career unfolds differently, and there is real power in staying focused on your own growth.
8614 Westwood Center Drive, Suite 310 Vienna, VA 22182 703-269-3100 jdv@dorazioadvisors.com www.dorazioadvisors.com
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CHEATING
AI
With
In
the spring of his final semester at Washington-Liberty High School, Cory developed a sort of reverse senioritis. He had made it through the pressure cooker of W-L’s International Baccalaureate (IB) program and secured a spot at the University of Virginia after earning straight A’s throughout high school. Like many of his peers, he had some help. With access to ChatGPT and other generative AI tools, he could polish a speech for a class presentation or let the software spit out the answers for low-level assignments and quizzes. Some might call that cheating. He says not using AI would have put him at a competitive disadvantage. But Cory, who spoke on the condition of using a fake name so he wouldn’t jeopardize his academic standing, says he began to view AI as a crutch, “and it started to freak me out.” He could feel the impulse to ask “Chat,” as he calls it,
Is technology making it all too tempting for students to take the easy path to an A? BY GABE HIATT ILLUSTRATION BY CHRIS WHETZEL
before formulating his own thoughts. He didn’t like that, so he resolved to stop. “A couple months out from the end of the year, I started to realize that I’ve done well for myself,” Cory says. “I might as well try to learn.” For anyone with unrestricted internet access, Pandora’s box comes with a blinking cursor and a prompt. ChatGPT encourages users to “Ask anything.” Google says, “Ask Gemini.” Claude inquires, “How can I help you today?” Four years into the age of GenAI, we do not just have search engines sending us links related to keywords. We have human-like hiveminds scraping the internet for most everything that’s ever been put online. Capable of delivering detailed answers and carrying on conversations, they appear to comprehend queries, bend to instruction and feedback, and mimic style and tone upon request. And they’re accessible 24/7.
In a February 2026 online survey of nearly 1,500 U.S. teens by the Pew Research Center, 54% said they had used chatbots to help with schoolwork, and one in 10 said they use chatbots for “all or most” assignments. (Given AI’s accelerating rate of adoption, it’s fair to assume usage has only increased in the six months since the study.) If you are a high school student who is strapped for time, under pressure and building a college resume, you may feel tempted to use AI in a dishonest way. In the right context, teachers may be encouraging you to use the technology as a new tool. Depending on your school, the AI policy may be nonexistent or open to interpretation. If you want to cheat, you can—and you will likely get away with it, but not without the bare minimum effort to disguise the chatbot’s answers as your own.
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■ cheating with AI
Per state guidance, Arlington Public Schools (APS) has adopted a bell-tobell phone ban, incorporating pouches from a company called Yondr that magnetically seal students’ cellphones for the day. Teens say they can get around the requirement by locking up a dummy phone or lying about leaving their phone in the car. For a stumped test-taker who is willing to take the risk, sneaking a phone into an exam presents an opportunity to secretly snap a photo of the test, feed it to AI and copy the answers. The lure of AI is a challenge now facing every school, student, workplace and individual in the dawn of this new age.
AT PUBLIC SCHOOLS in Arlington, McLean and Falls Church, administrators are making an effort to harness AI for good. Over the past two years, area school systems have established evolving standards for teachers and students while adopting—or in some cases, blocking—software that leverages AI tools on school devices. And yet, teenagers will be teenagers. Two decades before ChatGPT’s 2022 debut, the late Rutgers professor Donald McCabe, widely considered the founding father of research on academic integrity, initiated a years-long survey of over 70,000 U.S. high school students that found more
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than half admitting to cheating on a test, and 95% confessing to any form of cheating. Now there are powerful new tools in the arsenal. Anecdotally, AI usage that breaks plagiarism and citation rules is widespread. Some students can’t be bothered to hide it, doing little more than copying and pasting the text spat out by AI into papers and assignments. “They’re not as sly as they think they are,” says Sean Tracy, a science teacher at Wakefield High School who leads classes in ecology and teaches advanced placement (AP) students how to write college-level research papers. “I have received papers that have
MICHAEL VENTURA
Wakefield High School science teacher Sean Tracy
their query as the first line of the paper,” Tracy says, referring to the questions or prompts that students type into a chatbot. He says he’s seen research papers where the last line is a follow-up question clearly written by AI: “Would you like your conclusion to sound more [professional or conversational]?” “Or, they even come in the exact same format that the queries pop out,” with headers and bullet points, Tracy says. “I teach teachers how to use this stuff. What, do you think I can’t spot this?” High school students interviewed for this story said they use AI every day for a variety of tasks. How much they lean on it for schoolwork depends on the type of assignment, the teacher who assigned the work and whether their peers are also using it to get a leg up in the class. APS has set guidelines for AI use that some students consider restrictive. Fairfax County Public Schools blocks GenAI tools on students’ devices. But the definition of what it means to produce one’s own work is changing in real time. The question is no longer, How can AI help you? It is, How much efficiency can you gain? Will you use this revolutionary research tool to dig deeper? Or will you outsource your intellect to the machines?
ONE APS STUDENT, who we’ll call Amy, says she uses AI every day. ChatGPT is the most popular among her friends. She likens it to an advanced Google search. “Anytime anyone has a question or feels uncertain about something, AI is where you go to get an answer, and it’s an answer you trust where it’s tailored to you,” says Amy, 18, who spoke on the condition of using a fake name so she could disclose how she uses AI at school. ChatGPT is her go-to for classwork, but she says she avoids asking it personal or emotional questions that would be better suited for a therapist. Like Cory, Amy is a member of W-L’s
"I would do what it takes. If that meant using AI or looking at a doc with answers to a test, I think that pressure did supersede the idea that I was just here to learn.” Class of 2026, and a graduate of its IB program. A self-described overachiever, she got straight A’s in high school and was admitted to a top public university. “I struggle when everything isn’t perfect,” she says. Amy knows that some AI tools will fabricate facts and sources in instances known as hallucinations. Still, she doesn’t know anyone in her class who does not regularly use AI. According to a year-end report from APS, 89% of the Class of 2026 will pursue education after high school, and students have landed more than $30 million in scholarships. In the competitive Arlington bubble, Amy says, “nobody has shame” about using AI. “Everyone is trying to survive against everyone else.” As an academic aid, she says AI is most useful as a tool to generate practice questions for exams, which she could accomplish by uploading a study guide provided by her teacher. Under the latest guidelines set by the school district, this is an ideal use, although by the letter of the law, she should have been using an APS-approved platform, SchoolAI, with oversight by her teacher. Students won’t frequently turn in a whole essay written by AI, Amy says, but they are likely to generate one with
prompts, then “go back and use it as an outline.” Half the time, she says, students use it for “the little assignments.” Need to show notes? AI can generate those if you feed it the source material. Need to fill out a Spanish worksheet? You can feed AI the material and copy the answers. “Homework assignments...are completely useless at this point,” she says. She always read the assigned books in high school, knowing she’d fail the exam if she didn’t know little details. But she didn’t want to spend her time doing busy work when she knew nobody else was. If an assignment was only worth 5% of the grade, she was fine letting AI do it. “When the way we are learning is so easily AI-able, you’re holding yourself back [if you don’t use it],” Amy says. “The rest of your class already AI-ed it in five minutes. You’re doing the work for five hours. Now you have so much less time to get your other work done. You have B’s. Your friends have A’s. You have a harder time getting into the college you want. They’re already there.” It’s not that she doesn’t love to learn. But she doesn’t feel the system of preparing kids for college is set up to prioritize education: “It’s set up for us to compete against each other.” Cory, who cut down on his AI use at the end of the 2025-2026 school year, says he still consults ChatGPT for everyday issues, like advice on how to treat a harsh sunburn or whether a mechanic is fleecing him. He considers himself to be on the same page as W-L’s administration. Plagiarism is a clear line. And then there are areas where he fudged it. When he started IB classes, he was required to give a lot of presentations in front of his peers. Looking back, he says, no one sounded like they were in high school. “Everybody would use AI in the program, and that set the new standard,” he recalls. “If you weren’t using AI and you were just talking in
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■ cheating with AI
FOR THE PAST TWO YEARS, Arlington schools have been methodically
preparing—and shifting in real time— the guardrails for generative AI. Under the Virginia Department of Education, APS has a grade-by-grade imperative to create good digital citizens, meaning “students recognize the rights, responsibilities, and opportunities of living, learning, and working in an interconnected digital world, and they act in ways that are safe, legal, and ethical.” Early in 2024, a little more than a year after OpenAI released ChatGPT to the public, APS launched a Year of Exploration, a multiphase plan to integrate the technology. An AI governance committee formed. Staff training took shape. A pilot program empowered 400 volunteer teachers and administrators to try AI tools and provide feedback that informed decisions on what technology the school system would adopt. “Our goal is not to eliminate AI,” says Jacqueline Firster, Supervisor of Digital Learning & Innovation for APS. “It’s to help our students understand how to use it appropriately and when not to use it. It’s to increase AI literacy skills.” By the 2025-26 school year, APS had begun a Year of AI Empowered Learning. Three posters, shared online, detailed scenarios in which students should not use AI at all—for instance, while answering questions on a test or a quiz, or completing an assignment where you’re supposed to use your own
56 September/October 2026 ■ ArlingtonMagazine.com
critical thinking skills—as well as when they could consult a tool with a teacher’s approval or when they could incorporate AI-generated content, with the proper citation. “Use Your Own Voice!” one poster implored, reminding students that “YOU are in charge!” Last fall, the school district designated three generative AI tools as approved. Faculty could use Microsoft Copilot and Google Gemini. Staff and students could collaborate in SchoolAI, which allowed teachers to monitor students’ conversations with a chatbot and analyze how well they understand certain topics. Tracy, the Wakefield science teacher, says he’s used AI to generate practice questions for students who need an assist on their Standards of Learning (SOL) exams. Or, he can feed the chatbot a news article and have it develop a quiz on a topic he may have heard about on the way into work, like the sewage spill in the Potomac. (The quiz needs editing, of course.) “It’s not something that I would ever just pop off to the students,” Tracy says. “But it is helpful in getting me a summary of this long article that I just kind of saw and skimmed. It helps me figure out where the hot points are.”
IN APRIL, APS HELD a town hall on AI in education, inviting a few high school students onto a panel led by superintendent Francisco Durán that also included local leaders in business and education. “I have seen many school systems across the country ban AI altogether and say we should not [have] it,” Durán said onstage, “and I’ve seen some school systems have no guardrails or conversation policies at all, and we don’t want either of those. I think there’s a happy medium that we need to find. It’s our duty to do that because we do know artificial intelligence is not going anywhere, and we are preparing our students for the future.”
COURTESY PHOTO
a student-led way, it wouldn’t sound as professional.” W-L’s IB program allows students to cite generative AI as source material, or to use it as a research tool to find sources. But, like Amy, Cory found that outsourcing to AI became the norm for small assignments. He would use whatever program his school computer would allow. First it was ChatGPT. Then, when that was blocked, Google Gemini. Once he got his college email account, he could use a function in Microsoft Outlook. The harder his classes got, the more “justifiable” it began to feel. If an assignment felt trivial, it seemed okay to use AI. But, “if there was a huge unit test, there wouldn’t be cheating,” he says. Though he would never copy and paste from AI, Cory says he would allow it to suggest a thesis statement and search source material for evidence to structure his argument. “It’s working with AI, but it’s still a lazy way to go,” he says. “I think that’s what most people would do. It would be their own words, but it would be based on what AI would be telling them.” He committed other infractions, using old and new tech that had nothing to do with AI. He always read an assigned book, he says, but would occasionally skip chapters or read a summary from a SparkNotes study guide (very Millennial). He remembers one instance, in a biology class, where a group of students created a shared document, and someone in an early class uploaded a photo of a test so a later group could find the answers. “I would do what it takes,” Cory says. “If that meant using AI or looking at a doc with answers to a test, I think that pressure did supersede the idea that I was just here to learn.”
One recent study found 72% of students reporting they had engaged in at least one academically dishonest behavior in the previous month.
At the start of the 2025-26 school year, APS issued a series of posters clarifying allowable AI use for high school students.
The first student Durán invited to speak was Damon Maher, then a senior at Yorktown, who talked about how he was using AI to study for AP classes and in his internship at a wealth management firm in Tysons. Maher demonstrated the product feature in Claude, showing the audience how he had it execute sophisticated tasks by uploading documents it could use for instruction. In a subsequent interview with this magazine, Maher, who heads to UVA this fall as an Echols Scholar, said he felt most of his classmates were not taking advantage of AI’s full potential. “They were treating it more like Google.” Although he finished high school during APS’ Year of AI Empowered Learning, he says the message to students at Yorktown was clearly different: Don’t use it. “It was kind of just the absolutist policy of no polishing, no editing whatsoever. If there’s any AI use at all, it’s a 0,” Maher recalls. That didn’t deter students from consulting it anyway, he says. If you looked around a class of 24 people, you’d see five to 10 students with an AI tool open on their laptop screen, “maybe in an ethical way, maybe not in an ethical way.” Maher says he was always wary of using AI-generated writing, because he didn’t want to lose his voice. But he did use the technology in other ways, whether that was feeding it vast amounts of class material to consolidate into a digestible study guide, as a writing coach for college essays, or to game out the math portion of SAT prep with time-saving shortcuts. He’s heard other students justify the use of AI for assignments they don’t consider worth their time—“If it’s just a lazy assignment from the teacher, that’s just busy work.” Or if they got stuck on a difficult section “and then end up using it for the whole thing.” Public schools’ response to the technology should be taken with a lot of
grace, he says, because administrators need time to understand it and create policies. He understands why some tools are blocked, but notes that his peers have found a way to unlock the tools on their school laptops anyway. Or sneak their phones into class. “It’s just a constant arms race between students and teachers,” he says. “It’s been that way since ever they got iPads in elementary school and APS wanted to block them from playing online games. People always find a way.”
STUDENT CHEATING ISN’T a new phenomenon. Examples of academic dishonesty have been recorded as far back as ancient China. In the old days of basic web browsers, Tracy, the Wakefield science teacher, remembers get-
ting papers turned in that failed to hide links back to Wikipedia. Generative AI may have opened new channels, but it’s debatable—statistically, at least— whether cheating is on the rise. In February, researchers at Stanford University and the nonprofit Challenge Success published a study in Educational Technology Research and Development that examined whether the advent of AI chatbots affected the prevalence of academic dishonesty in high schools. The research, based on anonymous surveys given to more than 4,000 students at a mix of public, private and charter schools across four months in 2024, found 72% of students reporting that they had engaged in at least one academically dishonest behavior in the previous month. This was in line
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■ cheating with AI
with statistical findings from studies and surveys completed long before the release of AI. The Stanford study also had 83% of high schoolers saying AI should “never” be allowed to complete entire assignments or write papers. The most common use of AI chatbots, according to 82% of students, was to help explain concepts, problems or topics. During the recent APS town hall on AI, Richard Culatta, CEO of the International Society for Technology and Education, cited the Stanford study as evidence that any supposed correlation between AI and cheating is merely “noise.” “The number one determining factor of whether or not there is cheating in a school is how relevant the assignments feel,” Culatta said. “If students feel like the assignments they’re getting are not relevant, cheating goes up.”
IN A BIT OF IRONY, the technology heralding a new era of efficiency is prompting some teachers to focus more heavily on a human touch. AI can make it difficult to tell whether a student’s words are their own, so savvy educators are finding ways to establish a baseline voice, tone and vocab for each student. In Tracy’s AP classes at Wakefield, he kicks off the semester by having students handwrite a short essay on a simple prompt—say, their opinion on what the legal driving age should be. “I know that their polished, edited paper is going to be a little bit different,” he says, “but at least I have an idea of where their writing skills are.” That way, if a subsequent writing assignment contains flowery language and long, run-on sentences without much substance, he can go to the student and credibly ask: “Why doesn’t this sound like you?” AI-checking technology designed for teachers is far from foolproof. Tracy describes false positives and murky scenarios, like when a detector program
“Think about discovering something on your own. It’s a feeling you can’t get from [AI]." flagged 100% plagiarism for a student who had written a paper in his native language and run it through Google Translate to convert it to English. Tracy views all technology, not just AI, as a major distraction for students. That includes phones and laptops. “Next year I’m going to have a real rule about you coming in and you pull out a pen and pencil and you don’t open any device until I tell you,” he says. He acknowledges he’ll need to train himself first. Philip Krauth, an English teacher at W-L since 1997, has developed a reputation as one of the most engaging teachers in the school. He says he’s famous—“maybe infamous”—for his section on Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment. Students identify with the protagonist’s philosophical shift from romantic idealism to harsh realism. Krauth says that by pushing students to dig deep and answer thematic questions about the material, he’s showing them just how much there is to uncover within a text. In that way, he still finds the 19th-century Russian novelist’s prose to be fresh and relevant. “Think about discovering something on your own. It’s a feeling you can’t get from anything else,” he says. “If you’re going to fake it and then try to present that to the class, the class is going to know it’s BS, because it’s evident you didn’t go through the work.” In his class, he highlights the platitudes and common criticisms surrounding the literature at hand, so students know they can’t use tired arguments. He says 20% to 30% of the work he evaluates from students, especially
58 September/October 2026 ■ ArlingtonMagazine.com
written papers, “hints at or smacks of some sort of AI help.” If he spots passages that reek of AI, “I might not call them out on it directly, but I will go to town with comments.” The same goes for public speaking. If a student’s presentation sounds canned, their grade is going to suffer. “I teach them the best presentations aren’t just reading a script or reading off slides.” As a teaching tool, Krauth uses school-approved AI software to generate slideshow videos that explain how a sample paper succeeds, or to reinforce his rules for writing. He can upload a grading rubric and the comments he most frequently gives to students, letting technology do a lot of the grunt work on writing assessments before tailoring his answers. The best way to get students excited, he says, is pushing them to make a personal connection to the material and then refer back to conclusions that emerged from in-class discussions. For the final assessment of a text, students have to propose a project. He encourages them to go beyond a written essay—perhaps adapting part of the novel as a one-act play or turning another section into a piece of music. Recently, one of his pupils compared The Stranger by Albert Camus to the Taylor Swift album “Folklore.” “They really personalize it," Krauth says. “Some of these projects blow my mind.” The world is at an inflection point. AI can supercharge human potential or fully replace it. There are environmental costs and fears about what it means for the value of an education, the viability of entry-level work and the very definition of reading and writing. But one thing AI cannot do is give you a personality. ■ Gabe Hiatt is a writer and editor based in Washington, D.C. who has led teams of reporters for Eater and The Washington Post.
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60 September/October 2026 ■ ArlingtonMagazine.com
LESSONS LEARNED Beloved educators reflect on all that they’ve learned from students, on the job and in life. INTERVIEWS BY TAMARA LYTLE | PHOTOS BY MICHAEL VENTURA The following interviews have been edited for length and clarity.
ROBIN STEWART 7TH GRADE MATH TEACHER
is like a proportion. What you give is directly proportional to what you get.
Kenmore Middle School Years Teaching: 26 Stewart is an inventor as well as a teacher, with eight patents to his name. The first, which he developed after a friend died in a motorcycle accident, is clothing with integrated turn signals on the back for visibility. Other inventions include mental health platforms for teens and young adults. He was named Arlington Public Schools’ 2026 Teacher of the Year
Students today have more needs than the kids of yesterday, and some teachers find that overwhelming. You have to be willing to take in a lot. As a math teacher, I like to say your life
No significant learning takes place without significant relationships. That’s been my motto. We had four kids who had to retake the SOLs because they didn’t pass the first time. I got some teachers together, and we promised the students breakfast if they came in for a Saturday morning study session. We had eggs, sausage, bacon, pancakes, and they just locked in. Most of them passed the second time. Sometimes they just need that extra push, seeing that someone cares for them.
Math is in all aspects of life. Maybe you’re going shopping and you want to get a discount. Everything is math related.
Seventh grade is a midway point when kids really develop their sense of right or wrong. I think you are more influential as an educator at seventh grade. If you go into teaching and accept your life experiences as the only foundation, you don’t have room for learning and exploring and trying to at least engage with other perspectives. Then you’ll ultimately burn out. Students today don’t really talk with one another. They’re so caught up in what they’re seeing on their phones that they don’t know how to communicate, how to have a conversation. Establishing that community in a classroom shows them there’s more to life when you can connect to other humans.
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TIMICA SHIVERS ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL Washington-Liberty High School Years in education: 19 An Arlington native and APS’ 2026 Assistant Principal of the Year, Shivers taught math for 15 years before becoming a high school administrator. She previously worked in banking and real estate, but says her lifelong dream was to become a teacher.
Kids have no filter. They’re fun. By high school they’re self-sufficient, they’re receptive to correction and there are all different types of personalities in one room. Teaching this age is a lot more than teaching. You’ve got students who have
fully formed or almost-formed personalities. Their sense of humor is top notch. We’re not just teachers; we’re parents, we’re confidants, we’re trusted adults, we’re sometimes psychologists, sometimes doctors. It’s a joy being able to teach them how to think. To have those deep, meaningful conversations about life, about math. Teaching them how to think analytically, how to think critically, how to look beyond the now and consider the repercussions. For teachers, it’s important to make sure you’re filling your own cup and have work-life balance. You can’t pour from an empty cup.
62 September/October 2026 ■ ArlingtonMagazine.com
I lead from a mother lens when I’m talking to students and their families. It makes those hard conversations possible. I’m letting the parents know: I had teenagers. I get it. The difficult conversations will always be difficult, but when you establish that trust, those on the receiving side are more open. The best part of this job is knowing that what I do every day makes a difference. It’s rewarding to know students see me as a trusted adult, as somebody who is going to listen. I may offer feedback they don’t want to hear in the moment, but it’s authentic feedback.
JULIA CARDONE UPPER SCHOOL CERAMICS TEACHER Flint Hill School Years Teaching: 26
COURTESY OF FLINT HILL SCHOOL
A working artist, Cardone has done glass blowing and now ceramics. She teaches an AP course in threedimensional design and runs the ceramics program at Flint Hill. In 2025, she received an outstanding innovator award from the Virginia Association of Independent Schools.
I want to introduce students to the life of an artist and a working studio. They’re not going to walk into this space and only experience commercial glazes. We’re going to talk about the chemistry behind clay and glaze; how artists function with their equipment and materials; the magic of creat-
ing and succeeding throughout all these difficult processes.
You start by introducing kids to this basic, malleable, soft material that’s going to transform into stone-like objects and live, potentially, for millennia.
I try to embrace the moments where things fall apart and share that with the kids. Maybe it’s taking that “happy accident” and turning it into something more decorative or gestural, or “Oh, look at that interesting curve that came from the point of collapse.” Technical ability is important and they need to learn how to throw well, but being open is also a skill. I don’t want them to be so restrictive and tight that they can’t embrace the magic that happens when everything goes wrong—the learning that happens in those moments.
Studio art teaches us resilience. Ceramics will humble you instantly. The medium requires patience. Students are taking away the confidence that comes from practice, failure, continued practice, success.
They might never take another wheel class with me, but what they’ve learned doesn’t go away. It’s like our bike moments—we know how to ride. We can stay away from it for 20 years and get right back on it.
Mud and fire pulse through my veins. I am high-frequency joyful about the life of a ceramic artist. The students and their energy have an impact on my studio time as well. I get to make a lot of mistakes and get better every year.
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MIRIAM SCHIMMOLLER 3RD GRADE COLLABORATIVE TEACHER LEADER Oak Street Elementary Years Teaching: 28 Schimmoller taught in an International Baccalaureate program in Texas before moving to Virginia 12 year ago. The combination of a college degree in human development and the example of her father, a professor at Lehigh University, drew her to teaching. In 2025, she was named Teacher of the Year by The Washington Post. She retired in July.
Third graders have a lot of skills. They are just figuring out they can learn independently through their reading. When you know someone at 8 years old, you know their core.
Technology is amazing, but we don’t
want to use it in a way that denies kids the opportunity to dig into the building blocks of learning.
Agency is the magic word. There’s not a job in the world that people don’t embrace in a happier way if they have voice and choice.
I use the paradigm of mirrors, windows and doors. Is it a mirror—as in, can you see yourself in this book? Is it a window to understanding something new? Or is it a sliding door, where now you want to do something because of this book?
One of the activities we do to boost reading fluency is reader’s theater. The students have a script they act out, and we make props and costumes out of up-
64 September/October 2026 ■ ArlingtonMagazine.com
cycled items. One year, during a section on ancient Greece, two girls wanted to write a reader’s theater for the class. Then others became interested. When somebody wants to be included in one of those agency moments, the answer is always yes. One thing led to the other, and we ended up creating a whole class play about a fictitious god and goddess on an adventure. The magic of teaching is in the interaction, not in the curriculum. The curriculum stays static, but how you present it always changes. Every year I’ve taught has been a completely different year, really. It’s dictated by the children, who are always different from each other. One year I felt like they were a bunch of economists. Another year they were the picketers. Each class has its own personality.
TONY FRAZIER AVIATION TECHNOLOGY, ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND DRONES TEACHER Arlington Career Center (a STEM-oriented high school) Years Teaching: 25 Frazier spent 20 years in Air Force intelligence, retiring as a technical sergeant before taking up teaching and running Junior ROTC programs in Prince George’s County, Maryland and in West Virginia. He has received teaching awards from the Air & Space Forces Association and the Virginia Department of Education. He is also a commercial pilot.
My students use flight simulators, maps, GPS, visual and paper navigation, weather information, aircraft checklists and other hands-on activities to understand how aviation works.
The program exposes them to flying aircraft, drones, military aviation, engineering, aircraft maintenance, and the decision-making pilots use to communicate, plan and stay safe. Students are not just learning about airplanes; they are building discipline, confidence, problem-solving skills and career awareness that can help them see aviation and aerospace as real possibilities for their future. My big foundation for my classes, being from the military, is respect. I’m respecting you, you’re respecting me. I would never have chosen the teaching profession initially, but I love it. I like to watch the growth process.
I now have about 50 former students who will be pilots, engineers, aircraft maintenance folks. Maybe they’re flying for fun. I’m a part of that process, no matter what they decide to do, and that’s nice. I teach them, and they run with it. One former student is an FBI agent. He said to me, “I want to thank you for staying on me and keeping me disciplined. Everything you said helped me become a federal agent. Now I understand.”
It’s easy for teachers to burn out if they aren’t here for the right reasons. You have to want it. It’s not about you, it’s about the students.
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RACHEL O’LEARY 6TH GRADE TEACHER AND EQUITY LEAD Haycock Elementary School Years Teaching: 16 O’Leary worked in London and South Africa before joining the staff at Haycock nine years ago. In 2025, she was recognized as Falls Church City Public Schools’ Region 2 Teacher of the Year. She lives in Arlington’s Maywood neighborhood.
Every interaction you have with a child is an opportunity to lift them up and really see them and make sure they know that you respect them. The way you speak, what you say, how you position your body, whether you get down to their eye level—all of those things matter. Sixth grade is fun because the kids have
a lot to say. They are thinking critically and they’re becoming teenagers, so they are changing. They care about big issues—the environment, injustice—and they’re at that point in their life where they’re on the cusp of taking action. I love that. I’ve told students, “I am very aware that you could open up ChatGPT, type in a prompt and you could get this out in five minutes, but that’s not why we’re doing this. I’m looking at what you get done in class.” If you show them you want to see how they grow, provide feedback and literally work next to them, then you’re not putting the focus on the grade. You’re putting it on their learning through it.
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I try to be creative with the state-mandated curriculum. One unit on conservationism focused on Marjorie Stoneman Douglas and the Everglades, but many students couldn’t relate because they had no connection to Florida. I contacted the National Park Service, and we did a virtual field trip, where the students could see the vegetation and the animals through the eyes of a park ranger. Give them space to have a voice. You have to ask deep questions so they have an opportunity to really think and engage in meaningful discussions, not just “what’s the right answer?” ■
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BOUND Where Arlington’s Class of 2026 applied to college and where they were accepted
T
he following is a list of the colleges and universities where Arlington Public Schools (APS) high school graduates in the Class of 2026 applied and where they were accepted. The acceptance data is “self-reported” by students and school officials are unable to verify its accuracy. Data are provided for H-B Woodlawn Secondary Program, Wakefield High School, Washington-Liberty High
68 September/October 2026 ■ ArlingtonMagazine.com
School and Yorktown High School, as well as the Arlington Career Center (ACC), whose full-time programs include Arlington Tech, the Academic Academy, the Program for Employment Preparedness and the English Language Institute. The data reflect completed applications only. For brevity, we limited the list to colleges and universities with at least five applicants from the combined high schools.
C OLL EG ES & U N I V ER S I T I E S
Alfred University
ACC/ARLINGTON TECH
H-B WOODLAWN
WAKEFIELD
WASHINGTONLIBERTY
YORKTOWN
Applied
Accepted
Applied
Accepted
Applied
Accepted
Applied
Accepted
Applied
Accepted
1
1
0
0
0
0
3
3
2
2 13
American University
4
3
5
4
32
20
32
23
19
Amherst College
1
0
4
1
0
0
1
0
2
0
Appalachian State University
3
2
1
1
2
2
5
5
5
5
Arizona State University - Tempe
0
0
2
2
7
7
15
14
9
9
Auburn University
2
2
1
1
7
3
17
7
42
34
Barnard College
0
0
0
0
0
0
4
0
3
1
Baylor University
0
0
1
0
0
0
4
2
5
5
Boston College
2
0
6
0
6
0
14
2
12
2
Boston University
4
2
6
2
13
3
31
10
20
6
Brandeis University
0
0
1
0
0
0
2
2
3
3
Bridgewater College
2
2
0
0
6
6
6
6
6
6
Brown University
1
0
10
1
8
1
18
2
16
0
Bryant University
0
0
2
1
1
1
1
1
2
2
Bucknell University
1
1
1
0
2
1
5
3
5
3
Cal Poly
1
1
0
0
0
0
3
2
4
2
Carnegie Mellon University
3
0
7
1
9
2
12
1
7
0
Case Western Reserve University
1
0
5
5
4
4
7
4
6
4
Catholic University of America
2
2
1
1
4
4
6
6
8
7
Chapman University
0
0
0
0
2
0
3
3
2
1 40
Christopher Newport University
4
4
11
7
34
29
23
21
50
Citadel Military College of South Carolina
1
1
0
0
0
0
2
2
2
2
Clark Atlanta University
0
0
0
0
4
3
2
0
2
2
Clark University
0
0
1
1
3
2
0
0
2
2
Clemson University
4
3
6
2
9
5
38
28
80
45
Coastal Carolina University
0
0
3
2
1
1
11
9
14
9
Colby College
1
0
2
0
0
0
1
1
2
0
Colgate University
0
0
1
1
3
1
4
4
5
4
College of Charleston
0
0
7
5
7
7
19
19
34
32
College of the Holy Cross
0
0
0
0
1
0
3
0
2
1
College of Wooster
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
1
5
5
Colorado School of Mines
3
2
0
0
0
0
1
1
4
4
Colorado State University - Fort Collins
4
4
3
2
1
1
4
4
10
10
Columbia University in the City of New York
4
0
5
0
9
0
16
1
10
1
Coppin State University
0
0
0
0
3
3
2
1
1
1
Cornell University
6
1
4
1
8
2
20
2
21
6
Culinary Institute of America
1
1
0
0
0
0
3
3
3
2
Dartmouth College
2
0
0
0
1
0
11
3
12
3
Davidson College
0
0
2
1
0
0
2
1
4
0
Denison University
0
0
1
0
0
0
1
1
6
5
DePaul University
0
0
1
1
8
6
5
5
4
1
Dickinson College
0
0
3
3
1
1
3
3
2
2
Drexel University
5
5
7
5
11
11
21
20
15
15
Duke University
3
1
7
0
8
1
32
3
23
3
Duquesne University
0
0
2
2
0
0
2
2
4
4
East Carolina University
1
1
0
0
1
1
6
5
14
12
Eastern Mennonite University
1
1
0
0
3
3
3
2
3
3
Eckerd College
2
2
0
0
1
1
2
2
1
0
Elizabethtown College
0
0
0
0
1
1
3
3
2
2
ArlingtonMagazine.com ■ September/October 2026
69
■ college bound C O L L E G ES & U N I V ER SI T I E S
ACC/ARLINGTON TECH Applied
Accepted
H-B WOODLAWN Applied
Accepted
WAKEFIELD Applied
Accepted
WASHINGTONLIBERTY
Applied
YORKTOWN
Accepted
Applied
Accepted
13
Elon University
2
2
6
6
5
4
9
6
15
Embry-Riddle - Daytona Beach
3
3
0
0
3
3
3
2
0
0
Emerson College
1
1
1
1
4
4
4
4
4
2
Emory & Henry College
0
0
0
0
3
2
1
1
2
2
Emory University
3
0
5
2
3
0
13
5
11
2
Fairfield University
0
0
1
0
1
0
8
2
6
3
Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University
0
0
0
0
4
1
1
1
1
0
Florida Atlantic University
0
0
0
0
4
0
3
2
5
1
Florida Institute of Technology
1
1
1
0
4
4
2
2
0
0
Florida International University
1
0
0
0
4
3
7
6
3
0
Florida State University
2
1
3
1
1
1
28
7
23
8 21
Fordham University
1
1
6
3
19
11
27
15
29
Franklin & Marshall College
0
0
3
2
2
2
3
2
3
1
Furman University
1
1
1
1
1
0
0
0
5
4
George Mason University
42
39
24
13
145
131
162
151
106
91
George Washington University
6
2
8
6
30
10
56
26
34
15
Georgetown University
2
0
2
0
8
1
23
7
13
1
Georgia Institute of Technology
8
2
4
0
8
0
25
4
22
5
Georgia State University
0
0
0
0
1
1
3
2
1
1
Gettysburg College
0
0
1
1
3
3
1
1
4
4
Goucher College
1
1
0
0
2
2
1
1
1
1
Hampden-Sydney College
0
0
0
0
1
1
2
1
2
2
Hampton University
0
0
0
0
9
6
4
3
5
3
Harvard University
2
0
3
0
8
1
21
1
18
0
Haverford College
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
1
4
4
Hawaii Pacific University
0
0
1
1
0
0
0
0
5
5
High Point University
2
2
0
0
1
1
2
2
5
4
Hofstra University
0
0
0
0
2
2
5
5
3
3
Hollins University
1
1
2
1
4
3
4
3
2
2
Howard University
3
3
1
0
16
10
16
7
6
2
Indiana University - Bloomington
0
0
8
7
10
4
40
36
63
56
Iowa State University
2
2
0
0
4
4
3
2
2
2
Ithaca College
2
2
3
1
2
2
3
3
5
2
Jack Kent Cooke Foundation
0
0
0
0
4
1
1
0
0
0
James Madison University
22
16
45
33
133
88
215
175
213
165 0
Johns Hopkins University
3
0
4
0
9
1
15
0
15
Johnson & Wales University - Charlotte
1
1
0
0
1
1
2
2
1
1
Johnson & Wales University - Providence
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
3
3
Kent State University
0
0
1
1
1
1
2
2
2
2
Kenyon College
0
0
2
2
0
0
1
1
3
3
Lafayette College
0
0
2
2
0
0
0
0
3
2
Lehigh University
1
1
2
1
2
2
10
7
8
7
Liberty University
0
0
0
0
12
11
6
3
12
12
Longwood University
2
2
1
1
8
6
10
10
13
13 15
Louisiana State University
0
0
1
1
21
18
25
19
19
Loyola Marymount University
1
1
1
1
2
1
5
2
0
0
Loyola University Chicago
0
0
0
0
4
4
7
7
2
2
Loyola University Maryland
0
0
0
0
2
2
2
2
3
2
Macalester College
0
0
2
2
0
0
2
1
2
1
70 September/October 2026 ■ ArlingtonMagazine.com
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■ college bound C O L L E G ES & U N I V ER SI T I E S
ACC/ARLINGTON TECH Applied
Accepted
H-B WOODLAWN Applied
Accepted
WAKEFIELD Applied
Accepted
WASHINGTONLIBERTY
Applied
Accepted
YORKTOWN Applied
Accepted
Manhattan University
0
0
0
0
2
2
2
2
3
3
Marquette University
1
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
3
3
Marshall University
0
0
0
0
2
1
2
2
5
5
Mary Baldwin College
1
1
0
0
9
9
2
2
5
5
Maryland Institute College of Art
1
1
3
1
0
0
2
2
1
1 25
Marymount University
11
10
4
0
52
48
37
32
26
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
1
0
2
1
3
0
8
1
3
1
McDaniel College
1
1
0
0
5
4
3
3
3
3
McGill University
0
0
1
1
2
2
4
3
2
2
Miami University - Oxford
0
0
0
0
4
4
5
5
15
14
Michigan State University
3
3
3
1
14
10
23
20
37
31
Middlebury College
0
0
1
1
0
0
2
1
2
0
Montana State University
1
1
0
0
0
0
1
1
4
4
Morgan State University
0
0
0
0
5
5
4
3
5
5
Mount Holyoke College
0
0
1
0
2
2
2
2
1
1
Mount St Mary's University
0
0
1
1
2
2
2
2
4
4
Muhlenberg College
0
0
2
2
0
0
3
3
4
4
New Jersey Institute of Technology
0
0
0
0
2
2
3
3
0
0
New School
1
1
0
0
1
1
4
4
0
0
New York Institute of Technology
0
0
0
0
1
1
5
4
3
3
New York University
6
1
4
1
18
2
40
13
24
5
Norfolk State University
0
0
0
0
8
6
9
5
4
4
North Carolina A & T State University
1
1
0
0
13
8
8
5
6
3
North Carolina State University
3
2
8
3
5
2
24
14
29
11 22
Northeastern University
5
5
16
8
20
11
46
20
42
Northern VA Community College - Alexandria
2
2
0
0
15
15
29
28
8
8
Northern VA Community College - Annandale
15
15
0
0
130
128
109
109
34
34
Northern VA Community College - Loudoun
0
0
1
1
3
3
6
6
4
4
Northern VA Community College - Springfield
0
0
0
0
3
3
6
5
3
3
Northern VA Community College - Woodbridge
0
0
0
0
9
9
7
7
9
9
Northwestern University
0
0
3
0
8
1
17
2
23
1
Norwich University
0
0
1
1
1
1
1
1
2
2
Oberlin College
0
0
4
3
0
0
4
3
3
3
Occidental College
0
0
0
0
0
0
4
3
2
2
Ohio State University
4
4
3
3
9
6
15
9
29
16
Oklahoma State University
2
2
0
0
1
1
3
3
0
0
Old Dominion University
8
8
7
5
72
68
56
48
49
48
Oregon State University
1
1
1
1
1
1
3
3
3
3
Pace University
1
1
2
2
4
3
9
7
5
2
Pennsylvania State University
17
17
20
16
61
51
134
124
131
108
Pepperdine University
0
0
0
0
2
2
2
2
4
2
Plymouth State University
0
0
1
1
1
1
2
2
3
3
Posse Foundation
1
1
1
0
1
1
1
0
1
0
Pratt Institute
1
1
0
0
2
2
5
5
1
1
Princeton University
1
0
4
0
6
2
18
1
12
0
Providence College
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
1
4
4
Purdue University
14
12
11
11
12
5
22
11
33
22
Radford University
4
4
2
0
24
22
22
20
26
22
72 September/October 2026 ■ ArlingtonMagazine.com
C O L L EG ES & U N I V ER S I T I E S
ACC/ARLINGTON TECH Applied
H-B WOODLAWN
Accepted
Applied
WAKEFIELD
Accepted
Applied
Accepted
WASHINGTONLIBERTY
Applied
Accepted
YORKTOWN Applied
Accepted
Randolph College
1
1
0
0
3
3
6
6
3
3
Randolph-Macon College
1
1
2
2
7
5
4
4
3
2
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
3
3
0
0
5
5
4
4
4
4
Rhode Island School of Design
1
0
2
0
2
0
3
0
2
0
Rice University
0
0
0
0
3
0
11
1
9
1
Richard Bland College of William and Mary
2
2
1
0
6
6
0
0
1
1
Roanoke College
1
0
0
0
2
2
7
6
2
2
Rochester Institute of Technology
14
14
8
4
9
8
13
12
8
8
Roger Williams University
0
0
3
3
1
1
0
0
1
1
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
4
4
0
0
1
1
1
1
3
3
Rutgers University
3
3
3
3
15
13
17
11
21
19
Saint Joseph's University
0
0
0
0
1
0
2
2
5
4
Salisbury University
1
1
1
1
0
0
4
3
3
2
San Diego State University
0
0
1
1
5
4
3
3
3
3
Santa Clara University
0
0
1
1
1
1
1
1
2
2
Savannah College of Art and Design
2
2
1
1
3
3
4
4
3
3
Seton Hall University
0
0
1
1
4
4
1
1
3
3
Sewanee - The University of the South
0
0
1
1
0
0
2
1
2
2
Shenandoah University
4
4
1
0
15
14
10
10
8
5
Skidmore College
1
1
2
2
0
0
2
1
0
0
Smith College
0
0
1
0
1
0
4
3
1
1
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■ college bound C O L L E G ES & U N I V ER SI T I E S
ACC/ARLINGTON TECH Applied
Accepted
H-B WOODLAWN Applied
Accepted
WAKEFIELD Applied
Accepted
WASHINGTONLIBERTY
Applied
Accepted
YORKTOWN Applied
Accepted
Southern University and A&M College
0
0
1
1
4
4
0
0
0
0
Spelman College
1
1
0
0
2
1
3
2
0
0
St Mary's College of Maryland
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
1
4
4
St. John's University (NY)
2
2
0
0
3
3
1
1
3
3
Stanford University
3
0
3
0
7
1
12
1
15
0
Stony Brook University
1
1
0
0
6
6
6
6
1
1
SUNY at Binghamton
2
2
2
1
3
3
8
6
2
1
SUNY Buffalo State
1
1
0
0
3
2
2
2
0
0
Swarthmore College
0
0
2
1
1
1
6
0
2
1
Syracuse University
5
4
7
4
9
5
25
21
24
19 16
Temple University
1
1
4
3
17
17
20
20
18
Texas A & M University
1
1
1
1
2
0
7
2
6
2
Texas Christian University
0
0
0
0
1
0
1
1
5
3
Towson University
0
0
0
0
6
5
8
8
5
5
Tufts University
4
0
5
1
7
3
12
1
11
2
Tulane University
0
0
1
0
2
0
18
4
20
8
Tuskegee University
0
0
0
0
5
4
2
2
2
1
Union College (NY)
0
0
2
1
0
0
1
0
2
2
United States Naval Academy
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
1
4
3
University at Buffalo
2
2
0
0
1
1
0
0
5
5
University of Alabama
0
0
1
1
3
3
11
11
17
15
University of Arizona
1
1
1
1
3
3
8
7
11
8
University of California - Berkeley
4
0
6
0
4
0
15
3
12
2
University of California - Davis
1
1
2
2
0
0
4
3
2
1
University of California - Irvine
0
0
4
3
1
1
3
1
4
2
University of California - Los Angeles
2
0
4
2
4
1
16
3
8
3
University of California - San Diego
1
0
3
1
5
2
11
7
5
2
University of California - Santa Barbara
1
1
3
3
3
1
9
8
8
8
University of California - Santa Cruz
0
0
2
2
2
1
1
1
1
1
University of Central Florida
1
0
0
0
2
2
3
2
10
6
University of Chicago
1
0
1
0
2
0
14
2
6
0
University of Cincinnati
1
1
1
1
6
6
7
7
8
7
University of Colorado Boulder
7
6
10
7
10
7
41
36
66
52
University of Connecticut - Storrs
1
1
4
3
7
5
14
12
18
15
University of Dayton
0
0
0
0
3
3
0
0
2
1
University of Delaware
4
4
15
14
14
8
39
32
70
57
University of Denver
2
2
1
0
1
1
6
6
8
8
University of Florida
5
1
2
0
1
0
26
8
41
17 24
University of Georgia
0
0
5
2
2
0
27
14
58
University of Houston
0
0
0
0
1
0
4
4
1
0
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
3
0
4
1
5
3
19
3
18
8
University of Iowa
0
0
0
0
1
1
1
0
5
4
University of Kansas
2
2
0
0
2
2
4
3
2
2 19
University of Kentucky
0
0
1
1
4
3
10
9
20
University of Louisville
0
0
1
0
0
0
3
3
3
3
University of Lynchburg
1
1
0
0
5
5
8
8
6
5
University of Maine
1
1
1
1
1
1
5
5
5
5
University of Mary Washington
5
5
13
9
33
29
34
31
26
20
74 September/October 2026 ■ ArlingtonMagazine.com
C OLL EG ES & U N I V ER S I T I E S
ACC/ARLINGTON TECH Applied
Accepted
H-B WOODLAWN Applied
WAKEFIELD
Accepted
Applied
Accepted
WASHINGTONLIBERTY
Applied
Accepted
YORKTOWN Applied
Accepted
University of Maryland - Baltimore County
0
0
0
0
1
1
6
5
2
2
University of Maryland - College Park
12
7
9
5
19
7
39
13
39
17
University of Maryland Eastern Shore
1
1
0
0
3
3
1
1
0
0
University of Massachusetts - Amherst
3
3
5
4
9
5
17
14
14
14
University of Massachusetts - Boston
1
1
0
0
2
1
2
2
2
2
University of Miami
5
3
3
2
8
3
18
5
16
6
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
6
1
8
0
13
2
51
12
58
4
University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
2
2
2
1
7
4
18
16
14
12 20
University of Mississippi
0
0
0
0
3
3
6
6
20
University of New Hampshire
2
2
2
1
3
3
6
6
7
7
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
5
0
11
1
9
1
47
3
40
10
University of North Carolina at Charlotte
0
0
1
1
3
3
8
6
5
4
University of North Carolina Wilmington
2
2
5
3
1
1
7
6
12
7
University of Notre Dame
0
0
1
0
5
0
9
0
16
1
University of Oklahoma
1
1
1
1
0
0
3
3
5
3 16
University of Oregon
0
0
5
4
8
8
15
15
17
University of Pennsylvania
1
0
4
0
12
0
24
2
19
1
University of Pittsburgh
9
9
24
23
35
24
98
90
110
93
University of Rhode Island
2
2
4
2
8
8
11
11
7
6
University of Richmond
2
1
9
2
21
6
14
8
16
6
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ArlingtonMagazine.com ■ September/October 2026
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■ college bound C O L L E G ES & U N I V ER SI T I E S
ACC/ARLINGTON TECH Applied
Accepted
H-B WOODLAWN Applied
Accepted
WAKEFIELD Applied
WASHINGTONLIBERTY
Accepted
Applied
Accepted
YORKTOWN Applied
Accepted
University of Rochester
1
0
3
2
4
2
11
9
3
3
University of San Diego
0
0
0
0
2
0
6
3
5
0
University of San Francisco
0
0
1
1
2
0
5
4
4
4
University of South Carolina - Columbia
0
0
8
5
16
8
42
27
83
51
University of South Florida
1
0
0
0
3
2
11
9
6
4
University of Southern California
4
0
6
1
8
1
19
3
16
4
University of St Andrews
1
1
0
0
0
0
2
2
3
3
University of Tampa
1
1
0
0
4
1
12
6
13
6
University of Tennessee - Knoxville
3
2
3
1
8
6
23
13
73
52
University of Texas at Austin
1
0
5
0
4
1
13
6
31
5
University of the District of Columbia
1
1
0
0
5
5
5
5
1
1
University of Toronto
0
0
0
0
2
2
4
4
1
1
University of Utah
1
1
0
0
0
0
4
4
10
10
University of Vermont
2
1
11
9
8
8
30
29
15
13
University of Virginia
36
9
61
19
102
22
217
68
223
50
University of Virginia's College at Wise
1
1
4
3
11
10
4
4
5
5
University of Washington - Seattle
2
1
13
7
2
0
28
15
25
16
University of Wisconsin - Madison
5
4
6
4
10
5
47
23
43
27
Vanderbilt University
2
0
3
0
9
0
20
3
25
0
Vassar College
0
0
1
0
0
0
1
0
3
1
Villanova University
0
0
0
0
3
1
6
1
14
3
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fairlingtondental.com 76 September/October 2026 ■ ArlingtonMagazine.com
Contact us for a free second opinion.
C OLL EG ES & U N I V ER S I T I E S
Virginia Commonwealth University
ACC/ARLINGTON TECH
H-B WOODLAWN
WAKEFIELD
WASHINGTONLIBERTY
YORKTOWN
Applied
Accepted
Applied
Accepted
Applied
Accepted
Applied
Accepted
Applied
Accepted
27
25
23
18
129
115
133
125
90
81
Virginia Military Institute
1
1
1
1
2
2
3
3
3
3
Virginia State University
1
1
0
0
21
19
11
8
7
6
Virginia Tech
43
30
38
20
118
49
221
135
223
112
Virginia Wesleyan University
2
2
0
0
6
4
9
6
10
10
Wake Forest University
0
0
7
2
2
2
10
3
22
8
Washington and Lee University
0
0
3
1
4
0
2
1
10
1
Washington College
0
0
1
1
2
2
1
1
1
1
Washington State University
1
1
0
0
0
0
2
2
2
1
Washington University in St Louis
3
0
2
1
2
0
4
1
7
2
Wesleyan University
1
1
3
3
1
0
5
3
7
3
West Virginia State University
1
1
0
0
5
5
4
4
5
5
West Virginia University
5
5
3
2
9
8
20
20
35
35
Wheaton College (MA)
0
0
1
1
0
0
3
3
3
3
William and Mary
9
3
24
11
42
18
104
43
69
27
Williams College
0
0
2
1
0
0
1
0
2
0
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
7
6
1
0
4
4
1
1
2
2
Xavier University of Louisiana
0
0
0
0
2
2
1
1
2
2
Yale University
1
0
5
1
6
0
19
1
17
3
York College Pennsylvania
0
0
0
0
3
2
2
2
1
1
Discover K-12 Classic Christian Education in the Washington, D.C. Area
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ArlingtonMagazine.com ■ September/October 2026
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PR IVAT E S C H O O L S
S P E C I A L A D V E RT I S I NG S E C T IO N
PRIVATE SCHOOLS
R
RA •G
EN •G
C • LO
E IZE NT ACH /TE UDE N SS S ENTATIO L STULATIO G. CLA D A U T R • ST • TO POP • AV
BASIS Independent McLean
PK-12
Co-Ed
McLean
703
15
7:1
None
Bishop O'Connell High School
9-12
Co-Ed
Arlington
1,240
24
11:1
Roman Catholic
Brooksfield School
Toddler-K
Co-Ed
McLean
134
20
Toddlers 5:1 PreK/K 10:1
None
Congressional School
Infant-Grade 8
Co-Ed
Falls Church
485
18
10:1
None
Grace Episcopal School
PK-5
Co-Ed
Alexandria
110
15
6:1
Episcopal
Our Savior Lutheran School
PK-8
Co-Ed
Arlington
160
17
15:1
Lutheran
Rivendell School
K-8
Co-Ed
Arlington
146
16
9:1
Christian
St. John's College High School
9-12
Co-Ed
Chevy Chase, MD
1,300
19
12:1
Roman Catholic
St. Stephen's and St. Agnes School
PK-12
Co-Ed
Alexandria
1,230
15
6:1
Episcopal
Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart
PK-12
Girls (PK-K Co-Ed)
Bethesda
786
varies
varies
Roman Catholic
The Country Day School
PK-K
Co-Ed
McLean
n/a
n/a
8:1
None
The George Washington University Online High School
8-12
Co-Ed
Ashburn
n/a
n/a
1:1
None
The Siena School
3-12
Co-Ed
Oakton
50
10
5:1
None
The Sycamore School
5-12
Co-Ed
Arlington
45
10
6:1
None
Veritas Collegiate Academy
K-12
Co-Ed
Arlington
200
15
10:1
Christian
Westminster School
PK-8
Co-Ed
Annandale
235
12 to 14
12:1
None
L OO
H
C •S
DES
DER
N ATIO
N S IOU IATIO ELIG AFFIL R •
DWhere Curiosity Becomes Confidence At BASIS Independent McLean, students build the confidence to explore ideas deeply, think independently, and embrace meaningful challenges every day.
See what's possible.
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78 September/October 2026 ■ ArlingtonMagazine.com
S PE C I A L A D V E RT I S I N G S E C T I O N
P R I VAT E S C H O O L S
Essential Information on 16 Independent Schools N
ITIO
T TU
M
N
ITIO
T TU
GES D GUAFFERE O
ITE
•
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N
N
$30,900
$40,950
Spanish, French, Latin, Mandarin
Y
Y
$22,900
$25,430
Spanish, French, German, Latin, ASL bishopoconnell.org
703-237-1400
N
Y
$18,847
$31,541
Spanish
brooksfieldschool.org
703-356-5437
Y
Y
$31,300
$39,950
Spanish, French, Latin
congressionalschool.org
703-533-9711
Y
N
$13,470 (Half-day preschool)
$26,405
Spanish
graceschoolalex.org
703-549-5067
Dress Code
N
$9,503
$10,103
Spanish
osvaschool.org
703-892-4846
Y
N
$13,500
$13,500
Spanish, Latin
rivendellschool.net
703-532-1200
Y
Y
$29,950
$29,950
Spanish, French, Latin
stjohnschs.org
202-363-2316
Dress Code
Y
$44,960
$57,995
Spanish, French, Latin, Chinese
SSSAS.org
703-212-2700
Y
Y
$38,050
$51,700
Spanish, French, Latin
stoneridgeschool.org
301-657-4322
N
N
$3,694
$24,741
Spanish
countryday.org
703-356-4282
N
N
$1,250 (Part-time middle school 1-semester enrollment)
$16,000
Spanish, ESL
gwuohs.com
877-382-2015
Dress Code
N
$54,970
$55,993
14 Languages Virtually
thesienaschool.org
703-745-5900
N
N
$1,000 (needs-based aid)
$48,000
Spanish, French, ASL
thesycamoreschoolva.org
703-717-5360
Y
Y
$25,000
$31,000
Spanish, Latin, Chinese, Russian
veritasacademydc.com
866-564-4233
Y
Y
$25,463
$38,748
Spanish, French, Latin
westminsterschool.com
703-256-3620
R NIFO
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ES IGH
•H
EBS
N • LA
•W
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PURSUING KNOWLEDGE
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HON
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703-854-1253
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Be honored for who you are and who you will become. F Build strong academic foundations and increased independence through curiousity, creativity, and care. F Grow to the fullest potential and discover new talents. F Graduate prepared to thrive in college, career, and life. F Lead with goodness and integrity.
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Register for Campus Tours & Open House events SSSAS.org/Visit Alexandria, VA | Age 3-Grade 12 | Coed Episcopal Small Class Sizes (~15) | Extensive Bus Service ArlingtonMagazine.com ■ September/October 2026
79
PR IVAT E S C H O O L S
S P E C I A L A D V E RT I S I NG S E C T IO N
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kristin.murphy@arlingtonmagazine.com
80 September/October 2026 ■ ArlingtonMagazine.com
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ArlingtonMagazine.com ■ September/October 2026
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PR IVAT E S C H O O L S
S P E C I A L A D V E RT I S I NG S E C T IO N
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82 September/October 2026 ■ ArlingtonMagazine.com
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P R I VAT E S C H O O L S
explore wonder grow
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ArlingtonMagazine.com ■ September/October 2026
83
The original brick fireplace is now a freestanding sculptural element.
84 September/October 2026 ■ ArlingtonMagazine.com
The metamorphosis included a dramatic butterfly roof.
Serenity Now A typical 1950s Arlington rambler is transformed into a light-filled Scandinavian jewel box. BY JENNIFER BARGER | PHOTOS BY LAURA METZLER
L
iving space was tight when Julie and Craig Feldman and their then-tween son moved into a 1,200-square-foot rambler in Arlington’s Leeway-Overlee neighborhood in 2018. “But we loved the lot and location,” says Julie, a nonprofit development director. “We always dreamed of the possibilities it held.” It took the couple (he’s a software engineer) until 2024 to come up with an expanded vision for their one-story residence, built in 1952. They called Yuri Sagatov, principal of ODE Design
in Falls Church, after touring a nearby house his firm had renovated. Together, they mapped out a plan to introduce a second story and a small first-floor addition, while bringing a minimalist, midcentury modern look to their home’s interior and exterior. To gain space, popping up was a no-brainer. ODE added a second level with a dynamic butterfly roof, transforming the snug rambler into a 3,000-square-foot home with four bedrooms and four baths. “It’s an efficient floorplan, because we worked within
the constraints of the existing house and just built up and out a little bit,” Sagatov says. Moving most of the bedrooms to the second floor allowed the design-build team to use the first floor for a generously sized living and dining area, as well as a slightly larger and more functional kitchen. One original bedroom on the main level was converted into a home office. The kitchen’s quiet aesthetic sets the tone for the entire remodel, juxtaposing natural oak with both white
ArlingtonMagazine.com ■ September/October 2026
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■
serenity now
and black cabinets, creamy soapstone countertops and large windows. A zippy orange pendant light lends a splash of color. “We didn’t have room for an island, but that U-shaped kitchen with a cute little double-sided peninsula was a great solution,” Craig says, referencing the projecting countertop that doubles as a breakfast bar. “My wife, son and I
can all eat there informally, or one of us can sit there and enjoy a quiet cup of coffee.” Vertical Ann Sacks tiles add a textural dimension to the backsplash and range hood, as well as the column supporting the peninsula. The Scandinavian vibe carries over into the adjoining living room, where a simple wet bar features blond wood
86 September/October 2026 ■ ArlingtonMagazine.com
shelves and another vertical tile backsplash—this time, Ann Sacks “MADE Modern” in petal pink. White oak plank flooring throughout the house creates continuity and a feeling of calm. The main floor’s most striking feature isn’t a new element—it’s the home’s original red-brick fireplace, which ODE preserved as a centerpiece. Removing interior walls allowed it to
A second-floor catwalk overlooks the living room.
A custom wardrobe by the front door serves as a coat closet.
Skylights channel sunlight indoors.
The kitchen and wet bar
emerge as a freestanding sculptural element that separates the dining area from the living room. “That hearth pays homage to the original home and its history,” Sagatov says. “Plus, it adds depth and drama as you walk into the new space.” The remodel’s relatively modest size and open floor plan did require a bit of creativity when it came to storArlingtonMagazine.com ■ September/October 2026
87
■
serenity now
Natural finishes and subtle textures lend elegance to the primary suite and its adjoining bathroom.
age. A sleek, custom-built wardrobe by the front door serves as a drop zone for coats, bags and shoes. In the living room, stair treads wrap around the staircase to provide open shelving. “That created a nice space for displaying family photos and other precious items,” Julie says. “It was such a clever concept.” Upstairs, the butterfly roofline yields vaulted ceilings that impart a feeling of airiness. In the son’s bedroom (he’s now 17), ODE maximized that verticality to create a loft. “That’s his own space,” Craig says. “He plays video games, does his homework and listens to music up there.”
“Though the three bedrooms upstairs aren’t huge—the primary is just 12 feet by 12 feet—those higher ceilings make them feel welcoming and spacious,” Sagatov says. The primary bedroom’s ensuite bathroom is a study in neutrals, featuring speckled terrazzo floors, a large walk-in shower and window walls clad in white mosaic tiles. A stylish circular sconce adds functional lighting next to a freestanding soaking tub. Natural light is among the most striking design features of the reworked house. Elements such as a second-floor landing and well-placed skylights help to channel it inside.
88 September/October 2026 ■ ArlingtonMagazine.com
The Feldmans moved back in January of 2025. “It’s a completely different home,” Craig says. “We didn’t know exactly what to expect when we started the process, but the collaboration with Yuri and ODE was filled with trust and exploration.” “They didn’t want to create a massive house or do a teardown,” Sagatov says. “They just wanted to give themselves a bit more room.” ■ Jennifer Barger is a D.C.-based features writer and the content director of Consumer’s Checkbook. Her newsletter, The Souvenirist, maps the intersection of travel, retail and design.
PROFILES
Home Experts
SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION
DeFalco Home Design TRIPP DEFALCO, AIA
Q: How do you help your clients during construction? A: I want my clients’ designs to be executed as we envisioned, so I am in close contact with the builder throughout the process. I review the builder’s shop drawings and material submittals and attend periodic site meetings with my clients. Without the presence of an architect to help both client and builder make decisions and solve inevitable issues, the process can be needlessly stressful and the end product disappointing.
Q: How would your clients describe you? A: I’ll use some of their testimonials: “Tripp listens carefully and offers creative solutions. He is organized, efficient and great at communication. We hope to work with him again someday!” “Building a home from scratch can be overwhelming, and Tripp has a good sense of timing in terms of keeping the project moving while maintaining a manageable decision-making schedule for the client.”
Awards & Honors
SKIP BROWN
— Bachelor of Architecture, Syracuse University — Licensed Architect, VA & NC — NCARB Certified to practice nationally — Arlington Magazine Winner, Best Architect, 2022, 2024 & 2026
“Not only did Tripp help us with a beautiful design for our Arlington home, he’s also deeply experienced on the construction side. Hiring him is like hiring an expert/ advisor to have in your corner through the life of the project—from design to permitting and beyond. Lastly, Tripp is level-headed, patient, responsive and all around a very easy and pleasant person to work with. You would be very lucky to get him as your architect on your next project.”
12016 North Shore Drive Reston, VA 20190 703-483-2427 info@defalcohomedesign.com www.defalcohomedesign.com
ArlingtonMagazine.com ■ September/October 2026
89
PROFILES
Home Experts
SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION
Classic Cottages, LLC
Classic Cottages is Northern Virginia’s premier integrated homebuilder. Since 2010, our guided design-build journey delivers refined simplicity and complete pricing visibility, ensuring every home is timeless and designed for modern living.
From left: Evan Muelenaer, Chief Operations Officer; David Tracy, President & Chief Executive Officer and Pratik Lohani, Architectural Designer
Q: For a buyer looking to personalize a home already under construction, how does that experience look?
A: We focus on a highly collaborative,
ized home, and the earlier a buyer gets in, the more creative control they have. If the project is in the early stages, they can step into the driver’s seat and work with us to choose curated finishes like cabinetry, countertops, tile and plumbing fixtures. It allows them to make the space completely their own on a much faster timeline than starting from scratch.
low-friction experience from day one. When clients come to us to build on their lot, we prioritize their specific lifestyle vision. Whether they want a sleek, modern design or a traditional style that blends into an older neighborhood, our team aligns completely with their goals. We guide them through every architectural decision to ensure the structural layout is perfectly optimized for how they live.
A: It’s a streamlined path to a personal-
Q: What is the ultimate goal when
handing over the keys to a finished home?
90 September/October 2026 ■ ArlingtonMagazine.com
A: Our goal is to deliver a home that balances sophisticated design with longterm architectural integrity. No matter the project path, we blend intelligent layout choices, modern conveniences and an effortless flow into every single house. We want our clients to step into a space that feels deeply personal, effortlessly elegant and built to look beautiful and function for decades.
433 E. Monroe Ave. Alexandria, VA 22301 703-256-1400 classiccottages.com
JOSEPH TRAN
Q: What can someone building a custom home with you expect from the architectural design and collaboration process?
PROFILES
Home Experts
COURTESY PHOTOS
SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION
ArlingtonMagazine.com ■ September/October 2026
91
PROFILES
Home Experts
SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION
Arlington Designer Homes Construction, LLC ANDREW MOORE
Arlington native Andrew Moore, president of Arlington Designer Homes, has served as a translator at the Arlington Free Clinic, on Arlington Public School planning commissions and as president of the Custom Builders Council.
home builder specializing in green energy efficient construction. My father started ADH’s home building business forty years ago! Twenty years later, I took over day-today operations. We have seen so many changes over the years: the population of Arlington has doubled, the amount of vacant land has decreased and the rules of building have completely changed.
Q: How has the industry changed over the course of your career? A: I used to say with enough time and money anyone could build their own
home. That is no longer the case today. Now you need a specialist to walk you through all the rules and regulations, zoning, building codes, new material and design trends, as well as an experienced individual who will manage the overall project. Your build will be most successful if you work with a team of professionals that can achieve your objectives.
the correct team together to accomplish their goals. The first step is finding the right builder. Having completed over one hundred projects in and around Arlington, the Arlington Designer Homes team has the experience, knowledge and expertise to help you design, build and enjoy your new or renovated home. We build for the way you live.
Q: Why should I choose Arlington Designer Homes? A: We work with our clients to identify any challenges early on so that we can mitigate their impact and create a calm, predictable process. This entails putting
92 September/October 2026 ■ ArlingtonMagazine.com
4719 N. 24th Road Arlington, VA 22207 703-475-9313 arlingtondesignerhomes@gmail.com www.ArlingtonDesignerHomes.com
JOSEPH TRAN
Q: Please give us a brief history of ADH. A: Arlington Designer Homes is a custom
PROFILES
Home Experts
SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION
Bowers Design Build Q: What is the one thing your clients should know about you? A: For over 35 years, our mission has been to create an exceptional experience for homeowners navigating one of life’s biggest investments. Renovating or building a home can feel overwhelming, which is why we’ve developed a proven design-build process that guides clients from concept through construction with clarity, communication and accountability. Our motto, “A Passion for Excellence,” reflects our commitment to exceptional design, quality craftsmanship and an exceptional client experience.
Q: What makes you different than other home professionals? A: It is built into our DNA to make sure each project is exceptional from start to finish. Our on-staff architects, interior designers and construction professionals work as a team with one goal in mind: a happy client. This integrated approach provides a high-quality, “surprise-free” experience because our team follows a well-defined process, brings decades of experience, and is driven to deliver bestin-class design and construction.
Q: What’s an example of something in your professional life that you’re particularly proud of? A: While we’re honored by industry
MONICA BARANKO
We are a nationally and regionally recognized, family owned, award-winning design-build firm serving Northern Virginia for 36 years. We specialize in whole-home renovations, major additions, custom homes and aging-in-place solutions.
recognition across the country, we’re most proud of the trust our clients place in us. Nearly one-third of our projects come from repeat clients, and many others are referrals from past customers. Those long-term relationships are the true measure of our success and reflect the care and commitment we bring to every project. When we transform a home or build a new home and clients tell us they miss us when the project is over, there is no greater compliment.
6715 Whittier Ave., Suite 200, McLean, VA 22101 703-506-0845 | info@bowersdesignbuild.com www.bowersdesignbuild.com
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PROFILES
Home Experts
SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION
Gabrielle Witkin SOTHEBY’S INTERNATIONAL REALTY®
Q: What sets you apart in this crowded industry? A: I have spent over 15 years in Arlington and McLean. The real value I bring is not a comp report or a lockbox code: it is judgment. When your home should be priced below what you hoped, I say so. When an offer looks strong on paper, but the buyer will not actually close, I say that, too. My clients are busy people making one of the largest financial decisions of their lives. They do not need cheerleading. They need someone who will tell them the truth and hold the line when it matters most.
Q: How has your personal background shaped your professional success? A: I grew up a military brat. I have packed up a life and started over more times than I can count. So, I understand what a move actually costs a family. Not just the money, but the disruption, the timing, the emotional weight of getting it right. That is why I lead with listening. Before I ever talk strategy, I want to understand what you are really worried about.
Empathy tells me what matters to you. The data tells me how to get you there. You get both.
1206 30th St., NW Washington, D.C. 20007 202-480-1435 Gabrielle.witkin@sothebysrealty.com gabriellewitkin.com
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COURTESY PHOTO
“Most agents tell you what you want to hear. I tell you the truth. In Arlington and McLean, that is the difference between a good sale and a great one.”
My training is unusual for this work. I studied biomedical engineering and spent years as a management consultant for a top global firm. I think in systems and evidence. When I price your home or structure a negotiation, it is not a hunch. It is a plan.
PROFILES
Home Experts
SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION
AJ Building Services ANDY JELONEK | DANIEL SANDERS
Q: What makes AJ Building Services the premier Arlington contractor? A: We’re a family-owned-and-operated home remodeling company specializing in custom home remodels, additions and carpentry. Our vast experience is invaluable for projects in Arlington area homes, which have wide ranges in age, styles, building materials and homeowner needs. Over our careers, we’ve seen just about everything and solved many building challenges for clients.
Q: What would you say is the key to your success? A: Our philosophy is that consistent communication is integral to our clients’ needs. We pride ourselves on accessibility. Building or remodeling a home can be challenging, so from start to finish we are on site supervising our teams. We strive to ensure the highest quality craftsmanship and satisfaction, and we are especially proud of our 5-star Google rating. With the many concerns that a homeowner can have during construction, we are here to guide you through and deliver high-quality projects in an efficient manner.
Q: Tell us about AJ Building Services’ owners. A: Together, we have over 60 years of
TONY J. LEWIS
“We have had the pleasure of working with AJ Building Services on two large projects. We are thrilled with the design, quality, workmanship and the ease with which projects get done.”
experience in the building industry with expertise in custom carpentry, building new homes, restoring older homes and all types of projects large and small. We understand the importance of having a project manager that is knowledgeable, runs a project smoothly and efficiently, and works within the homeowner’s budget. We enjoy listening to our customers’ dreams of their home’s potential functionality and beauty and then making them a reality. We work tirelessly to deliver projects on time.
703-638-4666 aj.bld.services@gmail.com www.ajbuildingservices.com @ajbldservices
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PROFILES
Home Experts
SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION
Candee Currie TTR SOTHEBY’S INTERNATIONAL REALTY
Q: What should prospective clients know about you? A: I am a problem solver. I work through even the most challenging situations with determination and professionalism. I am trusted for my discretion, elevated service, market knowledge and negotiation expertise. I go beyond the transactional—listening, hearing, then synthesizing a uniquely personalized approach tailored to individual goals--establishing a true partnership with each client.
I especially love “match making”—connecting buyers and sellers! Nothing makes me happier than presenting my clients with a competitive advantage in the market and providing them with exceptional results. 6723 Whittier Ave., Suite 101, McLean, VA 22101 703-203-6005 | ccurrie@ttrsir.com candeecurrie.sothebysrealty.com
MICHAEL VENTURA
I embrace technology as a tool, not a substitute, for connection and understanding. By employing a detailed strategy, effective negotiation, market expertise and thoughtful solutions, I guide buyers and sellers seamlessly through an experience like no other that ultimately brings them home.
Denny + Gardner DESIGN/BUILD/REMODEL
Q: What should clients know about Denny + Gardner? A: Jason Denny and Norm Gardner founded their design/build company in 2002. They are proud of the collaborative team they have built, which includes in-house designers, dedicated project managers and skilled carpenters. Norm meets with clients first to work through design, architectural and engineering considerations while Jason is more heavily involved in the actual construction side of the business.
From left: Mike Hedrick, Jason Denny, Norm Gardner and Kait Doyle
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506 Shaw Road, Suite 304, Sterling, VA 20166 571-220-1628 www.DennyandGardner.com
JOSEPH TRAN
Mike Hedrick ensures our production teams are set up for success, inspiring high standards and operational excellence ensuring 100% client satisfaction. In-house Designer Kait Doyle understands that envisioning a renovation can be challenging for many clients. With over a decade of experience, she is skilled at providing realistic renderings and walk-throughs of projects so clients can be confident in their decisions.
PROFILES
Home Experts
SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION
Alair Arlington CHAD HACKMANN
Awards & Honors — Arlington Chamber of Commerce, Best Service Business of the Year, 2026 — NARI Regional Remodeler of the Year, 2025, 2026 — HBAV Remodeler of the Year, 2025 — NAHB Best in American Living Gold Award, 2025
Andrew Hall, Project Manager; Jonathan Olarte, Project Manager; Chad Hackmann, Regional Partner; Maseeh Exeer, Project Manager; Jason Chaney, General Manager and Andrew Seymour, Project Manager
Q: What are the biggest trends you are seeing among Arlington homeowners right now?
Q: What advice can you offer to someone looking for a builder?
A: Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs)
“best price,” focusing solely on a price quote can be risky. You want a builder you can trust and who understands your priorities—from finishes to technical specs—within your budget.
JOSEPH TRAN
are increasingly popular to maximize living space on small lots. These small, detached structures offer a strategic solution for housing guests, aging parents, adult children or renters. We’re also seeing a shift toward remodeling projects that maximize functional value while remaining within the county’s definition of a disturbed area to avoid the added cost of a stormwater mitigation system, such as choosing to build a full second story rather than a rear or side addition.
A: While every homeowner wants the
In my 20 years of local experience, I’ve seen it all—from projects derailed mid-way after a builder ran out of money to clients whose projects stalled for years after paying the full cost upfront. Don’t let the promise of a “good deal” blind you. The best deal comes from a builder offering clarity, consistency and accountability.
Q: What can homeowners expect when working with Alair? A: Transparency, collaboration and communication. Alair’s Client Control® empowers homeowners with 24/7 access to their project schedule and budget, enabling them to make informed decisions at every stage. Each homeowner also works directly with their dedicated project manager from concept through completion.
P.O. Box 100221 Arlington, VA 22210 703-791-1317 Chad.hackmann@alairhomes.com www.AlairArlington.com
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PROFILES
Home Experts
SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION
Sam Haberlach CENTURY 21 REDWOOD
Q: What makes you different than other home professionals? A: My approach to real estate is rooted in a lifetime of service, leadership and strategic decision-making. Before becoming a Realtor, I spent 26 years as an officer in the United States Air Force, followed by several years as an executive director in human resources information technology for a successful government contractor. Throughout my career, I learned how to analyze complex situations, develop strategic plans, communicate clearly and execute with precision. I’ve also personally relocated twelve times, purchased numerous homes and built a real estate investment portfolio. I understand what it’s like to sit on both sides of the table and make significant financial decisions for your family.
Q: How has your previous career influenced the way you serve your real estate clients today? A: The Air Force taught me three core values: Integrity First, Service Before Self and Excellence in All We Do. Those values continue to guide every client relationship today.
Q: What is the one thing your clients should know about you? A: I will always put their interests ahead
1934 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, VA 22201 703-725 -1977 samh@c21redwood.com www.sam-haberlach.century21redwood.com
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WILLIAM GALLAGHER
Real estate is more than buying and selling homes; it’s helping people achieve their goals. My mission: combine strategic real estate with exceptional service to exceed expectations and inspire tears of joy.
of my own. Real estate can be emotional, and there are times when the best advice is not the advice that leads to a transaction. I have encouraged buyers to wait when the timing wasn’t right, advised sellers against renovations that would not provide a meaningful return on investment and helped clients evaluate options based on their long-term financial goals rather than short-term pressures. I want my clients to feel informed, empowered and confident throughout the process.
PROFILES
Home Experts
SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION
TriVistaUSA Design + Build
Awards & Honors — Arlington Magazine Winner, Best Remodeler, 2026 — Northern Virginia Magazine, Best Home Experts, 2026 — Best of Houzz Design, 2026 — DC Modern Luxury, 2025 — Professional Remodelers Organization, Remodeler of the Year 2025
TriVistaUSA Design Team (from left): Maedeh Ziaei Moayyed, John Wyman, Marni Thompson, Alex Kober, Michael Sauri, Carlos Nyce, Hassan Darab, Miles Baker, Mahsa Karkhaneh, Carlos Mejia and Bethany Lewis (Photo location courtesy of Ferguson Home)
Q: Why should homeowners choose a design-build firm for their home remodeling project?
JOSEPH TRAN
A: Home remodeling is often the biggest investment you’ll make in your home, and the process is just as important as the finished result. A design-build firm brings a united team together from day one. Instead of juggling separate architects, interior designers and contractors, you have one team of experts partnering with you to achieve a vision with accountability to your schedule and budget. Because our designers and builders collaborate
throughout the planning process, we’re able to develop creative solutions that are not only beautiful but also practical and budget conscious.
Q: What’s the biggest mistake homeowners make before starting a renovation? A: Many homeowners begin with a fixed idea before fully understanding what’s possible. We encourage clients to start with “what doesn’t work” in their home rather than focusing on a specific layout or style. By listening to how a family lives, entertains, works and plans for the future,
we often uncover opportunities they never imagined. Sometimes a simple reconfiguration transforms a home; other times, a more comprehensive renovation or addition creates lasting value. Our goal is to be a trusted partner, combining creative design with construction expertise to deliver a custom solution that reflects each family’s lifestyle, priorities and investment.
3103 N. 10th St., Suite 200 Arlington, VA 22201 703-243-3171 www.trivistausa.com
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PROFILES
Home Experts
SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION
Tech Painting Company, Inc.
A trusted leader in residential painting for nearly 40 years, Tech Painting has set the standard in quality and professionalism. Every project is completed with consistency, accountability and craftsmanship.
to deliver the quality, professionalism and reliability our customers deserve.
A: Since 1987, Tech Painting Company
Q: Why is your relationship with the community so important?
has built a reputation for high-quality work, clear communication and exceptional service. What truly sets the company apart is the team behind the results. Unlike many contractors, we employ our crews directly, including skilled painters, master carpenters and wallcovering specialists, all of whom are trained to meet the company’s standards. Every project is led by an on-site supervisor, and clients receive daily photo updates to stay informed from start to finish. That consistency allows us
A: More than 90 percent of Tech Painting’s business comes from repeat clients and referrals. That loyalty is earned through consistent results and a strong local presence. We live where we work. We are invested in these communities, support local organizations and take pride in being part of the neighborhoods we serve.
Q: What advice would you offer those
planning a project on a budget?
A: All homeowners are on a budget. The
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key is starting with a clear number and working with your contractor to break the job into efficient phases. For example, if you need special equipment to reach upper trim, take care of everything at that level while it is set up. A good contractor will help you plan wisely. From interior painting to fine carpentry and wallcoverings, Tech Painting delivers lasting results with care and craftsmanship.
5150 Eisenhower Ave. Alexandria, VA 22304 703-684-7702 office@techpainting.com www.techpainting.com
COURTESY PHOTO
Q: What sets Tech Painting Company apart from the field?
PROFILES
Home Experts
SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION
Sarah Picot CORCORAN MCENEARNEY | LICENSED IN VA AND D.C. | PLATINUM TOP PRODUCER
“Sarah helped work out a plan to renovate, stage, list and sell by March. She turned the place into a million dollars, literally and figuratively. We could not recommend her more highly!” — David H.
Q: How would your clients describe you? A: My clients say that I am calm, patient, knowledgeable, empathetic and responsive. One common theme in almost all the testimonials I get is that I go “above and beyond.” I am very proud that, as one client put it, I make everyone I work with “feel like Sarah’s most important client all the time.”
Q: What’s a challenge that you’ve faced in your life and how did you overcome it? LISA HELFERT
A: Divorcing and starting a new career to support myself and my sons was daunting. As a stay-at-home mom with
several Pilates businesses, I knew what it was like to be an independent contractor. I always planned to become a Realtor, like my mom did after my dad died. Without a backup plan, I was driven to succeed, pouring everything into my new career. Thankfully, I love what I do and have had incredible mentors along the way.
Q: What brings you the most satisfaction in your work? A: What I love most about real estate is showcasing a home’s full potential and creating an aspirational environment that helps buyers immediately connect with it. I’m a perfectionist by nature,
and I believe the smallest details matter—often in ways buyers don’t even consciously notice. Even outlet covers and lighting temperature matter as much as the finishing touches of potted plants. Those subtle elements shape first impressions, generate more interest and ultimately help my clients achieve the best possible results.
3135 Langston Blvd. Arlington, VA 22201 202-251-5635 sarah.picot@corcoranmce.com sarahpicot.net
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PROFILES
Home Experts
SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION
Michelle Sagatov GOLD GROUP, WASHINGTON FINE PROPERTIES
Awards & Honors — Arlington Magazine Top Producer, 20192026 — Best of Arlington Winner, 2024 — Real Trends America’s Best, 2019-2025 — Washingtonian Magazine Top Agent, 2018-2025 — Northern Virginia Magazine Best Real Estate Agent, 2019-2025
From Left: Kelly Palmer, Peggy Richardson, Margo Farley and Michelle Sagatov
A: At The Gold Group with Washington Fine Properties, we believe buying or selling a home is about so much more than a real estate transaction—it’s about helping people navigate one of life’s biggest transitions with confidence. Our team of Michelle Sagatov, Peggy Richardson, Kelly Palmer and Margo Farley, along with our talented stager, Allison Hardeman, and local new construction expert, Yuri Sagatov, brings more than 70 years of combined experience and over $500 million in career sales to every client we serve. As longtime residents of Arlington and McLean who have raised
our own families here, we have firsthand knowledge of the neighborhoods, schools, parks and communities throughout Arlington, McLean, Falls Church, Alexandria and beyond.
Q: How do you interact with your clients? A: Whether you’re purchasing your first condo, moving into your forever home, building new construction or downsizing for your next chapter, we tailor our guidance to your unique goals. We understand how overwhelming it can feel to buy and sell at the same time, which is why we focus on making the process as seamless, organized and stress-free
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as possible. Our relationship with clients doesn’t end at closing. We become lifelong real estate advisors, helping with contractor recommendations, renovation ideas, market updates and planning for future moves. Our greatest satisfaction comes from helping families make smart real estate decisions and watching them thrive in the communities we proudly call home. Those lasting relationships are what we value most.
4100 Fairfax Drive, Suite 250 Arlington VA 22203 703-402-9361 michelle.sagatov@wfp.com goldgroupdmv.com
RYAN CORVELLO
Q: Tell us about your team of real estate professionals.
great spaces ■ by Jenny Sullivan | photo by Stacy Zarin Goldberg
Party in Back If a large-scale remodel gives you shade, why not make the most of it? WHEN KATIE AND STEVE KIDERA hired Case Architects & Remodelers to build a 550-square-foot rear addition on their McLean home in 2024, they didn’t have to forfeit their backyard. In fact, quite the opposite happened. The remodel, which introduced a new family room, kitchen and deck to the back of the house, provided just the spot underneath for a covered patio with a full outdoor kitchen, a woodburning fireplace and a TV lounge. Designed for casual entertaining, the patio incorporates natural materials that stand up to the elements. Beaded
pine ceilings contain a hidden drainage system that diverts water away from the decking overhead, and flagstone pavers extend from the covered space onto a large, open-air dining terrace. Masonry structures such as the fireplace and privacy wall were painted white to match the home’s shiplap exterior. The lounge area’s elegant furnishings combine weather-resistant teak wood with performance fabrics. Fans keep it cool and bug-free in summer, while heaters provide extra comfort when the temps drop. The design team took pains to
ensure load-bearing columns frame views of the backyard without getting in the way. “Through careful planning and structural engineering, the space was kept open, preserving clear sightlines,” says Elena Eskandari, a director of project development at Case. Speaking of which, those sightlines make keeping an eye on the kiddos a breeze. The patio overlooks a wide lawn with a custom-built children’s playhouse (also by Case) with solar lighting, a pulley system and a rock climbing wall. “We wanted an outdoor space that we could use 10 months of the year,” Katie says. “We use it as our summer living room. We were out there for all the fall football games and at Christmastime. We love it.” ■ PROJECT CREDITS:
Case Architects & Remodelers, Casedesign.com
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prime numbers
4115 40th Place N., Arlington SALE PRICE: $3.2 MILLION
22201 (Arlington)
22203 (Arlington)
512 N. Monroe St. List Price: $2.3 million Sale Price: $2.25 million Days on Market: 6 Listing Office: Weichert, Realtors Neighborhood: Ashton Heights Year Built: 2006 Bedrooms: 6 Full/Half Baths: 5/1
5012 6th St. N. List Price: $2.55 million Sale Price: $2.55 million Days on Market: 1 Listing Office: DSA Properties & Investments Neighborhood: Brandon Village Year Built: 2026 Bedrooms: 6 Full/Half Baths: 5/0
22202 (Arlington)
22204 (Arlington)
909 19th St. S. List Price: $1.79 million Sale Price: $1.79 million Days on Market: 24 Listing Office: Beycome Brokerage Realty Neighborhood: Addison Heights Year Built: 2005 Bedrooms: 5 Full/Half Baths: 3/1
126 S. Highland St. List Price: $1.85 million Sale Price: $1.81 million Days on Market: 42 Listing Office: RLAH @properties Neighborhood: Penrose Year Built: 2026 Bedrooms: 6 Full/Half Baths: 5/1
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This information, courtesy of Bright MLS as of July 15, 2026, includes homes sold in June 2026, excluding sales in which sellers have withheld permission to advertise or promote. Information should be independently verified. The Bright MLS real estate service area spans 40,000 square miles throughout the mid-Atlantic region, including Delaware, Maryland, Washington, D.C., and parts of New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia. As a leading Multiple Listing Service (MLS), Bright serves approximately 100,000 real estate professionals who in turn serve over 20 million consumers. For more information, visit brightmls.com.
COURTESY BRIGHT MLS
June’s Most Expensive Home Sales
K n ow l e d g e . I n te g r i t y. A Legacy of Success.
A S S O C I AT E B R O K E R I N V I R G I N I A
K A R E N C LO S E K AREN@C21REDWOOD.COM 70 3 - 517- 947 7
1 9 3 4 W I L S O N B LV D A R LI N GTO N , VA 22201
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prime numbers
22205 (Arlington) 5934 16th St. N. List Price: $2.5 million Sale Price: $2.4 million Days on Market: 10 Listing Office: TTR Sotheby’s International Realty Neighborhood: Westover Year Built: 1940 Bedrooms: 6 Full/Half Baths: 4/1
22206 (Arlington)
22207 (Arlington) 4115 40th Place N. List Price: $3.25 million Sale Price: $3.2 million Days on Market: 9 Listing Office: Weichert, Realtors Neighborhood: Arlingwood Year Built: 1995 Bedrooms: 5 Full/Half Baths: 4/2
22209 (Arlington) 1781 N. Pierce St. #1001 List Price: $2.3 million Sale Price: $2.25 million Days on Market: 36 Listing Office: McWilliams|Ballard Neighborhood: Rosslyn Year Built: 2021 Bedrooms: 3 Full/Half Baths: 2/1
22213 (Arlington) 3612 N. Potomac St. List Price: $2.8 million Sale Price: $2.8 million Days on Market: 2 Listing Office: Long & Foster Real Estate Neighborhood: Stoneleigh Year Built: 2006 Bedrooms: 5 Full/Half Baths: 4/1
22101 (McLean) 913 Whann Ave.
3612 N. Potomac St., Arlington SALE PRICE: $2.8 MILLION
List Price: $9.25 million Sale Price: $9 million Days on Market: 1 Listing Office: Compass Neighborhood: Langley Forest Year Built: 2026 Bedrooms: 7 Full/Half Baths: 8/2
22102 (McLean) 8634 Overlook Road List Price: $8.5 million Sale Price: $8.5 million Days on Market: 84 Listing Office: TTR Sotheby’s International Realty Neighborhood: Woodside Estates Year Built: 2026 Bedrooms: 6 Full/Half Baths: 7/2
22041 (Falls Church) 6124 Beachway Drive List Price: $2.3 million Sale Price: $2.25 million Days on Market: 57 Listing Office: Long & Foster Real Estate Neighborhood: Lake Barcroft Year Built: 1956 Bedrooms: 4 Full/Half Baths: 4/0
22042 (Falls Church) 2808 W. George Mason Road List Price: $1.38 million Sale Price: $1.35 million Days on Market: 37 Listing Office: KW United
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Neighborhood: Greenway Downs Year Built: 2022 Bedrooms: 5 Full/Half Baths: 4/1
22043 (Falls Church) 2115 Natahoa Court List Price: $2.6 million Sale Price: $2.5 million Days on Market: 152 Listing Office: Real Broker Neighborhood: Powhatan Hills Year Built: 2025 Bedrooms: 7 Full/Half Baths: 7/1
22044 (Falls Church) 6402 Crosswoods Drive List Price: $1.35 million Sale Price: $1.35 million Days on Market: 1 Listing Office: RLAH @properties Neighborhood: Lake Barcroft Year Built: 1958 Bedrooms: 4 Full/Half Baths: 3/0
22046 (Falls Church) 1018 Spruce St. List Price: $2.54 million Sale Price: $2.54 million Days on Market: 1 Listing Office: DSA Properties & Investments Neighborhood: Offutt Village Year Built: 2026 Bedrooms: 6 Full/Half Baths: 5/0
COURTESY BRIGHT MLS
5021 24th St. S. List Price: $1.04 million Sale Price: $1.08 million Days on Market: 66 Listing Office: eXp Realty Neighborhood: Claremont Year Built: 1947 Bedrooms: 5 Full/Half Baths: 3/1
Real Estate Sales Trends 2025
2026
2025
2026
22102 Number of Homes Sold 43 44 Average Sold Price $1.11 Mil. $1.66 Mil. Average Days on Market 33 30 Sold Above Asking Price 6 10 Sold Below Asking Price 25 30 Sold Over $1 Million 15 20
June 2025 vs. June 2026
2025
2026
22201
22206
22041
Number of Homes Sold 46 34 Average Sold Price $874,836 $815,378 Average Days on Market 26 19 Sold Above Asking Price 14 10 Sold Below Asking Price 25 18 Sold Over $1 Million 12 10
Number of Homes Sold 27 26 Average Sold Price $613,550 $648,812 Average Days on Market 21 26 Sold Above Asking Price 11 7 Sold Below Asking Price 8 8 Sold Over $1 Million 1 2
Number of Homes Sold 26 22 Average Sold Price $522,250 $638,309 Average Days on Market 25 43 Sold Above Asking Price 3 3 Sold Below Asking Price 15 15 Sold Over $1 Million 2 4
22202
22207
22042
Number of Homes Sold 20 9 Average Sold Price $806,790 $1.02 Mil. Average Days on Market 14 25 Sold Above Asking Price 6 3 Sold Below Asking Price 10 3 Sold Over $1 Million 8 6
Number of Homes Sold 38 42 Average Sold Price $1.62 Mil. $1.6 Mil. Average Days on Market 34 16 Sold Above Asking Price 5 15 Sold Below Asking Price 27 17 Sold Over $1 Million 30 35
Number of Homes Sold 28 31 Average Sold Price $869,667 $846,462 Average Days on Market 19 16 Sold Above Asking Price 6 14 Sold Below Asking Price 16 15 Sold Over $1 Million 6 7
22203
22209
22043
Number of Homes Sold 24 17 Average Sold Price $630,335 $662,552 Average Days on Market 53 34 Sold Above Asking Price 6 9 Sold Below Asking Price 16 4 Sold Over $1 Million 6 3
Number of Homes Sold 21 26 Average Sold Price $749,466 $852,770 Average Days on Market 55 52 Sold Above Asking Price 4 4 Sold Below Asking Price 16 15 Sold Over $1 Million 7 10
Number of Homes Sold 34 21 Average Sold Price $1.19 Mil. $1.33 Mil. Average Days on Market 23 21 Sold Above Asking Price 11 9 Sold Below Asking Price 20 9 Sold Over $1 Million 19 13
22204
22213
22044
Number of Homes Sold 41 41 Average Sold Price $651,870 $708,003 Average Days on Market 19 23 Sold Above Asking Price 15 14 Sold Below Asking Price 16 21 Sold Over $1 Million 8 9
Number of Homes Sold 7 6 Average Sold Price $1.15 Mil. $1.17 Mil. Average Days on Market 11 5 Sold Above Asking Price 4 2 Sold Below Asking Price 3 2 Sold Over $1 Million 5 3
Number of Homes Sold 6 11 Average Sold Price $451,550 $691,965 Average Days on Market 17 15 Sold Above Asking Price 1 2 Sold Below Asking Price 4 5 Sold Over $1 Million 0 3
22205
22101
22046
Number of Homes Sold 21 21 Average Sold Price $1.45 Mil. $1.39 Mil. Average Days on Market 18 7 Sold Above Asking Price 4 10 Sold Below Asking Price 13 7 Sold Over $1 Million 18 17
Number of Homes Sold 44 60 Average Sold Price $1.62 Mil. $2.2 Mil. Average Days on Market 25 30 Sold Above Asking Price 11 17 Sold Below Asking Price 24 34 Sold Over $1 Million 38 58
Number of Homes Sold 26 29 Average Sold Price $1.19 Mil. $1.28 Mil. Average Days on Market 29 11 Sold Above Asking Price 11 11 Sold Below Asking Price 9 9 Sold Over $1 Million 14 16
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Cafe Monet's lightfilled dining room
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restaurant review
Café All Day McLean welcomes a pretty, European-style bistro with art on the side. BY WARREN ROJAS PHOTOS BY DEB LINDSEY THE 20-SOMETHINGS at the table next to ours were wrapping up brunch when the server asked about dessert. They hemmed and hawed a bit before giving in to three glossy scoops of vanilla ice cream accompanied by a silver boat of hot fudge sauce, which they dispatched in short order. When the server circled back to check on their progress, the appreciative woman responded, “You were soooo right.” Another satisfied Café Monet customer. Of which there seem to be many. Opened in May in downtown McLean, Monet is the latest from KNEAD Hospitality + Design, whose DMV portfolio also includes Succotash in National Harbor, Mi Vida at The Wharf and Penn Quarter, and upscale sandwich shop Beresovsky’s Deli in Navy Yard, among others. It’s an attractive space marked by high ceilings, Palladian windows and shimmering fixtures that evoke the colors of Claude Monet’s famed water lilies. Which fits, given that the Europeaninspired cafe was created in partnership with the McLean Project for the Arts. Tucked inside MPA’s Berlage Arts & Education Center, the restaurant is well positioned to serve art lovers who wander in after perusing the adjoining gallery, as well as residents of the
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■ restaurant review
A ratatouille omelet (left) and avocado tartine
million-dollar condos that occupy the building’s upper floors. In nice weather, a sun-splashed patio with a gurgling marble fountain and outdoor seating for 50 furthers the appeal. The weekend brunch is on point. Avocado toast meets French tartine in a flaky croissant topped with the celebrated super food, plus grassy cow’s milk cheese, pickled shallots, arugula and a crispy fried egg with a runny yolk. A fluffy omelet stuffed with goat cheese, summer squash and tomatoes is accompanied by a radish-flecked salad and addictive fingerling potatoes. The secret to those spectacular spuds, according to KNEAD corporate chef Jonathan Dearden, is in the prep. They’re simmered in an aromatic stock, then smashed, fried and tossed with butter and parsley. Early risers with a sweet tooth will fall for the pain perdu (“lost bread”), a truly French rendition of egg-soaked French toast with a caramelized crust. Equal parts breakfast and dessert, it’s
Beef bourguignon
filled with mixed berries and custard. Très jolie! Dearden’s all-day menu similarly invites exploration. Some patrons are content to linger over glasses of wine and shareables, such as the standout pull-apart sourdough bread (made in-
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house) that’s just the right level of garlicky, cheesy and slightly peppery. The top-selling burrata is another stunner, piling bulbs of milky cheese, crushed pistachios, hot honey and basil pesto atop toasted sourdough. Not to be outdone, an eye-catching
CAFÉ MONET 6910 Fleetwood Road, McLean, 703-356-6722, cafemonetmpa.com
HOURS Sunday through Thursday: 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday: 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.
PARKING Free parking spots are available in the building’s garage. Street parking is also available.
PRICES Appetizers: $10 to $19 Entrees: $16 to $39 Brunch: $5 to $17
WHAT TO DRINK
The Calabrian Paloma cocktail
tarte flambée is crowned with melted gruyere, caramelized onions (nice pop of sweet), meaty lardons and fresh dill. The mains on the menu include several French standards—steak frites, roasted chicken, a rotating quiche. A satisfying, fork-tender beef bourguignon rides in on a bed of creamy mashed potatoes, its winey broth studded with a gardenful of onions, carrots and mushrooms. Feeling more Mediterranean? The pan-roasted salmon, with its spicerubbed crust and perfectly cooked center, is also memorable. A side of ratatouille makes it even better. The one head-scratcher is a riff on jambon beurre (French for “ham butter”), a sandwich that traditionally pairs those two ingredients, simply and elegantly, on a crusty baguette. Dearden’s dressier version packs in
black forest ham, prosciutto, cured sausage, gruyere, cornichons, honey butter and mixed greens. “It’s a mashup of a traditional jambon beurre and a classic hoagie,” he says, meant to deliver “bigger flavors.” While I enjoyed the added meats, cheese and vinegary greens, the ensemble is really more of an Italian-style sub than a Parisian snack. If you fall into the more-is-more camp, Café Monet’s take will probably work for you. But if you have your heart set on the classic preparation, this ain’t that. When it comes to desserts, a dense, cocoa-dusted chocolate torte with a dollop of whipped cream is probably the richest of the bunch. My favorite, though, was a jiggly lemon bar layering tart lemon curd atop a shortbread crust. It’s fruity, fresh, and I’ll take another slice right now. ■
Café Monet’s impressive beverage program features several wines by the glass ($11$16), among them a sparkling Austrian Zweigelt rosé, citrusy Spanish Albariño and lush French Syrah. Two dozen wines by the bottle include two rosés, six whites, 14 reds and two dessert-friendly varietals. The priciest investment is a $235 bottle of French Champagne. A Spritz All Day menu ($12.50 each) features six sparklers brightened with spirits ranging from bittersweet Aperol to nutty Oloroso sherry. A bubbly elderflower cooler with a splash of St-Germain is their top selling spritz. Of the half-dozen specialty cocktails ($13-$16), I particularly enjoyed the mangoginger tap dance of the vodka-based Painter’s Punch. The spice-rimmed Calabrian Paloma strikes a bolder note, bringing a hint of chili-fueled heat to the combo of tangy grapefruit and tequila. Pinching pennies? Featured cocktails, including two non-alcoholic options, are $8 a pop during a weekday happy hour from 2-5 p.m.
ArlingtonMagazine.com ■ September/October 2026
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home plate ■ by Warren Rojas
¡Viva District Taco! This year marks the 15th anniversary of District Taco’s flagship storefront on Langston Boulevard in Arlington. It’s been a wild ride for co-founder Osiris Hoil. A native of Tekax de Álvaro Obregón, in southern Yucatán, Mexico, Hoil worked a few hospitality jobs in Denver before settling down in Arlington’s Yorktown neighborhood in the early aughts. That’s where he met his friend and future business partner, Marc Wallace, and hatched an idea for a food truck. (This, after losing his job in construction during the Great Recession.) In 2009, the duo applied for a mobile vending license, scraped together $20,000 to buy their first rig, and began slinging carne asada and chicken tacos in Rosslyn, sharing the sidewalk with a gyro truck. But the stiffest competition came from the Chipotle across the street
(still there) and the Baja Fresh on the opposite corner (RIP). During those first few months, Hoil remembers grinding all day to rake in maybe $200. “Barely enough to buy another batch of ingredients,” he says. In a move that proved a game changer, he welded an external grill to his cart so passersby could see and smell the tantalizing meats sizzling over glowing coals. The frenzy that followed led to the upstart’s first brick-and-mortar location. Today, District Taco has 20 eateries in D.C. and six states, with more in the pipeline. Adjustments have been part of the journey, Hoil says. They’ve cut underperformers (adios, grilled shrimp!) and jumped on a few misguided bandwagons (fried chicken), only to return to the basics, with a steady focus on “freshness, speed and customer service.” Though Hoil is partial to south-ofthe-border delicacies like beef tongue tacos and tripe soup, he’s come to realize his customers aren’t. Organ
112 September/October 2026 ■ ArlingtonMagazine.com
meats have their place, he says—just not at District Taco. At press time, he was finalizing a menu of botanas (Mexican bar snacks) for D.C.’s first District Taco Mezcaleria. Tucked inside the existing 4,500-square-foot District Taco in Dupont Circle, the bar will pair artisanal mezcals from small-batch producers with a menu of shareable bites. Hoil hopes the spin-off venture will serve as a blueprint for future projects in airports and mixed-use buildings. “Taco Bell has a cantina,” he points out, citing the need to diversify his own hospitality portfolio. He’s also developing a handful of expressthemed carry-out locations with automated ordering. But he’s never forgotten how it all started. Hoil has held onto the original taco cart, with hopes that it will one day adorn the entryway of a District Taco HQ. “It’ll be the first thing you see,” he says. “I know we’ve done something special. The sky’s the limit.” districttaco.com
DONNA OWENS
District Taco co-founder Osiris Hoil
Oktoberfest at Home
RAY LOPEZ (CHÀO BAN); COURTESY PHOTOS (BEER)
Cajun Asian
Vietnamese street food with a hint of the American South from an award-winning chef? Yes, please. Kevin Tien has amassed quite the trophy case for his upscale eatery, Moon Rabbit, in downtown D.C., and Hot Lola’s, his Nashville-meets-Sichuan spicy chicken joint in Ballston Quarter, has its own loyal following. So you can bet that his latest venture, Chào Ban (Vietnamese for “Hello, friend”), is bringing the flavor. Located inside Tysons Galleria, the airy, counter-service cafe specializes in Asian food with Cajun flair—Tien grew up in Louisiana—in the form of spring rolls, brisket pho bowls, chili noodles and bánh mi sandwiches. Tien is partial to the saucy Mumbo #5 sandwich with sweet-and-sour shrimp, while this hired mouth stands by the slowroasted pork belly in the Piggy Stardust. For his nuoc cham chicken wings, a riff on the iconic Vietnamese clay pot fish, Tien tosses chunks of boneless white meat chicken in a beguiling caramel sauce coaxed from sugar, coconut water, fish sauce, star anise, black pepper, cinnamon, maple syrup and black pepper. The finishing touch is a hail of fried garlic, minced ginger and fresh scallions. It’s a killer crossover that will ruin bland tenders for you forever. Another not-to-miss item, the grilled lemongrass pork, is layered over white rice and crowned with a fried egg. The scorch marks on the tenderloin impart a smokiness that’s complemented by a tangy medley of pickled carrots, daikon radish and cucumbers. Crushed peanuts and fried shallots add the perfect crunchy finish. eatchaoban.com
Can’t get to Munich to stumble around Bavaria’s annual block party? Fear not, thirsty compatriots. Westover Market and Beer Garden owner Devin Hicks is pumped to help you DIY your own Oktoberfest. Regulars have been stopping by his establishment for more than two decades to stock up on brews, brats and other fall party essentials. While diehards may wish to preorder kegs—traditional half barrels (about 150 beers) or the slimmer sixtel (about 55 beers)—another option is to mix and match six-packs for variety. That is, to build your own tasting lineup, from crisp pilsners and wheat-based Hefeweizens to bolder, boozier Maibocks and doppelbocks. And don’t forget the seasonally inspired Marzens, which Hicks describes in Goldilocks terms as being “not too thin…but not overly heavy.” If you’re aiming to host a beer-tasting event, Hicks suggests this fantasy lineup: Weihenstephaner Helles: a classic golden lager.
Einbecker Pils: a mildly hoppy, golden rarity prized for its clean finish. Port City Brewing Co.’s Oktoberfest or Solace Brewing Co.’s Oktoberfest— for the sake of drinking local. “Mix it up,” says Hicks. “Support your local brewery.”
Erdinger Dunkel: a “full bodied, spicy and roasted” dark lager.
Paulaner Oktoberfest Marzen: mellow and caramelly with a flavor that befits the season.
And for fun, a wild card. If pumpkin you must, Hicks is fond of Southern Tier Brewing Co.’s Pumking Imperial Ale. He’s also looking forward to this year’s companion cider, Pump Queen.
When it comes to food pairings, think salt-studded soft pretzels (Westover Market sources them from Das Pretzel Haus in Alexandria); chunky potato salad; lightly breaded schnitzel (the market prepares a pork loin version); plump bratwurst, weisswurst, knockwurst and other savory sausages; and, of course, gobs of whole-grain mustard to slather on “anything and everything,” Hicks says. Heavy steins may be emblematic of the 216-year-old German celebration, but if you’re hosting at home, he says any glassware will do: “As long as you’ve got a beer in your hand, you’ll be fine.” westovermarketbeergarden.com
ArlingtonMagazine.com ■ September/October 2026
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Cielo
E AT ARLINGTON 1983 Chinese Cuisine
1101 S. Joyce St., 703-512-3089, 1983chinese cuisine.com. A destination for dim sum and traditional Cantonese dishes. R L D G V $$
A Modo Mio Pizzeria
5555 Langston Blvd., 703-532-0990, amodomio pizza.com. Dig into Neapolitan pies, house-made gnocchi, lasagna and cannoli. o L D V $$
Aladdin Sweets & Tandoor
5169 Langston Blvd., 703-533-0077, aladdin arlington.com. Chef Shiuli Rashid prepares family recipes from her native Bangladesh. L D $$
Al-Shami Restaurant
5216 Wilson Blvd., 703-373-0291, alshamiva. com. Dig into falafel, shawarma and other Syrian delights. Closed Mondays. L D G V $$
Altitude
2011 Crystal Drive, altitude-va.com. Savor Italian cocktails, housemade pasta and wine flights in a vinyl lounge that pays homage to air travel’s golden age. D V $$$
Ambar Clarendon
703-552-4037, eatandyspizza.com. Andy Brown’s award-winning thin-crust pies fall somewhere between Neapolitan and New York-style. L D V $
The Angie
3901 Fairfax Drive, theangieva.com. Raw bar, flatbreads and French bistro fare round out the menu at this Ballston newcomer. L D V $$$
Basic Burger
1101 S. Joyce St., 703-248-9333, basicburger. com. The homegrown eatery cooks with locally sourced, certified Angus beef and cage-free, antibiotic-free chicken. L D $$
Angolino Pizza
Bayou Bakery, Coffee Bar & Eatery
Arlington Kabob
Big Buns Damn Good Burger Co. s
3125 Wilson Blvd., 703-760-3210, pizzaforpizza lovers.com. When it’s late and you need a slice, this Clarendon eatery hits the spot. L D V A $ 5046 Langston Blvd., 703-531-1498, arlingtonka bobva.com. Authentic Afghan fare includes kebabs, shawarma and lamb shank with rice. L D $$
Astro Beer Hall
4001 Campbell Ave., 703-664-0744, astrobeer hall.com. Jet to this space-themed brewpub for fried chicken, burgers, doughnuts and a retro basement billiards hall called 1969. o B R L D A $$
Ballston Local
900 N. Glebe Road, 703-852-1260, ballstonlocal. com. Pair your local brew with a plate of poutine or a New York-style pizza. L D V $$
Banditos Tacos & Tequila
1301 S. Joyce St., 571-257-7622, banditostnt.com. Mexican street food, tequila, mezcal and sugar-skull décor keep the party going. o L D G V $$
Bangkok 54
2919 Columbia Pike, 703-521-4070, bangkok54res taurant.com. A favorite for Thai curries, grilled meats, stir-fry, noodles and soups. L D V $$
Bar Bao
3100 Clarendon Blvd., 703-600-0500, barbao-va. com. Trendy takes on Chinese and Taiwanese street food, plus sake, soju, cocktails. L D V $$
2901 Wilson Blvd., 703-875-9663, ambarrestau rant.com. Discover Balkan specialties such as stuffed cabbage, mushroom pilav and rotisserie meats. O R L D G V $$
Bar Chinois
Andy’s Pizza
Bar Colline
901 N. Pollard St. (entrance on Fairfax Drive),
com. French bistro fare and wine happy hours await. O L D G V $$$
244 19th Court S., 703-416-6769, barchinoisnl. com. Chinese small plates meet French-inspired cocktails and wine. O D G V $$$ 269 19th Court S., 703-567-4792, barcolline.
114 September/October 2026 ■ ArlingtonMagazine.com
1515 N. Courthouse Road, 703-243-2410, bayou bakeryva.com. Chef David Guas’ NOLA-inspired menu includes beignets and gumbo. Breakfast all day on weekends. O C B R L D G V $ 4401 Wilson Blvd., 703-276-3032; 4251 Campbell Ave., 703-933-2867, eatbigbuns.com. Satisfy all your cravings with creative burgers, shakes, beer and booze. B L D $$
KEY: Price designations are based on the approximate cost per person for a meal with one drink, tax and tip. $ $$ $$$ $$$$ o
c B R L D A G V
s
under $20 $21-$35 $36-$70 $71 or more Outdoor Dining Children’s Menu Breakfast Brunch Lunch Dinner After Hours/Late Night Gluten-Free Vegetarian Best of Arlington 2025 or 2026 Winner
REY LOPEZ
places to
■ places to eat Capital Doner
1731 Wilson Blvd., capitaldoner.com. Try Turkish doner kebab, halal meats and house-made sauces in wraps, platters and rice bowls. B L D A $
Carbonara s
3865 Wilson Blvd., 703-721-3905, carbonarava. com. House-made pastas, eggplant parm, chicken cacciatore and the spirit of Sinatra sing at this modern Italian trattoria. L D V $$$
Caribbean Grill
5183 Langston Blvd., 703-241-8947. Cuban preparations such as jerk-style pork, fried plantains and black bean soup are mainstays. C L D G V $
Carlyle
4000 Campbell Ave., 703-931-0777, greatameri canrestaurants.com/carlyle. A longstanding favorite for fusion fare, happy hour and Sunday brunch. O C R L D G V $$$
The Celtic House Irish Pub & Restaurant
2500 Columbia Pike, 703-746-9644, celtichouse va.com. Pair your pint with corned beef or a traditional Irish breakfast. C R L D A $$
Charga Grill
5151 Langston Blvd., 703-988-6063; 3203 Columbia Pike, 703-574-5050; chargagrill.com. How do you like your chicken? Choose Peruvian, jerk, Tandoori or Pakistani charga or sajii. L D $$
Chiko
4040 Campbell Ave., 571-312-0774, mychiko. com. Fan favorites at this Chinese-Korean joint include cumin lamb stir-fry and double-fried chicken wings. C L D G V $$
Chill Zone Café s
2442 N. Harrison St., 703-270-9466, chillzonecafe. com. Pop in for bubble tea and smoothies, Vietnamese tacos, noodle dishes and a special keto menu. B R L D G V $$
Cielo Call Your Mother
1137 N. Highland St., 571-728-2444, cieloarling ton.com. This scene-y Latin supper club serves heaven-and-hell themed cocktails and dishes ranging from ceviche to steak. D A G V $$$$
Circa at Clarendon s 1651 Crystal Drive, birdseyethai.com. Order up a round of tiki drinks and khao soi noodles from this outdoor kiosk in National Landing. O L D $$
Bob & Edith’s Diner
2310 Columbia Pike, 703-920-6103; 539 23rd St. S., 703-920-2700; bobandedithsdiner.com. Founded in 1969, the 24-hour eatery whips up pancakes, eggs, meatloaf, and pie à la mode. C B L D A V $
BOE
2854 Wilson Blvd., 571-312-0130, theboexperi ence.com. Take a ride on the mechanical bull, then reward yourself with a fried chicken biscuit and a beverage. O R D A $$
Bonsai Sushi at Crystal City
553 23rd St. S., 703-553-7723, crystalbonsai sushirestaurant.com. A go-to for sushi, sashimi, yakisoba, tempura, teriyaki. Closed Mondays. L D $$
Bostan Uyghur Cuisine
3911 Langston Blvd., 703-522-3010, bostanuyghur. com. Enjoy kebabs, lagmen (hand-pulled noodles), manta (dumplings) and honey cake. L D $$
Boulevard
2915 Wilson Blvd., 571-583-9778, boulevardva. com. Global plates range from lamb bao buns to sushi. The rooftop, called Solset, has light bites and cocktails. O D A G V $$$
Brass Rabbit Public House
1210 N. Garfield St., 703-746-9977, brassrabbit pub.com. Sip craft cocktails like the El Conejo, featuring tequila, carrot juice, ginger, lime and cilantro. O R L D V A $$
Bronson Bierhall
4100 Fairfax Drive, 703-528-1110, bronsonbier hall.com. Find German and regional beers, sausag-
es, schnitzel and cornhole in this 6,000-squarefoot ode to Munich. O L D A $$
Bubbie’s Plant Burgers
1721 Crystal Drive, bubbiesburgers.com. Grab a plant-based or kosher burger and a plate of avocado fries at this outdoor kiosk. O L D V $
Buena Vida
2900 Wilson Blvd., 703-888-1528, buenavida gastrolounge.com. Savor the flavors of Mexico and head to the rooftop for drinks. O R L D $$
Burger Billy’s Joint
3800 Langston Blvd., 703-512-0102, burgerbillys joint.com. Smashburgers made from locally sourced Angus beef (or plant-based), hot dogs, wings and fries. L D V $
Busboys and Poets
4251 S. Campbell Ave., 703-379-9757, busboys andpoets.com. Known for its poetry slams and social justice programming, this bookstore café has an eclectic menu with something for everyone. O C B R L D G V $$
Café Colline
4536 Langston Blvd., 703-567-6615, cafecolline va.com. The cozy French bistro satisfies with paté maison, duck confit and chocolate pots de creme. O R L D $$
Café Sazón
4704 Columbia Pike, 703-566-1686, cafesazon. com. A homey Bolivian café specializing in dishes such as silpancho and empanadas. B L D V $$
Call Your Mother Deli
4000 Wilson Blvd., 703-349-3205; 1671 Crystal Drive, 571-867-9983; callyourmotherdeli.com. Grab fat bagels, schmears and latkes from the homegrown “Jew-ish” deli. O B R L $
116 September/October 2026 ■ ArlingtonMagazine.com
3010 Clarendon Blvd., 703-522-3010, circabis tros.com. Bistro fare ranges from salads and small plates to steak frites and wild mushroom pizza. Sit outside if you can. O R L D A G V $$$
Colada Shop
2811 Clarendon Blvd., 571-771-8400; 244 19th Court S., 703-631-5320; coladashop.com. Hit this colorful Caribbean coffee cafe and bar for beachy vibes, tropical drinks and Cuban-inspired eats. C B R L D V $$
Colony Grill
2800 Clarendon Blvd., 703-682-8300, colonygrill. com. The ultra-thin-crust “bar pies” have a spicy, pepper-infused hot oil topping. L D G V $$
Copperwood Tavern
4021 Campbell Ave., 703-522-8010, copperwood tavern.com. This rustic saloon serves up steaks and chops, draft beers and 30 small-batch whiskeys. O R L D $$$
Corso Italian
4024 Campbell Ave., 703-933-8787, corsoitalian. com. Enjoy fresh pastas, porchetta and veal chop Milanese at this Italian trattoria by Cheesetique “cheese lady” Jill Erber. O r L D V $$$
Cowboy Café s
4792 Langston Blvd., 703-243-8010, thecowboy cafe.com. Cool your heels and fill up on burgers, brisket and chili mac. Live music on weekends. O C R L D V $$
Crystal City Sports Pub
529 23rd St. S., 703-521-8215, ccsportspub.com. Open 365 days a year, it’s a sure bet for game viewing, trivia and poker nights, beers, bar snacks and buffet spreads. C B R L D A G V $$
Crystal Thai
4819 First St. N., 703-522-1311, crystalthai.com.
COURTESY PHOTO
Bird’s Eye Thai
ArlingtonMagazine.com ■ September/October 2026
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■ places to eat A neighborhood fave for Thai curries, grilled meats and house specialties like roast duck. L D V $$
Dama Restaurant & Cafe
1503 Columbia Pike, 703-920-3559, damapas try.com. The Ethiopian family-owned business includes a breakfast café, market and dining room. B L D V $$
Daydrift Books & Café
1550 Crystal Drive, 703-271-0709, daydriftva.com. Tuck into an open-faced sandwich or macro bowl, or sip a latte and peruse the shelves for your next read. B R L G V $$
Delhi Dhaba Indian Restaurant
2424 Wilson Blvd., 703-524-0008, delhidhaba. com. The bargain “mix and match” platter includes tandoori, seafood, a curry dish and a choice of rice or naan. O L D G V $$
Detour Coffee
946 N. Jackson St., 703-988-2378, detourcoffee co.com. This comfy cafe has a college vibe and serves up locally roasted coffee, light bites and weekend brunch. O B R L V $
District Dumplings
923 S. Glebe Road, 571-518-9764, districtdump lings.com. When you’re hungry for Asian-style dumplings, sandwiches and wraps. L D $$
District Taco
5723 Langston Blvd., 703-237-1204; 1500 Wilson Blvd., 571-290-6854; districttaco.com. A local favorite for tacos and gargantuan burritos. C B L D G V $
Don Tito
3165 Wilson Blvd., 703-566-3113, dontitova.com. The sports bar specializes in tacos, tequila and beer, with a rooftop bar. O R L D $$
Dudley’s Sport and Ale
2766 S. Arlington Mill Drive, 571-312-2304, dudleyssportandale.com. A supersize sports bar with a roof deck, a ballpark-inspired beer list and weekend brunch. O C R L D A $$
Duke’s Burgers
1621 Crystal Drive, dukesburgers.com. Visit this spin-off of D.C.-based Duke’s Grocery for a Proper Burger with gouda and red onions or an avocado BLT. O L D $$
Earl’s Sandwiches
2605 Wilson Blvd., 703-647-9191, earlsinarling ton.com. Made-to-order sandwiches use prime ingredients like fresh roasted turkey. O B L D G V $
East West Cafe
3101 Wilson Blvd., 571-800-9954, ewcafe.com. Go for espresso drinks, brunch (try the Turkish breakfast spread), sandwiches, beer and wine. B L D $
El Mercat Bar de Tapas
Eli’s Taqueria
3207 Columbia Pike, 703-663-4777. Dig into beef birria tortas, shrimp tacos and pupusas at this homey spin-off of the Taqueria La Ceibita food truck. L D $
Falafel Inc.
500 23rd St. S., falafelinc.org. Fill a pita or bowl with falafel, pickled veggies and your choice of sauces. The eatery donates a portion of its sales to feed refugees. O L D V $
Fat Fish
1641 Crystal Drive, fatfishrolls.com. Grab poke bowls, sushi and bento boxes from this budgetfriendly Water Park kiosk. O L D G $
Fettoosh
5100 Wilson Blvd., 703-527-7710, fettoosh restaurant.com. Pita sandwiches and kebabs keep the kitchen fired up at this bargain-priced Lebanese and Moroccan restaurant. C R L D G V $
Fire Works
932 N. Kenmore St., 703-522-3220, elpollorico. com. A local institution prized for its next-level rotisserie chicken. L D V $
El Rey
3035 Clarendon Blvd., 703-243-9020, foursisters grill.com. A go-to for banh mi sandwiches, papaya salad, spring rolls and noodle dishes. O L D $$
Freddie’s Beach Bar
555 23rd St. S., Arlington, 703-685-0555, fred diesbeachbar.com. Freddie Lutz’s “gay, straightfriendly” hangout is always a party, with flashy drinks, drag bingo and brunch. O R D A V $$
Galaxy Hut
2711 Wilson Blvd., 703-525-8646, galaxyhut.com. Pair craft beers with vegan bar foods like “fricken” sandwiches and smothered tots. L D A G V $$
Gharer Khabar
5157 Langston Blvd., 703-973-2432, gharerkhabar. com. Translated as “home’s food,” this art-filled café serves Bangladeshi fare by chef Nasima Shreen. L D $$
Good Company Doughnuts & Cafe s
672 N. Glebe Road, 703-243-3000; 1350 S. Eads St., 703-894-1002; gocodough.com. The familyowned eatery is revered for its doughnuts, Intelligentsia coffee and cafe fare. B L V $$
Grazie Grazie
4121 Wilson Blvd., 571-216-2999, graziegrazie. com. Give thanks for Italian subs, pizzas, salads and cannoli. L D $ 2900 Wilson Blvd., 703-888-1920, greenpigbistro. com. An Arlington fave for Southern-influenced happy hour and brunch. R L D G V $$$ 1727 Wilson Blvd., 703-807-0840, guajillo mexican.com. Mexican faves like carne asada, mole poblano and churros. O C L D G V $$
Guapo’s Restaurant
4028 Campbell Ave., 703-671-1701, guaposres taurant.com. Expect hearty portions of all the TexMex standbys—quesadillas, enchiladas, fajitas, tacos and burritos. O C R L D G V $$
Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ
1119 N. Hudson St., 571-527-0445, gyu-kaku.com. Marinated meats, veggies and seafood are cooked on tabletop grills. L D $$
4201 Wilson Blvd., 571-312-5530, elreyva.com. Down tacos, margs and draft brews with colorful surroundings, inside and out. Visit The Filling Station next door for live music. O L D A $$
Gyu San
Elevation Burger
Hal & Al’s BBQ
2447 N. Harrison St., 703-300-9467, elevation burger.com. Organic, grass-fed burgers, fries cooked in olive oil and shakes made with freshscooped ice cream. O L D V $
Hawkers Asian Street Food
4201 Wilson Blvd., 703-828-8287, eathawkers. com. Dig into Asian street foods, sake, whiskey and zero-proof quaffs. G V L D $$
Heidelberg Pastry Shoppe s
2150 N. Culpeper St., 703-527-8394, heidelberg bakery.com. A 50-year favorite for cakes, pretzels, bratwurst and German potato salad. B L $
Hot Lola’s s
4238 Wilson Blvd., hotlolas.com. It’s all about Chef Kevin Tien’s Nashville-meets-Sichuan hot chicken sandwiches. L D $
Idido’s Coffee & Social House
Four Sisters Grill
Guajillo
El Pollo Rico
2910 N. Sycamore St., 703-548-3891, hautedogs andfries.com. Cookout fare goes gourmet with hot dog toppings ranging from banh mi with sriracha mayo to a buffalo dog with blue cheese. L D $
4213 Fairfax Drive, 703-465-8888, firstdownsports bar.com. Three cheers for draft beers and 50 kinds of wings. L D A V $$
First Down Sports Bar & Grill s
El Paso Café
4111 Columbia Pike, 703-521-3010, elpikeresto bar.com. Bolivian salteñas stuffed with chicken or beef satisfy at this no-frills eatery. L D $
Haute Dogs
Hyde Social
Green Pig Bistro
El Pike Restobar
3024 Wilson Blvd., 703-351-1275, hanabiramen usa.com. Slurp multiple variations of the namesake soup. L D $$
2350 Clarendon Blvd., 703-527-8700, fireworks pizza.com. Enjoy wood-fired pizzas and more than 30 craft beers on tap. O C L D A G V $$
1301 S. Joyce St., 703-567-4369, elmercatbarde tapas.com. Chef George Rodrigues brings Spanish small plates and five kinds of paella to Westpost. R D G V $$$ 4235 N. Pershing Drive, 703-243-9811, elpaso cafeva.com. Big portions, big margaritas and bighearted service. C L D G V $$
Hanabi Ramen
4300 Wilson Blvd., 571-312-7373, gyusan.com. Japanese barbecue, sushi, soba noodles and saki. L D G $$$ 4238 Wilson Blvd., 703-400-8884, halandals bbq.com. There’s no pork on the menu at this halal ’cue joint. Go for beef brisket, turkey sausage or beef “Dino” ribs rubbed with Old Bay. L D $$
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3100 Clarendon Blvd., 703-647-9342, hyde-social. com. Sports fans unite for pub fare, drinks and trash talk. R L D A G V $$ 1107 S. Walter Reed Drive, 703-253-1576, ididos socialhouse.com. Devotees go for the pastries, sandwiches and Ethiopian coffee. B L V $
Immigrant Food s
4245 N. Fairfax Drive, 703-203-0337, immigrant food.com. Global dishes from this “gastroadvocacy” kitchen range from Salvadoran pupusas to Filipino fried chicken. O R L D G V $$
Inca Social
1776 Wilson Blvd., 703-488-7640, incasocial.com. Empanadas, saltados, ceviche, sushi and pisco sours round out the menu. R L D G V $$
Ireland’s Four Courts
2051 Wilson Blvd., 703-525-3600, irelandsfour courts.com. Stop in for a pint and an EPL game over an order of fish and chips. C R L D A $$
Istanbul Grill
4617 Wilson Blvd., 571-970-5828, istanbulgrill virginia.com. Feast on Turkish meze and kebabs at this homey spot in Bluemont. L D V $$
The Italian Store s
3123 Langston Blvd., 703-528-6266; 5837 Washington Blvd., 571-341-1080; italianstore.com. A local go-to for pizzas, subs, prepared entrées, espresso and gelato. O L D G V $
Jon’s Joint
250 N. Glebe Road, 202-384-4954. Order halal smashburgers topped with cheese, grilled onions and pickled jalapeños. L D $
Kabob Palace
2315 S. Eads St., 703-486-3535, kabobpalaceusa. com. Open 24 hours, this Crystal City storefront serves grilled halal meats, pillowy naan and savory sides. L D A G V $$
Kaldi’s Social House
3100 10th St. N.; 3639 S. Glebe Road; 571-2131502, kaldissocialhouse.net. The National Landing location serves a creative dinner menu in addition to espresso drinks and brunch. B R L D G V $$
Kanji Izakaya
4301 Fairfax Drive, 703-512-0017, kanjiarlington. com. Dive into teriyaki, ramen, yakitori, hibachi dishes and sushi. L D G $$
Khun Yai Thai
2509 N. Harrison St., 703-536-1643, khunyaithai va.com. Feast on “homestyle Thai” cuisine made with grandma’s recipes. L D G V $$
King of Koshary
5515 Wilson Blvd., 571-317-7925, kingofkoshary. com. Sample the hearty namesake dish or any of the tagines from this Egyptian kitchen. L D G $$
Kusshi
1201 S. Joyce St., 571-777-1998, kusshisushi.
real real food. great fun. realfood. food.great greatfun. fun. real food. great fun.
EXPRESS EXPRESS LUNCH! LUNCH!
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■ places to eat com. Treat yourself to sushi bowls, takoyaki, ramen and lychee cosmos. O L D G V $$$
L.A. Bar & Grill
2530 Columbia Pike, 703-685-1560, labargrill.com. Regulars flock to this dive bar on the Pike for brews and pub fare. D A $$
La Coop Coffee
4807 First St. N., 571-257-7972, lacoopcoffee. com. Stop in for single-origin Guatemalan coffee, house-made horchata, breakfast sammies, empanadas and ice cream. B L $
La Côte D’Or Café
6876 Langston Blvd., 703-538-3033, lcd6876va. com. This little French bistro serves standards like crepes and steak frites. O R L D G V $$$
Lantern Restaurant and Bar
320 23rd St., S., 571-800-6137, lanternrestaurant andbar.com. Try crispy fish or beef with broccoli from the comfort of a private karaoke room. L D G V $$
La Posada
320 23rd St., S., 703-412-9211, laposadarestaurant. com. Say “olé” to flautas, poblano beef ribs, shrimp saltado, agua fresca and horchata. C L D V $$
Lapu Lapu
1417 S. Fern St., 703-567-4014, lapulapubreak fast.com. Filipino breakfast sandwiches are served on pan de sal buns from sister bakery Gwenie’s Pastries. B R L D V $
Lebanese Taverna
5900 Washington Blvd., 703-241-8681; 1101 S. Joyce St., Pentagon Row, 703-415-8681; lebanese taverna.com. A hometown favorite for shawarma, kebabs, flatbreads and more. O C L D G V $$
The Liberty Tavern
3195 Wilson Blvd., 703-465-9360, thelibertytavern. com. This Clarendon anchor offers a spirited bar and creative cuisine fueled by two wood-burning ovens. O C R L D A G V $$$
Locket
1900 Fort Myer Drive, 703-682-8233, locket rosslyn.com. Tucked inside the Hilton Arlington Rosslyn The Key, this all-day restaurant hits the spot with raw bar, steakhouse-style favorites and brunch. C B R L D G V $$$
Lost Dog Café
Lucky Danger
1101 S. Joyce St., Unit B27, luckydanger.co. The Chinese American takeout hits the spot with duck fried rice and lo mein. L D V $$
Lyon Hall s
3100 N. Washington Blvd., 703-741-7636, lyonhall arlington.com. The European-style brasserie turns out French, German and Alsatian-inspired plates, from charcuterie and sausages to moules frites. O C R L D A V $$$
Maison Cheryl
2900 Wilson Blvd., 703-664-0509, maisoncheryl. com. Try bistro fare such as seared duck breast, ratatouille and strawberry crepe cake. R L D V $$$
Makers Union
1450 S. Eads St., 703-419-3504, makersunionpub. com. Pop in for comfort food, cocktails and live music several nights a week. R L D G V $$
Mala Tang
3434 Washington Blvd., 703-243-2381, mala-tang. com. A fragrant eatery specializing in Sichuan hot pot, dry pot and Chinese street foods. O L D G V $$
Mario’s Pizza House
3322 Wilson Blvd., 703-525-0222, mariospizza housemenu.com. Open into the wee hours, it’s been cooking up subs, wings and pizza since 1957. O C B L D A $
Mason’s Famous Lobster Rolls
4017 Campbell Ave., 571-431-6530, masons
Stillwater & Stone
lobster.com. Order the namesake crustacean dressed in melted butter or mayo. L D $$
Maya Bistro
5649 Langston Blvd., 703-533-7800, bistromaya. com. The family-owned restaurant serves Turkish and Mediterranean comfort food. L D V $$
McNamara’s Pub & Restaurant
567 23rd St. S., 703-302-3760, mcnamaraspub. com. Order a Guinness and some fish and chips at this friendly watering hole. O R L D A $$
Meda Coffee & Kitchen
5037 Columbia Pike, 571-312-0599, medacoffee kitchen.com. Find coffee, baked goods and traditional Ethiopian dishes like kitfo and tibs. C B L D G V $$
Me Jana
Mister Days Sport Rock Café
1101 N. Highland St., 703-986-3335, misterdays usa.com. Happy hour deals and bar munchies provide fuel for game-watching. R D A $
Mpanadas
2602 Columbia Pike, 571-312-0182, mpanadas usa.com. Try barbecue pork and cheeseburger empanadas, birthday cake paletas and java chip macaroons. B L D $
Nam-Viet
1127 N. Hudson St., 703-522-7110, namvietva.com. The venerable restaurant in what was once Arlington’s “Little Saigon” neighborhood specializes in flavors of Vietnam’s Can Tho region. O L D V $$
Nettie’s Tavern
2300 Wilson Blvd., 703-465-4440, mejanarestau rant.com. Named for an old Lebanese folk ballad, this Middle Eastern eatery has stood the test of time. O C L D G V $$
2854 Wilson Blvd., 571-867-9132, nettiestavern. com. Italy meets Appalachia in bites such as pepperoni rolls, venison meatballs and tiramisu French toast. Sip a Nettie’s Tea made with moonshine, crushed lemon and mint syrup. O R L D A V $$
Mele Bistro
Nighthawk Pizza
Metro 29 Diner
NiHao
1723 Wilson Blvd., 703-522-0284, melebistro.com. The farm-to-table Mediterranean kitchen cooks with organic, regional ingredients. O R L D G V $$ 4711 Langston Blvd., 703-528-2464, metro29. com. Classic diner fare includes triple-decker sandwiches, mile-high desserts, burgers and breakfast. CBRLDV$
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1201 S. Joyce St., nighthawkpizza.com. Visit this brewpub for personal pizzas (both thick and thin crust), beer and smashburgers. L D V $$ 1550 Crystal Drive, 703-512-4109, nihaoarlington. com. Sichuan small plates by chef Peter Chang include walnut shrimp, spicy dry-fried eggplant, and pork ribs with fries. O L D G V $$
COURTESY PHOTO
5876 Washington Blvd., 703-237-1552, lostdog cafe.com. Known for its pizzas, subs and beer selection, this deli/café supports pet adoption through the Lost Dog and Cat Rescue Foundation. L D G V $$
Northside Social Coffee & Wine
3211 Wilson Blvd., 703-465-0145, northsidesocial va.com. The two-story coffee and wine bar with a big patio is always busy...which tells you something. O B L D V $$
Oasis The Listening Bar
2940 Clarendon Blvd., 703-512-3068, oasisthe listeningbar.com. From the owners of Sisters Thai, a sushi, cocktail and vinyl record bar with a surfer vibe. L D $$
Ocean Shack
2163 N. Glebe Road, 703-488-7161, oceanshack arlington.com. Dig into a seafood boil, a fried oyster basket or an order of fish tacos and pretend you’re at the beach. R L D A $$
Old Dominion Pizza Co.
4514 Langston Blvd., 703-718-6372, olddominion pizza.com. Order thin crust or “grandma style” pies named after local high school mascots. L D G $
Open Road
1201 Wilson Blvd., 703-248-0760, openroadgrill. com. A solid pick for burgers and beers or a proper entrée and a craft cocktail. O L D $$
O’Sullivan’s Irish Pub
3207 Washington Blvd., 703-812-0939, osullivans irishpub.com. You’ll find owner and County Kerry native Karen O’Sullivan behind the bar, pouring pints and cracking jokes. L D A $$
Our Mom Eugenia
4044 Campbell Ave., 571-970-0468, ourmom eugenia.com. This family-owned spot serves legit Greek fare, from saganaki to souvlaki. O L D $$
Padaek
2931 S. Glebe Road, 703-888-2890, padaekdc. com. Chef Seng Luangrath’s celebrated kitchen turns out Lao, Thai and Burmese cuisine—satay, curries and noodle dishes. O L D G V $$
Palette 22
4053 Campbell Ave., 703-746-9007, palette22.com. The Shirlington gallery-café specializes in internationally-inspired small plates. O R L D V $$
Peking Pavilion
2912 N. Sycamore St., 703-237-6868, peking pavilionva.com. Reliable standbys include moo shu pork and beef with broccoli. L D $$
Peruvian Brothers
1450 S. Eads St., 703-625-6473, peruvianbroth ers.com. Dig into chicharron sandwiches, saltados, empanadas, rotisserie chicken and power bowls. LDV$
Peter Chang Arlington
2503-E N. Harrison St., 703-538-6688, peterchang arlington.com. The former Chinese Embassy chef brings his fiery and flavorful Sichuan cooking to the Lee Harrison Shopping Center. C L D $$
Pho 75 s
1721 Wilson Blvd., 703-525-7355, pho75.res taurantwebexpert.com. The piping-hot Vietnamese soup at this local institution is all about fresh ingredients. O L D V $
Pink Saffron
1201 S. Joyce St., 571-867-9090, thepinksaffron. com. Minted lamb, tandoori chicken, veggie korma and other Indian favorites. L D G V $$
Pizzeria Paradiso Pronto!
1611 Crystal Drive, 703-782-9885, eatyourpizza. com/pronto. The cult-status D.C. pizzeria has a kiosk in National Landing. O L D V $$
Pupatella s
5104 Wilson Blvd.; 1621 S. Walter Reed Drive, 571-312-7230, pupatella.com. Enzo and Anastasiya Algarme’s authentic Neapolitan pies are considered among D.C.’s best. O L D V $$ 1200 Fort Myer Drive, 703-528-2722, quarterdeck arlington.com. This beloved shack has served up steamed crabs for 40 years. O C L D V $$
Queen Mother’s Kitchen
1601 Crystal Drive, 703-997-8474, queenmother cooks.com. Grab a fried chicken sandwich and a side of duck fat fries. O L D $
Quincy Hall
4001 Fairfax Drive, 703-567-4098, quincyhallbar. com. Go for pints, meatballs and New York-style pizza at this spacious beer hall in Ballston. L D $
Quinn’s on the Corner
1776 Wilson Blvd., 703-640-3566, quinnsonthe corner.com. Irish and Belgian favorites such as mussels, steak frites, and bangers and mash, plus draft beers and a big whiskey list. B R L D A $$
Ragtime
1345 N. Courthouse Road, 703-243-4003, ragtime restaurant.com. Taste the Big Easy in offerings such as jambalaya, catfish and oysters. Sundays bring a waffle and omelet bar. O R L D A V $$
2109 N. Pollard St., 703-566-0456, pinesofflor encearlingtonva.com. The classics include linguine with pesto, veal parm and chicken cacciatore, plus housemade pizza and subs. L D V $$
JOIN US ALL SEASON LONG for BBQ and beer on our patio Watch sports on our outdoor TV! We Cater!
Ravi Kabob House
350 N. Glebe Road, 703-522-6666; 250 N. Glebe Road, 703-816-0222. Curries, kebabs and spiced veggies keep this café plenty busy. C L D V $$
The Renegade
3100 Clarendon Blvd., 703-468-4652, renegadeva. com. Is it a coffee shop, restaurant, bar or live music venue? All of the above—with snacks ranging from lambchop lollipops to lo mein. B L D A $$
Rocklands Barbeque and Grilling Co. s
3471 Washington Blvd., 703-528-9663, rocklands. com. Owner John Snedden has been slow-cooking barbecue at this Arlington favorite since 1990. OCLDGV$
RusUz
Pines of Florence
FALL IS HERE!
1500 Wilson Blvd., 571-520-2086, ravennapizza. com. Pop in for Roman-style pizzas, focaccia sandwiches and gelato. L D V $
Pi BBQ and Bar
2503-B N. Harrison St., 703-237-0200, pie-tanza. com. Enjoy pizza (including gluten-free options), calzones, lasagna, subs and salads. C L D G V $$
703-534-6000 www.sushizen.com
Ravenna Pizza
Ruffino’s Spaghetti House
Pie-tanza s
ORDER NOW!
2200 Crystal Drive, 703-888-0925, rasagrill.com. Build a bowl with options like basmati rice, chicken tikka, lamb, pickled vegetables, lentils, chutneys and yogurt sauces. O L D G V $
PhoWheels
420 23rd St. S. 629-899-1318, pibbqbar.peblla. com. Enjoy traditional Korean barbecue, grilled at your table, with all the banchan. L D A $$$
Serving award-winning, fresh and healthy Japanese cuisine & a full assortment of sushi for over 29 years.
Rasa
Roggenart Bakery, Bistro & Café
1731 Crystal Drive, phowheelsdc.com. The popular food truck serving Vietnamese pho and banh mi has a kiosk at Water Park. O L D G $
ye
Quarterdeck
Pho & Banh Mi Eatery Café
3000 Washington Blvd., 703-489-8212, eatery cafeva.com. Fill up on banh mi, steaming bowls of pho and poke bowls. L D G V $
26ars!
Reader Pick:
BEST BARBEQUE
4401 Wilson Blvd., 703-721-3182, roggenart.com. Stop in for breakfast, coffee, pastries and sandwiches on house-baked bread. B R L D V $$ 4763 Langston Blvd., 703-528-2242, ruffino spaghetti.com. Fill up on classics such as veal Parmigiana and chicken piccata. C L D V $$ 1000 N. Randolph St., 571-312-4086, rusuz.com. The family-run bistro serves hearty Russian and Uzbek dishes such as borscht, beef stroganoff and plov—a rice pilaf with lamb. L D $$
Ruthie’s All-Day s
3411 Fifth St. S., 703-888-2841, ruthiesallday. com. Chef Matt Hill’s acclaimed “meat and three” serves up wood-smoked proteins with creative sides. Breakfast (with house-made biscuits) offered daily. O B R L D G V $$
Ryu Izakaya
3030 Columbia Pike, 703-399-9052, ryuizakayava.
3471 Washington Blvd. Arlington, VA 22201 703-528-9663 www.rocklands.com
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■ places to eat com. A spot on the Pike for sushi, sake and yakitori. L D G $$
from ribs, crabcakes and spaghetti squash to the chocolate cherry bread pudding. O L D G V $$
Sabores Tapas Bar
Soul Thai Kitchen & Bar
2401 Columbia Pike, 571-970-1253, saboresva.com. Dine on ceviche, lomo saltado and classic gambas al ajillo at this tapas bar on the Pike. R L D G V $$
Saigon Noodles & Grill
1800 Wilson Blvd., 703-566-5940, saigonnoodles grill.com. Traditional Vietnamese pho, banh mi and noodle dishes round out the offerings. L D $$
Sakaki Izakaya
3227 Washington Blvd., 703-718-4931, sakaki izakaya.com. Try mini “sushi burgers,” Wagyu fried rice and the dazzling Egg on Egg (king salmon, quail egg, ikura and wasabi soy in a smoking bowl). Closed Tuesdays. L D A G $$
Salt s
1201 Wilson Blvd., 703-875-0491, saltrosslyn.com. The speakeasy-style cocktail bar serves cheese plates and carpaccio alongside sazeracs, old-fashioneds and nouveau craft cocktails. D $$
The Salt Line
4040 Wilson Blvd., 703-566-2075, thesaltline. com. Hit this seafood-centric oyster bar for clam chowder, lobster rolls, stuffies, smashburgers and fun cocktails. c O R D $$$
Samuel Beckett’s Irish Gastro Pub
2800 S. Randolph St., 703-379-0122, samuel becketts.com. A modern Irish pub serving Emerald Isle recipes. O C R L D A G V $$
Sawatdee Thai Restaurant
2250 Clarendon Blvd., 703-243-8181, sawatdeeva. com. Craving pad thai or pad prik king? This is the place. L D V $$
Screwtop Wine Bar and Cheese Shop
1025 N. Fillmore St., 703-888-0845, screwtop winebar.com. The congenial wine bar and bottle shop offers tastings, wine classes, and small plates for sharing and pairing. O C R L D G V $$
Seoulspice
1735 N. Lynn St., 703-419-5868, seoulspice.com. Korean fast-casual comfort food, anyone? L D G V $
SER
1110 N. Glebe Road, 703-746-9822, serrestau rant.com. Traditional Spanish and Basque dishes in a colorful, friendly space with outstanding service. O R L D V $$$
Sfoglina Pasta House
1100 Wilson Blvd., sfoglinapasta.com/rosslyn. Fabio Trabocchi’s urbane trattoria serves fresh pasta (you can watch it being made), a “mozzarella bar” and Italian cocktails. O L D V $$$
Silver Diner
4400 Wilson Blvd., 703-812-8600, silverdiner. com. Organic, locally-sourced ingredients make this better (and healthier) than your average diner. O C B R L D A G V $$
The Simple Greek
1731 Wilson Blvd., 703-875-1800, thesimplegreek. com. Find gyros, spanakopita, dolmades and other Greek favorites at this café and catering operation in Colonial Village. O C B L D V $
Simply Banh Mi
801 N. Quincy St., simplybahnmi.com. In addition to its namesake sandwich, the cult-status takeout serves pho and build-your-own rice and vermicelli noodle bowls. L D $
Skydome
300 Army Navy Drive, 703-416-3862. Savor craft cocktails, Mediterranean dishes and views of the D.C. skyline in this revolving hotel restaurant. D G V $$$
Sloppy Mama’s Barbeque
5731 Langston Blvd., 703-269-2718, sloppyma mas.com. Joe Neuman’s barbecue joint offers wood-smoked meats, pimento cheese, hearty sides and banana pudding. O B R L D V $$
Smokecraft Modern Barbecue
1051 N. Highland St., 571-312-8791, smokecraft bbq.com. Every menu item is kissed by smoke,
6035 Wilson Blvd., 703-300-9655, soulthaikitchen andbar.com. Curries, noodle dishes and other Thai classics aim to please. L D G V $
Spice Kraft Indian Bistro
1135 N. Highland St., 703-527-5666, spicekraft va.com. This contemporary concept gives Indian classics a modern spin. O L D $$
Spider Kelly’s
3181 Wilson Blvd., 703-312-8888, spiderkellys.com. The “come as you are” bar offers a sizable beer list, creative cocktails, salads, burgers, snacks and breakfast at all hours. C D A G V $$
Stellina Pizzeria
2800 S. Randolph St., 703-962-7884, stellina pizzeria.com. Pay a visit for Neapolitan pies, fried artichokes and a deli counter with house-made pastas, sauces and dolci to take home. O R L D $$
Stillwater & Stone
1800 Richmond Highway, 703-486-1111, stillwater andstonedc.com. Try coastal fare and enticing cocktails at this sleek restaurant tucked inside the Westin Crystal City. B R L D $$$
Surreal
2117 Crystal Drive, surrealpark.com. Playful dishes range from a foot-long Boomdog to scallops with celery root mezcal “clouds.” O B L D $$
Shimmering tapestries and golden Buddhas are the backdrop in this destination for Thai noodles, curries and rice dishes. L D $$
Thai Square
3217 Columbia Pike, 703-685-7040, thaisquare restaurant.com. Enjoy options ranging from crispy squid with basil and roasted duck curry to pig knuckle stew. O L D G V $$
Tiger Dumplings
3225 Washington Blvd., 571-970-4512, tiger dumplings.com. There are dumplings, of course, plus five-spice beef, roast duck and vegan tofu skin with peanuts. L D G V $$
Timber Pizza
4238 Wilson Blvd. (Ballston Quarter), 703-5676463, timberpizza.com. Popular pies include the Green Monster (pesto, feta, zucchini, kale) and the Worthy (chicken, barbecue sauce, red onions, apples and cilantro). L D V $$
Tio Pelé
3110 Langston Blvd., 703-721-3377, tiopele.com. A Brazilian-Lebanese charcoal-grilled chicken joint serving whole birds and sandwiches with Middle Eastern sides. L D G $
TNR Cafe
2049 Wilson Blvd., 571-217-0766, tnrcafe.com. When you have a hankering for Peking duck, moo shu chicken, Szechuan beef or bubble tea. L D G V $$
Toby’s Homemade Ice Cream s
SushiJip
5849-A Washington Blvd., 703-536-7000; 510 14th St. S.; tobysicecream.com. Stop in for cups, cones, floats and sundaes. Coffee, pastries and bagels available in the morning. B L D V $
Sushi Rock
Tony Boloney’s
3000 Washington Blvd., 703-243-7799, sushijip. com. A neighborhood spot for sushi, poke bowls, hibachi and ramen. Closed Mondays. L D G V $$ 1900 Clarendon Blvd., 571-312-8027, sushirockva. com. Sample sushi and beverages named after your favorite artists, from Ozzy to Oasis. D A G V $$
Sushi-Zen Japanese Restaurant s
2457 N. Harrison St., 703-534-6000, sushizen. com. An amicable neighborhood stop for sushi, donburi, tempura and udon. C L D V $$
Taco Bamba
1700 N. Moore St., 240-913-8300, tonyboloneys. com. Chow on cheesesteaks, Jersey-style thincrust pizzas and mozzarella sticks in three flavors from this counter at Upside on Moore. L D V $
Tortas Y Tacos La Chiquita
2911 Columbia Pike, 571-970-2824; 3811 Fairfax Drive, 703-512-4137; tortasytacoslachiquitadmv. com. The eatery that started as a food truck does tacos and huarache platters right. B L D A $
4000 Wilson Blvd., 571-777-1477; 4041 Campbell Ave., 571-257-3030; tacobamba.com. Tacos range from classic carnitas to cheffy creations like the El Rico Pollo, stuffed with chicken, green chili, aji Amarillo aioli and crispy potato. B L D V $
Trade Roots
Taco Rock
Troy’s Italian Kitchen
1501 Wilson Blvd., 571-775-1800, thetacorock. com. This rock-themed taqueria keeps the Micheladas flowing alongside tacos on housemade blue-corn tortillas. B L D V $$
Taqueria el Poblano
2503-A N. Harrison St., 703-237-8250, taqueria poblano.com. Fresh guacamole, fish tacos, margaritas and mole verde transport patrons to the Yucatan. C L D G V $$
Taqueria Xochi
1450 S. Eads St., 571-444-6722, taqueriaxochi. com. Beef birria tacos, crispy stuffed mulitas and other Mexican street foods. D A V $$
Tatte Bakery and Café
5852 Washington Blvd., 571-335-4274, fairtrade roots.com. The Westover gift shop and cafe serves fair-trade coffee, tea, pastries, salads, organic wine and snackable small plates. O B L $ 2710 Washington Blvd., 703-528-2828, troysitalian kitchen.com. Palak and Neel Vaidya’s mom-andpop serves pizza, pasta and calzones, including a lengthy vegan menu. L D G V $
Tupelo Honey Café
1616 N. Troy St., 703-253-8140, tupelohoneycafe. com. The Southern fusion menu includes dishes like roasted snapper with sweet potato and farro. C R L D $$
Upside on Moore
1700 N. Moore St., upsideonmoore.com. This food hall above the Rosslyn metro includes DMV concepts Ghostburger, Stellina Pizzeria, Little Tiger Dumplings and Neko Panchi sushi. L D G V $$
2805 Clarendon Blvd., 571-312-8691; 269 19th Court S., 571-357-1470; tattebakery.com. Breakfast sandwiches, tartines, panini, grain bowls, coffee and pastries. O B R L D G V $
Variedades Catrachas Restaurant
Ted’s Bulletin & Sidekick Bakery
Wagamama
4238 Wilson Blvd., 703-848-7580, tedsbulletin. com. Retro comfort food and all-day breakfast with an adjoining bakery. C B R L D G V $$
Texas Jack’s Barbecue
2761 Washington Blvd., 703-875-0477, txjacks.com. Brisket, ribs and pulled pork, plus sides like raw carrot salad and smashed cucumbers. O L D A $$
T.H.A.I. in Shirlington
4209 Campbell Ave., 703-931-3203, thaiinshirling ton.com. Pretty dishes include lemongrass salmon with black sticky rice. O L D G V $$$
Thai Noy
5880 Washington Blvd., 703-534-7474, thainoy.com.
122 September/October 2026 ■ ArlingtonMagazine.com
3709 Columbia Pike, 703-888-0906, variedades catrachas.com. This homey Honduran eatery is open almost round the clock. B L D A G V $
2950 Clarendon Blvd., 571-901-9242, wagamama. us. Feast on ramen, teppanyaki, rice bowls, bao buns, boba tea and sake cocktails. O L D G V $$
Water Bar
1601 Crystal Drive, nlwaterbar.com. This sleek oyster bar overlooking National Landing’s Water Park serves sharable plates, snacks and proper cocktails. O L D G V $$
Weenie Beenie
2680 Shirlington Road, 703-671-6661, weenie beenie.net. The hot dog stand founded in 1954 is still serving half smokes, bologna-and-egg sandwiches and pancakes. B L D $
Westover Market & Beer Garden
5863 N. Washington Blvd., 703-536-5040, westo vermarketbeergarden.com. It’s a hive for burgers, draft microbrews and live music. O C L D A $$
Westover Taco
5849 Washington Blvd., 703-297-3030, westover taco.com. Tacos, guac, margs and beer keep things casual at this sports bar focusing on women’s sports. L D V A $
Westville
2800 Clarendon Blvd., 703-646-7226, westvillenyc. com. The veg-forward concept out of New York City emphasizes build-your-own dishes, plus cocktails. O B L D G V $$
William Jeffrey’s Tavern
2301 Columbia Pike, 703-746-6333, william jeffreystavern.com. Hit this pub on the Pike for Tuesday night raw bar and bottomless weekend brunch. O C R L D A G V $$
Wiseguy Pizza
1735 N. Lynn St., 703-358-8880; 710 12th St. S., 703-334-9885, wiseguypizza.com. The Sicilian and New York-style pies range from classic pepperoni to Korean chicken with cabbage. L D G V $
Wonder
1771 N. Pierce St.,wonder.com. Find fast-casual menus by star chefs like Bobby Flay and Marcus Samuelsson at this Rosslyn food hall. L D G V $$
Yayla Bistro
2201 N. Westmoreland St., 703-533-5600, yayla bistro.com. A cozy little spot for Turkish small plates, flatbreads and seafood. Pita wraps available for lunch only. O C L D $$
Yume Sushi
2121 N. Westmoreland St., 703-269-5064, yume sushiva.com. Sushi, omakase and a sake bar with craft cocktails in a stylish setting. L D V G $$$
Yunnan by Potomac
721 15th St., S., 571-699-3935, yunnanby potomac.com. Try rice noodles in bone broth and multiple kinds of bao buns. O R L D $$
Yu Noodles
1515 Wilson Blvd., 703-718-4928, yunoodles. com. Noodles, soup dumplings, rice dishes and dim sum. L D $
FALLS CHURCH 2941 Restaurant
2941 Fairview Park Drive, 703-270-1500, 2941. com. French chef Bertrand Chemel’s airy sanctuary offers beautifully composed seasonal dishes and expert wine pairings. C L D V $$$$
Al Jazeera
3813-D S. George Mason Drive, 703-379-2733. The top seller at this Yemeni cafe is oven-roasted lamb with yellow rice. L D $$
Anthony’s Restaurant
3000 Annandale Road, 703-532-0100, anthonys restaurantva.com. The family-owned diner serves standbys like spaghetti, pizza, gyros and subs, plus breakfast on weekends. R L D V $$
B Side
8298 Glass Alley (Mosaic), 703-676-3550, bsidecuts.com. Nathan Anda’s charcuterie, smashburgers and beef-fat fries steal the show at this cozy bar. L D $$
Badd Pizza
346 W. Broad St., 703-237-2233, baddpizza.com. Order a Buffalo-style “cup-and-char” pepperoni pie and a Lost Rhino “baddbeer” IPA. L D $$
Balqees Restaurant
5820 Seminary Road, 703-379-0188, balqeesres taurant.com. Lebanese and Yemeni specialties include lamb in saffron rice, saltah (a vegetarian stew) and saffron cake with crème anglaise. O L D V $$
Bamian
5634 Leesburg Pike, 703-820-7880, bamianres taurant.com. Try Afghan standards like palau (lamb
with saffron rice) and aushak (scallion dumplings with yogurt, meat sauce and mint). C L D V $$
Caboose Commons
2918 Eskridge Road (Mosaic), 703-663-8833, caboosebrewing.com. The microbrewery has a hopping patio and creative eats, from fried pickles to plant-based buddha bowls. O L D V A $$
Café Kindred
450 N. Washington St., 571-327-2215, cafe kindred.com. Pop in for a yogurt parfait, avocado toast, grilled eggplant sandwich, or an espresso fizz. B R L V $$
Cafe Zevian
700 W. Broad St.,703-712-7012, cafezevian.com. Savor Turkish, Greek and Lebanese influences in mezze, grilled seafood, doner kebab and baklava. O B R L D G V $$
Casa Mariachi
Tastings Every Tuesday
133 E. Annandale Road, casamariachirestaurante. com. All the Tex-Mex favorites—tacos, burritos, fajitas, saltado, guac and margs. B L D $$
Monthly Wine Club
Celebrity Delly s
7263-A Arlington Blvd., 703-573-9002, celebrity deliva.com. Massive corned beef sandwiches and tuna melts satisfy at this New York-style deli founded in 1975. C B L D G V $
Chasin’ Tails
944 W. Broad St., 571-777-9596, chasintailsss. com. The Viet-Cajun menu includes crawfish boils, char-broiled kimchi oysters and scallop crudo with citrus vinaigrette. L D $$
Reader Pick: BEST RESTAURANT IN ARLINGTON and BEST NEIGHBORHOOD BAR
Chay Restaurant
Wine Pickup Parties Brunch on Weekends Full Lunch & Dinner Menu for Sharing & Pairing Dog Friendly Patio
screwtopwinebar.com
6531 Columbia Pike, 571-378-1771, chayrestau rant.com. Worth the trip for vegetarian hot pot, spring rolls, noodles and other plant-based Vietnamese specialties. L D G V $
1025 N. Fillmore St. 703-888-0845
The Cheese Cartel
922 W. Broad St., 703-547-8083, thecheesecartel. com. Graze on cheese and charcuterie boards with wine pairings. Gluten-free? No problem. L D $$
Clare & Don’s Beach Shack
130 N. Washington St., 703-532-9283, clareand dons.com. Go coastal with fish tacos, margs and live outdoor music. O C L D A G V $$
Colada Shop
2920 District Ave., 703-962-3002, coladashop. com. See Arlington listing. O B R L D V $$
District Dumplings
2985 District Ave. (Mosaic), 703-884-7080, district dumplings.com. See Arlington listing. L D $$
District Taco
5275-C Leesburg Pike, 571-699-0660, district taco.com. See Arlington listing. C B L D G V $
Dogwood Tavern
132 W. Broad St., 703-237-8333, dogwoodtav ern.com. The menu has something for everyone, from jambalaya and burgers to coconut-curry salmon. O C R L D A V $$
Dolan Uyghur
400 S. Maple Ave., 833-693-6526, dolanuyghur. com. Order noodles, kebabs and Uyghur and Dolan specialties such as steamed dumplings stuffed with pumpkin and peppers. O B R L D G V $$
Dominion Wine & Beer
107 Rowell Court, 703-533-3030, dominionwine andbeer.com. Pairings come easy when a café shares its space with a wine and beer shop. Order up a plate of sliders, a cheese board or Dragon shrimp. O R L D V $$
Duangrat’s
5878 Leesburg Pike, 703-820-5775, duangrats. com. A destination for enchanting Thai cuisine since 1987. O R L D V $$
El Tio Tex-Mex Grill
jumps.com. Creative and comforting Thai food in an intimate strip-mall storefront. L D G V $$
Elevation Burger
442 S. Washington St., 703-237-4343, elevation burger.com. See Arlington listing. O L D V $
Ellie Bird s
125 Founders Ave., 703-454-8894, elliebirdva. com. Discover the wonders of chef Yuan Tang’s clever and playful cooking at this award-winning Little City gem. c o R D G V $$$
The Falls Restaurant & Bar
370 W. Broad St., 703-237-8227, thefallsva.com. Dig into crabcakes, brisket, packed salads, pork schnitzel and, during weekend brunch, unlimited small plates. O R L D G V $$$
Fava Pot
7393 Lee Highway, 703-204-0609, favapot.com. The Egyptian eats include stewed fava beans with yogurt and lamb shanks with okra. And oh the bread! B L D G V $$
Fish Taco
930 W. Broad St., 571-531-3920, fishtacoonline. com. Order a marg and the namesake food blackened, beer-battered or grilled. L D G $
Flame Japanese Hibachi
6379 Seven Corners Center, 571-480-5161, flamejapanesehibachi.com. Get fired up for grilled beef, chicken, salmon and tofu, plus sushi, bubble tea and cheesecake smoothies. L D $$
Godfrey’s Bakery & Café
421 W. Broad St., 571-378-1144, godfreysbakery cafe.com. Pop in for pastries, grazing boards, Romanstyle pizza and coffee drinks. B R L D V $$
GrillMarX Steakhouse and Raw Bar
7630 Lee Highway, 703-204-0233, eltiogrill.com. Take the family out for fajitas, enchiladas, lomo saltado, combo plates and margaritas. O L D $$
510 S. Washington St., 240-261-7762, gmxfalls church.com. Splurge on prime rib or boneless ribeye with all the sides, plus desserts such as classic cheesecake or a hot fudge sundae. L D G $$$$
Elephant Jumps Thai Restaurant
Haandi Indian Cuisine
8110-A Arlington Blvd., 703-942-6600, elephant
1222 W. Broad St., 703-533-3501, haandi.com. The
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■ places to eat perfumed kebabs, curries and biryani incorporate northern and southern Indian flavors. L D V G $$
taurant.com. Seasoned legumes and marinated beef served with injera bread are signatures in this Ethiopian banquet hall. O C L D G V $$
rant.com. Go out for chicken tikka, lamb rogan josh, toothsome samosas and cardamom-infused desserts. O L D G V $$
513 W. Broad St., 540-268-6100, harveysva.com. Chef Thomas Harvey’s homey café does roasted chicken, cheesesteaks, banana splits and other comfort fare with flair. O C B R L D V $$
Met Khao
Rare Bird Coffee Roasters
Hi/Fi Tex-Mex BBQ
MQR Cafe
Rice Paper/Taste of Vietnam
Hong Kong Palace
My Home Thai Bistro
Roll Play
Naja Mediterranean
Semicolon Cafe
6286 Arlington Blvd., 703-237-1388. Two words: dim sum. L D A V $$
2911 District Ave., 571-430-3650, najamediter ranean.com. Stop in for shawarma, falafel and other Lebanese favorites. O C LD V $$
Honoo Ramen Bar
Nhu Lan Sandwich
Seoul Prime Korean Steakhouse
Huong Viet
Northside Social Falls Church s
Harvey’s
8298 Glass Alley, 703-676-3550, hifitexmexbbq. com. Smoked meats, tacos, wings and tequila drinks shine at this spin-off of the original in Del Ray. R D $$ 6387 Seven Corners Center, 703-532-0940, hong kongpalacedelivery.com. The kitchen caters to both ex-pat and American tastes with an enormous menu of options. C L D $$
Hong Kong Pearl Seafood Restaurant
165 W. Falls Station Blvd., 571-866-6540, honoo ramenbar.com. Ramen, skewers, sushi and small plates. O L D G $$ 6785 Wilson Blvd., 703-538-7110. Spring rolls, roasted quail and shaky beef are faves at this cash-only Eden Center eatery. C L D G V $$
Ireland’s Four Provinces
105 W. Broad St., 703-534-8999, 4psva.com. A tavern in the heart of Falls Church City serving pub food and Irish specialties to the tune of occasional Irish music sessions. O C B R L D $$
Jinya Ramen Bar
2911 District Ave. (Mosaic), 571-327-2256, jinyaramenbar.com. Embellish your tonkotsu or umami-miso broth with more than a dozen toppings and add-ins. O L D A g V $$
JV’s Restaurant
6666 Arlington Blvd., 703-241-9504, jvsrestaurant. com. The best kind of dive bar, it’s known for live music, cold beer and meatloaf. L D A V $$
Lantern House Viet Bistro
1067 West Broad St., 703-268-2878, lantern houseva.com. Head out for Vietnamese pho, noodles and banh mi. L D G V $$
Lazy Mike’s Delicatessen
7049 Leesburg Pike, 703-532-5299, lazymikes deli.com. A Falls Church institution churning out homemade ice cream, packed deli sandwiches and breakfast classics. O C B R L D G V $
La Tingeria
626 S. Washington St., 571-316-6715. David Peña’s queso birria tacos are a must. Open Wednesday-Sunday. L D $
Little Beast
119 E. Broad St., littlebeastbistro.com. This monster-themed spot for Detroit-style pizza, meatballs and ricotta doughnuts is beloved by kids and has a martini bar for grown-ups. O C D V $$
Little Falls Cafe s
106 Little Falls St., @littlefallscafe. A charming creperie serving both sweet and savory renditions of the beloved French pancakes. O B R L V $$
Little Saigon Restaurant
6218-B Wilson Blvd., 703-536-2633, littlesaigon restaurant.us. Authentic Vietnamese in a comfortable setting with retro photo collages. O L D $$
Loving Hut
2842 Rogers Drive, 703-942-5622; lovinghut fallschurch.com. The vegan eats include rice vermicelli with barbecued soy protein and clay pot rice with vegan “ham.” L D G V $$
Mark’s Duck House
6395 Seven Corners Center, 703-533-9480, padaekdc.com. Chef Seng Luangrath’s fast-casual eatery serves Thai and Laotian fare. L D G V $ 6343 Columbia Pike, 571-378-1012, mqrcafe. com. Find cardamom lattes, kunafa French toast, harissa burgers and chicken shawarma sandwiches at this halal café. B R L D G V $ 1009 W. Broad St., 571-899-5055, myhomethai fallschurch.com. Enjoy Thai curries, noodles and rice dishes in a whimsical dining room. C L D G V $$
6763 Wilson Blvd., 703-532-9009, nhulancafe. com. This tiny Vietnamese deli at Eden Center is a favorite for banh mi sandwiches. L D V $ 205 Park Ave., 703-992-8650, northsidesocial va.com. Come by in the morning for breakfast and a latte. Return in the evening for wine and a plate of charcuterie, or a full dinner. O B L D V $$
Nue s
944 W. Broad St., 571-777-9599, nuevietnamese. com. The Viet-modern menu has dazzling cocktails and a stunning space to match. R L D G v $$$
Open Road
6775 Wilson Blvd., 703-538-3888, ricepapertasteofvietnam.com. Settle in at this Eden Center mainstay for a combo platter of pork, seafood and beef with rice-paper wraps and herbs. L D G V $$ 944 W. Broad St., 571-777-9983, rollplaygrill. com. Grab Viet street foods such as banh mi, pho and build-your-own rice paper rolls. L D G V $$ 103 Founders Ave., 703-995-0970, semicoloncafe.com. Treat yourself to a bulgogi sandwich on brioche and Korean shaved ice. B L $ 106 Founders Ave., 703-563-1168, seoulprime. com. The temptations include galbi-jjim risotto with braised short ribs, soju cocktails and prime cuts of beef cooked on a tabletop grill. R D $$$
SeoulSpice
156 W. Falls Station Blvd., seoulspice.com. See Arlington listing. L D G V $
Sfizi Café
800 W. Broad St., 703-533-1191, sfizi.com. A family-owned trattoria, deli and wine shop serving classic Italian fare—pasta, pizza, parm. L D $$
Side Chick
8100 Lee Highway, 571-395-4400, openroadmerri field.com. See Arlington listing. O C R L D $$
125 Founders Ave., Falls Church, sidechickva.com. Ellie Bird chef Yuan Tang has a side hustle serving fried chicken and creative sides for carryout. D $$
Our Mom Eugenia
Silver Diner
2985 District Ave. (Mosaic District), 434-3394019, ourmomeugenia.com. See Arlington listing. O L D $$
Panjshir Restaurant
114 E. Fairfax St., 703-536-4566, panjshirrestau rant.com. Carnivores go for the kebabs, but the vegetarian chalows elevate pumpkin, eggplant and spinach to new levels. O L D V $$
Peking Gourmet Inn
6029 Leesburg Pike, 703-671-8088, pekinggour met.com. It’s all about the crispy Peking duck at this famed local institution. C L D G V $$
Pho 88
232 W. Broad St., 703-533-8233, pho88va.com. Vietnamese pho is the main attraction. L D $$
Pho Ga Vang
6767 Wilson Blvd., 571-375-8281, phogavang. com. Slurp more than 12 kinds of pho, plus other Vietnamese homestyle dishes. L D G $$
Plaka Grill
1216 W. Broad St., 703-639-0161, plakagrill.com. Pop in for dolmas, souvlaki, moussaka, spanakopita and roasted chicken. C L D V $$
Pop-Up District
6763 Wilson Blvd., pop-updistrict.com. Hit this pan-Asian food hall inside the Eden Center for Thai street food, Korean bulgogi bowls, Hong Kong egg tarts, matcha drinks and cocktails. L D G V A $
Preservation Biscuit
102 E. Fairfax St., 571-378-1757, preservation biscuit.com. Order the signature carb with housemade jams, or as a sandwich with fillers ranging from fried chicken to guac and egg. O C B L V $
Pupuseria La Familiar
308 S. Washington St., 703-995-2528, pupuseria lafamiliar.com. Salvadoran pupusas, fried yucca, chicharron, carne asada and horchata. L D $$
6184-A Arlington Blvd., 703-532-2125. Though named for its specialty—Peking duck—it also offers tantalizing options such as short ribs, roasted pork and dim sum. R L D A V $$
Puzukan Tan
Meaza Restaurant
Raaga Restaurant
5700 Columbia Pike, 703-820-2870, meazares
230 W. Broad St., 571-314-1711, rarebirdcoffee. com. This charming Little City café roasts its own beans and makes an artful latte. L D $
8114 Arlington Blvd., 571-395-4727, puzukantan. com. A Korean barbecue destination featuring dryaged meats, banchan and ramen. O L D $$$ 5872 Leesburg Pike, 703-998-7000, raagarestau
124 September/October 2026 ■ ArlingtonMagazine.com
8150 Porter Road, 703-204-0812, silverdiner.com. See Arlington listing. C B R L D A G V $$
Sisters Thai
2985 District Ave. (Mosaic), 703-280-0429, sistersthai.com. The menu is traditionally Thai, but the vibe feels like you’re dining in your friend’s eclectic living room. L D G V $$
Solace Outpost s
444 W. Broad St., 571-378-1469, solaceoutpost. com. This Little City microbrewery serves housebrewed suds, fried chicken, five kinds of fries and wood-fired pizza. D A V $$
Spacebar
709 W. Broad St., 703-992-0777, spcbr.com. This diminutive and funky bar, a sister to Galaxy Hut in Arlington, offers 24 craft beers on tap and 18 variations on the grilled cheese sandwich. D A V $$
Stratford Garden
300 W. Broad St., 571-550-9440, stratfordgarden. com. A neighborhood hub for draft brews, wine pairings, cocktails and creative eats, with a dogfriendly beer garden. O C B R L D $$$
Sweetwater Tavern
3066 Gatehouse Plaza, 703-645-8100, great americanrestaurants.com. This modern alehouse serves seafood, chicken, ribs, microbrews and growlers to go. C L D G $$$
Taco Bamba s
2190 Pimmit Drive, 703-639-0505, tacobamba. com. Tacos range from traditional carne asada to the vegan “Iron Mike,” stuffed with cauliflower, salsa ma and mole verde. B L D $
Taco Rock
1116 W. Broad St., 703-760-3141, thetacorock. com. See Arlington listing. o B L D V $$
Taco Zocalo
6343 Columbia Pike, 571-376-3859, zocalotaco. com. Chow down on tacos, chimichangas, quesadillas and burrito bowls. O L D $
Takumi Sushi
310-B S. Washington St., 703-241-1128, takumi va.com. The sushi and sashimi in this snug little izakaya go beyond basic. L D V $$
Tatte Bakery and Café
1001 W. Broad St., 703-270-9922, tattebakery. com. See Arlington listing. O B R L D G V $
Thompson Italian
124 N. Washington St., 703-269-0893, thompson italian.com. Treat the fam to house-made pastas, inspiring small plates and some of the best desserts around. O C D $$$
Trio Grill
8100 Lee Highway, 703-992-9200, triomerrifield. com. When you’re hankering for steaks, seafood, craft cocktails and live piano music. O D $$$
MCLEAN Agora Tysons
7911 Westpark Drive, 703-663-8737, agoratysons. com. Turkish, Greek and Lebanese small plates, plus a bottomless brunch. R L D G V $$$
Amoo’s Restaurant
6271 Old Dominion Drive, 703-448-8500, amoos restaurant.com. The flavorful kebabs and Persian stews are crowd pleasers. O C L D G V $$
Andy’s Pizza
2001 International Drive, 3rd floor food court, Tysons, 703-775-2212, eatandyspizza.com. See Arlington listing. L D V $
Aracosia
1381 Beverly Road, 703-269-3820, aracosia mclean.com. Fall in love with Afghan specialties such as braised lamb shank and roasted eggplant with saffron rice. O L D V $$
ArTeA
6635 Old Dominion Drive, 703-469-9898, artea mclean.com. Stop in for bubble tea, open-face sandwiches, pretty desserts or a “high tea dinner” with cocktails. Closed Mondays. R L D $$
Badd Pizza
6263 Old Dominion Drive, 703-356-2233, badd pizza.com. See Falls Church listing. L D $$
Big Buns Damn Good Burger Co. s
1340 Chain Bridge Road, 571-456-1640, eatbig buns.com. See Arlington listing. L D $$
Café Monet
6910 Fleetwood Road, 703-356-6722, cafemonet mpa.com. Tucked inside the McLean Project for the Arts’ Berlage Center, this bistro serves everything from lemon ricotta pancakes to steak frites and branzino. C R L D G V $$
Café Tatti French Bistro
6627 Old Dominion Drive, 703-790-5164, cafe tatti.com. A romantic little bistro whipping up classic French and continental fare. Closed Sundays. L D G V $$$
Call Your Mother Lil’ Deli
6216 Old Dominion Drive, 571-395-9097, callyour motherdeli.com. See Arlington listing. o b R L V $
Capri Ristorante Italiano
6825-K Redmond Drive, 703-288-4601, capri mcleanva.com. Known for tried-and-true dishes like spaghetti carbonara and veal Marsala. O C L D G V $$$
Chao Ban
2001 International Drive, 571-378-1687, eatchao ban.com. From award-winning chef Kevin Tien, a food court counter dishing up brisket pho, catfish bánh mì and Impossible dumplings. L D V $
Circa
1675 Silver Hill Drive, 571-419-6272, circabistros. com. See Arlington listing. O L D V $$$
Él Bebe
8354 Broad St., 571-378-0171, el-bebe.com. Spice things up with tamales, tacos, street corn, mole and tequila-based cocktails. C O L D V $$
El Tio Tex-Mex Grill
1433 Center St., 703-790-1910, eltiogrill.com. See Falls Church listing. L D $$
Esaan Tumbar
1307 Old Chain Bridge Road, 703-288-3901,
esaanmclean.com. Feel the heat in northern Thai dishes such as larb and nam tok. L D $$
Fava Pot
1624 Boro Place, 202-821-9171, favapot.com. See Falls Church listing. L D G V $$
Pasa-Thai Restaurant
1315 Old Chain Bridge Road, 703-442-0090, pasa thaimclean.com. Tuck into a classic curry or fried rockfish with chili-basil-garlic sauce. O L D $$
Patsy’s American
Founding Farmers
8051 Leesburg Pike (Tysons), 703-552-5100, pat sysamerican.com. The menu features greatest hits from other Great American Restaurants. O C R L D A G V $$
Han Palace
Peter Chang McLean
1800 Tysons Blvd., wearefoundingfarmers.com. The spacious farm-to-table restaurant features Virginia-sourced dishes and drinks. B R L D $$$ 7900 Westpark Drive, 571-378-0162, hanpalace dimsum.com. Visit this all-day dim-sum emporium for made-to-order buns, dumplings, crepes, roast duck and noodles. L D $$
J. Gilbert’s
6930 Old Dominion Drive, 703-893-1034, jgil berts.com. Everything you’d expect in a steakhouse and lots of it—prime cuts of beef, lobster, wedge salad, steak-cut fries and cheesecake. C R L D G V $$$
Joon/MayBar
8045 Leesburg Pike, 571-378-1390, eatjoon. com. Savor Persian dishes such as lamb-pistachio meatballs and duck with sour-cherry rice. The casual bar area offers small plates, sandwiches and cocktails. O L D G V $$$$
Kazan Restaurant
6813 Redmond Drive, 703-734-1960, kazanrestau rant.com. A McLean fixture since 1980, it’s a go-to for kebabs, baklava and Turkish coffee. L D V $$
Lebanese Taverna
1840 International Drive, 703-847-5244, lebanesetaverna.com. See Arlington listing. O C L D G V $$
Lost Dog Café
1690-A Anderson Road, 703-356-5678, lostdog cafe.com. See Arlington listing. L D $$
Luna Hall
8201 Greensboro Drive, 571-378-1672, lunahall group.com. Dumplings, sushi, bubble tea, Korean fried chicken and fluffy cloud cakes round out the choices at this pan-Asian food hall. B L D G V $
Maman Joon
6715 Lowell Ave., 571-405-6686, peterchang mclean.com. See Arlington listing. L D G V $$
Pikoteo
6811 Elm St., 703-891-0123, pikoteo-usa.com. Escape to warmer climes with ceviche, arepas, mofongo and fruity drinks at this Caribbean-infused cafe. O R L D $$
Pulcinella Italian Kitchen
1310 Chain Bridge Road, 703-893-7777, pulcinellarestaurant.com. A stop for spaghetti and meatballs, linguine and clams and wood-fired pizza since 1985. L D $$
Randy’s Prime Seafood & Steaks
8051 Leesburg Pike (Tysons), 703-552-5110, randysprime.com. Save room for prime cuts of beef, duck-fat fries, seafood towers and massive slabs of chocolate cake. L D G $$$$
Rocco’s Italian
1357 Chain Bridge Road, 703-821-3736, roccos italian.com. The Juliano family makes everything in-house, including minestrone, pizza, calzones, subs, pasta and cannoli. O C L D G $$
Roots Café
8100 Old Dominion Drive, 703-712-7850, roots mclean.com. A pretty daytime spot for sandwiches, salads and espresso drinks. B L G V $
Silver Diner
8101 Fletcher St., 703-821-5666, silverdiner.com. See Arlington listing. C B R L D A G V $$
Simply Fresh
6811 Elm St., 703-821-1869, simplyfreshva. com. A local favorite for pulled pork, chicken and brisket, Greek diner fare, family-style takeout meals and breakfast. O C B L D G V $
1408 Chain Bridge Road, 571-342-4838, maman joonkitchen.com. Find dolmeh, falafel, lamb shank and kebabs (plus a built-in Z Burger with shakes in 75 flavors) at this Persian eatery. L D V $$
Sisters Thai
Masala Indian Cuisine
6224 Old Dominion Drive, 703-564-0630, sorn thaiva.com. Taste the rainbow in pineapple fried rice, Khao Soi noodles and grilled lobster with curry sauce. O R L D G V $$
1394 Chain Bridge Road,703-462-9699, masa lava.com. Order Nepalese dumplings, tandoori biryani and Indian curries. L D V $$
McLean Family Restaurant
1321 Chain Bridge Road, 703-356-9883, themcleanfamilyrestaurant.com. Pancakes, gyros and big plates of lasagna hit the spot. Breakfast is served until 3 p.m. daily. C B L D V $$
Miyagi Restaurant
6719 Curran St., 703-893-0116. The diminutive sushi bar gets high marks for its friendly service and fresh maki and nigiri. L D $$
Modan
1788 Chain Bridge Road, 703-743-6600, modan restaurant.com. Splurge on a 15-course omakase, Wagyu beef or caviar service. D G $$$$
Mylo’s Grill
6238 Old Dominion Drive, 703-533-5880, mylos grill.com. Enjoy spanakopita, souvlaki and American classics like burgers and cheesesteaks. Friday is prime-rib night. O R L D $$
Neutral Ground Bar + Kitchen s
6641 Old Dominion Drive, 703-992-9095, neutral groundbarandkitchen.com. Chef David Guas is serving up whole branzino, fried quail, pork chops and a weekend jazz brunch. O r D G V $$$
Ometeo
1640 Capital One Drive N., 703-748-7170, ometeo texmex.com. An upscale “texmexeria” with Mexican renditions of duck, venison, beef and a wide variety of sea creatures. O L D G $$$
7735 Capital One Tower Road, sistersthai.com. See Falls Church listing. L D G V $$
Sorn Thai Restaurant & Bar
Stellina Pizzeria
1610 Capital One Drive, stellinapizzeria.com. See Arlington listing. R d V $$
Sunday Morning Bakehouse
1796 Chain Bridge Road, 571-378-0148, sunday morningbakehouse.com. Artisanal pastries, all-day breakfast, sourdough toasts, coffee and weekend cocktails. B R L V $$
Sushi Umi
7599 Colshire Drive, 571-378-0903, sushiumiva. com. In addition to sushi, try broiled unagi with omelet or Wagyu beef over fried rice. L D $$
Tachibana
6715 Lowell Ave., 703-847-1771, tachibana.us. Discover stellar sushi, teriyaki, tempura and chef’s specials. C L D $$
Timber Pizza
8100 Old Dominion Drive, 703-564-0023, timber pizza.com. See Arlington listing. L D V $$
Umai Ramen and Donburi
1500 Cornerside Blvd., 703-546-2465, umai tysonsva.com. This Japanese and Thai kitchen serves 10 types of ramen and six versions of curry rice. L D G V $$
Wren
1825 Capitol One Drive S., wrentysons.com. A sleek spot for creative Japanese American fare, stupendous cocktails and sweeping skyline views. O D G V $$$
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COURTESY OF FARMS WORK WONDERS (CHICKENS, PRODUCE); COURTESY OF WEST VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF TOURISM (ORANGE COW, PARK)
Farms Work Wonders’ Lewis Farm
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driving range ■ by Susan Anspach
Appalachian Renaissance Wardensville’s transformation came as a surprise, and the changes to this West Virginia town appear to be here to stay. THIRTEEN YEARS AGO , a drive down Main Street in
Lost River State Park
Wardensville, West Virginia, would have sailed you past a 7-Eleven, a Dollar General and a handful of mom-and-pops that had seen better days. You probably wouldn’t have bothered to stop in the tiny town (population 270) along the Cacapon River, less than two hours from the nation’s capital. “It was more closings than openings,” says Paul Yandura, a former political operative and Clinton White House official who often passed through town on the way to the vacation cabin he’d built with his partner, Donald Hitchcock. Today, it’s a different picture. Wardensville’s eclectic main drag is now home to a glassblowing studio, an independent bookstore and the Lost River Trading Post—a combination coffee house, antiques emporium, art gallery and bottle shop that’s hard to miss. (Just look for the life-size sculpture of an orange cow in cowboy boots out front.) The trading post occupies a renovated feed store that Yandura and Hitchcock bought and transformed in 2013. Back then, the gay D.C. power couple’s arrival in deep red Hardy County raised a few eyebrows. Liberal politics aside, there was the other G word—gentrification. “In any town, change is always going to be hard,” says Yandura, who directed LGBTQ outreach for Bill Clinton’s 1996 reelection campaign and later ran his own political consulting firm. (Hitchcock’s background is in LGBTQ advocacy and public health.) Appalachian communities have reason to be wary of outsiders, Yandura says, given the region’s history with extractive industries like coal mining. But he and Hitchcock weren’t interlopers. They were intent on becoming locals. They sold their cabin and bought a historic house in town. “We have lived here. We call it home. We have put our own blood, sweat and tears into this [place] for many years, and that makes a difference,” Yandura says, “[versus] if we were outside investors or just came in for the weekend.” After taking up residence in a fixer-upper next to the ArlingtonMagazine.com ■ September/October 2026
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Blown glass at Dakota Glass Works
Dakota Glass Works
feed store, they launched the Wardensville Main Street Initiative, an economic development nonprofit focused on attracting start-up businesses to the area. They became real estate agents, touting the charm factor of commercial and residential properties in need of a facelift. (Homes south of $400,000 are still posted outside the trading post, should you, too, hear the call of the wild.) In 2016, Wardensville welcomed Farms Work Wonders (FWW), a program whose mission is to “ignite the spark of curiosity within Appalachian youth so they see themselves and their futures in new ways.” All of the enterprises under the FWW umbrella—including a working farm, garden market, bakery, restaurant and the aforementioned glassblowing studio—employ local youth while also providing job training, educational scholarships and mentors. Yandura had a hand in that, too. His longtime friend Jonathan Lewis, an angel investor (whose father founded Progressive Insurance) and one half of the
Paul Yandura (left) and Donald Hitchcock
Jonathan D + Mark C. Lewis Foundation, provided the seed funding for FWW. Ten years later, the fledgling businesses that found life in that initial investment are generating enough revenue to cover more than 80% of operating expenses and are on track to become fully financially sustainable by the end of 2027. Their success is a point of pride for Yandura. He says he’s seen plenty of rural community development initiatives dry up once the initial funding is spent. “We wanted to make something that could live beyond any of us,” he says. In Lewis’s case, it did. The wealthy philanthropist, who built a house in town, died of brain cancer three years ago. But his legacy is lasting. “I can’t tell you how many young people have gone through the program
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in 10 years,” Yandura says. “Some of them have gone to college. We’ve gotten them scholarships. They’ve come back and now work with us. Their parents, their grandparents, people know us in a whole different way. Love us or not, Donald and I have always done what we’ve said. If we’ve made a promise, we’ve kept it.” Situated a scant seven miles beyond the Virginia border and surrounded by the George Washington National Forest, Wardensville stands as a portal to much of what’s wild and wonderful in The Mountain State. It’s a waystation for nature-lovers headed toward breathtaking gorges, frothy rivers and serene mountain vistas that are seemingly a world away from D.C. On busy days, the tiny hamlet might see as many as 10,000 vehicles passing through. “There are towns less than 15 minutes away that don’t have that same advantage,” says FWW managing director Jason Smith. Except now, more folks are stopping to grab a bite, refuel and perhaps spend the night in this pretty little patch of heaven that’s found its place on the map.
COURTESY OF FARMS WORK WONDERS (GLASS WORKS, FARM); COURTESY PHOTO (YANDURA & HITCHCOCK)
Lewis Farm
Wardensville Garden Market
Firefly Inn
If You Go
COURTESY OF WEST VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF TOURISM (MARKET, PARK); COURTESY OF FIREFLY INN
Where to Play Stop by Dakota Glass Works for a live glassblowing demo, or try your hand at forging your own wine glass, vase or decorative ornament. I visited with my 10-year-old, Jane, a very hands-on kid who was thrilled to operate a blowtorch. Book in advance on the website and BYO willingness to learn. The studio provides the rest, including the torch, safety goggles, a gaggle of tools and a 2,000-degree furnace. (Parental supervision is required for kiddos.) Glassblowing has a longstanding history throughout greater Appalachia, and the business is a point of pride for the town. The gift shop next door sells locally made pitchers, glass pumpkins and miniature animal figurines. If you time your visit accordingly, Wardensville’s Garden Market Second Saturdays run on the second Saturday of every month from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. through December, featuring live music, baked goods, local crafts and a rainbow of locally grown veggies from FWW’s Lewis Farm. October’s Second Saturday overlaps with the Wardensville Fall Festival, which includes a car show, parade and roughly 100 local vendors. Half an hour southwest of town, the nearly 4,000-acre Lost River State Park offers a bevy of trails for horseback riders, cyclists and leaf-peeping hikers, not to mention whitewater rafting and scenic
The Cranny Crow Overlook at Lost River State Park
train rides. (The name Lost River refers to the waterway that flows underground in Hardy County, slipping from view for a few miles until it resurfaces near Wardensville, where it’s called the Cacapon River.) We were content to meander the streamhugging Howard’s Lick Run Trail, but folks craving more of a challenge may prefer the climb up Big Ridge Mountain to the Cranny Crow Overlook, which offers breathtaking views spanning five counties. The overlook’s wooden “Almost Heaven” swing is one of 51 throughout the state, and arguably the most scenic. The hike to Cranny Crow is about four miles roundtrip, with more than 1,000 feet of elevation gain to reach the overlook at 3,200 feet.
Where to Stay Distance and scale make Wardensville a very manageable day trip from the DMV, but if you want to make an overnight of
it, book a stay at the Firefly Inn, a newly renovated boutique motel on Main Street whose four immaculately kept rooms are quiet and central to town. Prefer to sleep in the woods under a blanket of stars? Check out The Ridge at Serà and The Vale at Serà, Airbnb luxury cabins complete with hot tubs, barrel saunas, outdoor showers and beautiful mountain views of the George Washington National Forest. Cabins and well-tended campsites are available at Lost River State Park, 30 minutes down the road.
Where to Shop Lost River Trading Post’s 5,000-squarefoot retail space is brimming with curated antiques, Blenko glass and cabin-chic furnishings (vintage snowshoes, anyone?). Don’t miss the selection of jarred and dried goods, which includes
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driving range Where to Eat At FWW’s Wardensville Garden Market, visitors can buy fresh produce grown on site and small-batch products from Appalachian makers, including a tempting cheese selection and maple syrup produced by a neighboring farm five minutes up the road. Try the star of West Virginia cuisine, the pepperoni roll (there’s a vegetarian alternative) with a side of ranch dressing made with local ramps (wild leeks), for dipping. The newest FWW upstart, Mack’s Bingo Kitchen, is a living classroom for the Appalachian youth in its employ, and a knock-your-socks-off culinary experience. Meals here are made from scratch with local ingredients and cooked over an open hearth four nights a week, and most of the entrees are less than $20. Standouts include the hush puppies with horseradish mayo, smoked half chicken and the cinnamon roll bread pudding. Bingo cards plaster the bathroom walls, and a “peephole” made from the building’s old door knocker—a nod to its days as an Odd Fellows Hall—reveals a portrait of the late philanthropist Jonathan Lewis.
dandelion blossom jelly that could pass for bottled sunshine, and J.Q. Dickinson salt, harvested in West Virginia from brine left underground by an ancient ocean. The adjoining Grasshopper Gallery, open seven days a week, features rotating works by local artists, including fiber crafts, sculpture, folk art and more. Check the website for artists’ receptions and show dates. An on-site bar serves wood-fired pizzas, craft beers, espresso drinks, scratch-made scones and cakes by the slice. Grab a seat on the huge covered porch, decorated with largemawed “junk-o-lanterns” wrought from repurposed gas cans. At WordPlay, the best (and only) indie bookstore in town, displays are stacked
with Appalachian ghost stories, cookbooks and banned books you didn’t know you needed, plus a captivating selection of candy-colored books for young readers, alongside games, jigsaw puzzles and stickers. The owners have West Virginia roots, know the area well and are generous with recommendations that extend far beyond the walls of their shop. The Glass House is a flower and vintage mart where the merch includes old-school toys, antiques, milk glass, lavender goat milk soap, succulent arrangements and bouquets starting at $10. Take time to explore its thoughtfully curated selection of vintage furniture and women’s clothes.
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Drifters Cafe, the culinary appendage to indie bookstore WordPlay, offers breakfast sandwiches, pastries, wraps and healthy grain bowls, as well as a great wildflower honey cinnamon latte. The menu includes gluten-free and plant-based meat alternatives. You’ll find plenty of friendly folks here, mirroring more of what awaits you when you walk back out the door. ■ Susan Anspach lives in Vienna, Virginia. Her favorite road trip snack is a pack of Nerds Gummy Clusters.
COURTESY OF FARMS WORK WONDERS (ALL THIS PAGE)
Mack’s Bingo Kitchen (here and above)
Next door, daytime café Fresh on Main is the spot for cold-pressed juices, sandwiches, acai bowls and treats ranging from oatmeal cream pies to homemade banana pudding ice cream. Snap a photo with the funky “Son of Man” bottlecap mural outside, courtesy of artist David Heatwole, before stepping into a homey space marked by grass-green walls, wooden millwork and chalkboard signs.
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get away ■ by Tim Ebner
Have a Nice Trip T
raveling on a whim to the French Riviera used to be the stuff of James Bond fairytales. Now, jetting off to the seaside city of Nice is quite doable, thanks to nonstop service on United Airlines out of Dulles International Airport. Weary DMV denizens in need of some joie de vivre can hop on an overnight flight and wake up to the sights and sounds of the south of France by breakfast time. September marks the beginning of the shoulder season in Nice, when most
European vacationers have returned to work, leaving the city’s iconic, palmlined Promenade des Anglais considerably less crowded. Hotels and resorts cut their rates by as much as 50%, although beach weather continues through October, with temperatures averaging in the 70s and 80s. If the sandy strands, turquoise water and historic architecture aren’t tempting enough, this idyllic destination also enjoys a unique topography. Located at the foot of the French Alps, its outlying
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hamlets sit at an ideal elevation for grape growing, and the region is prized for its old-world wines. Add to that a thriving and centuries-old art scene, and you’ll be bidding adieu to Beltway traffic tout suite. United’s seasonal direct flights are available May through September, on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, and the flight is exactly 8.5 hours. (At other times of the year, connecting flights from hub cities add an extra five hours to the trip.)
PHILIPPE VIGLIETTI
Mountains meet the sea in this sun-drenched French city on the Mediterranean.
COLINE CIAIS SOULHAT (COCKTAIL, PASTA); OTMNCA (MARKET)
Cocktails and pasta at Tina Trattoria (left) and the enchanting Marché aux Fleurs
If your idea of French cooking is butter, cream and roast chicken, Niçoise cuisine may take you by surprise. Hyper-local ingredients, including all manner of sea creatures, feature prominently in a culinary style that mixes French and Italian influences. After all, the city is only 15 miles from the Italian border. Walk the narrow cobblestone streets of Old Nice to browse two of its most
EAT & DRINK
popular markets, the Marché de la Libération and Marché aux Fleurs, where the goods include regional olive oils, seasonal fruits and vegetables, preserved spices and herbs (great to take home as souvenirs) and fresh Mediterranean seafood. Grab a table inside or out at the recently opened Noto (noto-nice.com) for a taste of that bounty. Chef Emilio Giagnoni’s talents shine in dishes such as seafood carpaccio, saffron sea bass risotto, and a refreshingly light and airy lemon mousse. The Sicilian-style dining room with terra cotta walls spills onto a breezy sidewalk cafe offering dining al-fresco. Buzzy cocktails (think espresso martinis and the signature spritz di sole—a riff off an Aperol spritz) keep the place hopping well into the wee hours. The restaurant stays open until 2 a.m.
Tina Trattoria (tinatrattoria.com), a new restaurant by chefs Florencia Montes and Lorenzo Ragni, opened in March in the heart of the old city with a daily three-course lunch special for under $35. For a fancier tasting menu, pop next door to Onice (www.restaurantonice.com), a concept by the same chefs that earned a Michelin star in 2025. Reservations are a must at La Merenda (lamerenda.net), a tiny, familyrun, cash-only bistro known for traditional Provençal dishes such as fried zucchini blossoms, ratatouille, beef stew and pissaladière, a French flatbread topped with caramelized onions and olives. After dinner, take a stroll to Boulangerie D’Amore (@boulange rie.damore on Instagram) a bakery that stays open until midnight, serving gelato alongside buttery croissants, fruit tarts and other tempting treats.
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■ get away Colline du Château
The fall season brings significantly reduced room rates at glitzy resorts offering easy access to both city and beach. The grandest dame of them all is the historic Le Negresco (lenegresco.com), whose pink-domed Belle Époque facade has presided over the Promenade des Anglais for more than a century. A living museum filled with period antiques, toile tapestries and Michelinstarred restaurant Le Chantecler, the
STAY
hotel also houses more than 6,000 works of art spanning five centuries, including an original portrait of Louis XIV by Hyacinthe Rigaud, a voluptuous sculpture by Niki de Saint Phalle and a 16,309piece Baccarat crystal chandelier that anchors its glass-domed atrium. In summer, room rates top $2,000 per night, but come September, they drop to a relatively more affordable base rate of $870. The luxury Anantara Plaza Nice (www.anantara.com/en/plaza-nice) overlooks Nice’s Albert 1er Gardens, a historic park connecting the Promenade des Anglais to Place Masséna, the city’s central plaza. A recent renovation preserved the building’s elegant exterior architecture while giving the interiors a contemporary refresh. Room rates in September begin at $836 per night.
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For a more budget-friendly stay, with rates starting around $300 per night, consider the Palais de la Méditerranée by Hyatt (hyatt.com). Built in 1929 and classified as a historic landmark, this Art Deco hotel was completely renovated in June. It offers several rooms with seaside balconies and a heated rooftop pool that’s open year-round. Once a resort town for 19th-century aristocrats, Nice is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site prized for its art, architecture and stunning natural scenery. Start the day by taking in a panoramic view of the city from Colline du Château (Castle Hill), then lose yourself in the narrow streets of Old Nice, where the bells of Baroque churches ring on the hour, and laundry flutters from the balconies of second-story homes. If the architecture seems more Italianate than French, there’s a reason: Nice belonged to the House of Savoy and the Kingdom
PLAY
BOUNCE PRODUCTION (COLLINE DU CHÂTEAU); OLIVIER HUITEL (HÔTEL LE NEGRESCO)
Hôtel Le Negresco
Musée Matisse
OLIVIER HUITEL (MUSÉE MATISSE, VILLA MASSÉNA); ABRACADABRA STUDIO (OLD NICE); DAVID NOUY (VINEYARD)
Villa Masséna
of Piedmont-Sardinia until 1860, when it was ceded to France. Shopping is a popular pastime in this chic, coastal enclave. The streets of the Carré d’Or neighborhood (whose name translates as Golden Square) are lined with designer brands such as Chanel, Louis Vuitton and Hermès. At the Galeries Lafayette Nice Masséna (galerieslafayette. com), a posh destination since 1916, the perks include personal shoppers and Dior treatment rooms. In Old Nice, the atmosphere feels more homespun. Narrow, meandering streets are lined with one-of-a-kind boutiques selling leather goods, handcrafted jewelry, secondhand clothing, ceramics and local art. Be sure to visit Le Palais d’Osier (@palaisdosier on Instagram), a century-old basket weaving shop selling everything from picnic baskets, woven hats and tote bags to custom cane-backed chairs. No trip is complete without a full day exploring the city’s world-class artwork. The Matisse Museum (musee-matissenice.org), located on the Cimiez Hill in a former Genoese villa, houses paintings, sculptures, paper collages and other works by the iconic Fauvist who
Old Nice
spent much of his adult life in Nice. A special exhibit on display through Sept. 28 highlights Matisse’s influence on fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent. Other museums worth a stopover include the Marc Chagall National Museum (musees-nationaux-alpesmari times.fr), home to the largest public collection of Chagall’s works, and the Villa Masséna (nice.fr/lieux/musee-massena), which chronicles Nice’s history through the ages, from its time as an outpost under Greco-Roman rule to the chic playground it is today. If French wine is your love language, spend an afternoon in the mountains visiting Bellet Vineyards (vindenice. com), a 1,600-acre appellation comprising nine distinct vineyards that collectively are among the oldest in France. Planted at altitude, the grapes
Bellet Vineyards
benefit from a unique microclimate where warm Mediterranean sunshine is cooled by fresh Alpine breezes. Braquet and Fuella Nera, the principal varietals used in its red and rosé wines, produce light-bodied blends similar to those produced in Northern Italy. ■
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back story ■ by Kim O’Connell
Dungeons & Dragons defender Hal Pomeranz (below) in 1983
In the 1980s, Arlington schools succumbed to a national panic about a popular roleplaying game. BY THE SUMMER of 1983, 15-yearold Hal Pomeranz had seen his share of battle. The rising junior at Yorktown High School sometimes devoted hours to assessing strategies, amassing weapons and responding to attacks. As the leader (aka “dungeon master”) of his Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) group, Pomeranz knew that this was all just part of the game. But local officials weren’t so sure. That August, Arlington Public Schools banned the game—in which players create fantasy worlds known for their spells, magic, monsters and warfare— in response to growing public concerns about its influence. Based on scant evidence, citizens and organizations nationwide blamed D&D for driving young people to suicide, devil worship and other nefarious behaviors.
In Arlington, parents from what was then Swanson Intermediate School raised alarms when students formed an after-school D&D club. The school board’s decision to prohibit the game was unanimous. “I can confidently say I don’t want it in the schools,” board member Margaret Bocek said at a hearing. Pomeranz responded with a letter published in The Washington Post. “Dungeons and Dragons does not promote devil worship!” he wrote. “In fact, in 99 percent of all cases demons and devils are creatures to be destroyed.” He became the face of local student opposition, and was featured in a cover story in The Northern Virginia Sun. “It was all very sensationalized,” says Pomeranz, who now lives in Florida. “We didn’t play much in school
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anyway. I was more objecting to the moral panic than I was to not being allowed to play in school.” Steve Duall, a resident of Arlington’s Williamsburg neighborhood, also remembers the mania. “It wasn’t just D&D,” says Duall, now the dungeon master for an adult D&D group. “There was a lot going on in the culture at the time—the Moral Majority, the parental advisories, hearings on Capitol Hill—where there was concern about young people being led astray by various things. It was not like today, where society is more tolerant of nerds.” Eventually, the furor abated and Arlington schools lifted the ban. Today, several county schools host D&D clubs. Both Duall and Pomeranz have introduced the game to their kids. “I’m definitely a card-carrying geek,” Pomeranz says. “If you’re into D&D as hard core as I was, you tend to continue your interest.” ■
ADOBE STOCK (DICE); COURTESY OF HAL POMERANZ (NEWSPAPER CLIPPING)
Dragon Slayers
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