Apartment Showcase Blog

Get in mah belly: Seriously, that's gotta cost a lot of tickets. (cliff1066™ via Flickr)

You can tell we’ve been around awhile, that we may actually be an authority on something, when we start writing things like this: “For the second year, we’re covering … ”

It means we’ve gained some gravitas, some Internet cachet … or it could mean I’m full of it these days and feel the need to pretend I’m making the lives of area apartment renters a little better or more fun.

Whatever the case, I’m writing about an event we covered last year and one that, according to a press release on their site, “is the largest single day event in Arlington.”

Wow, that’s some statement.

I’m talking about the Taste of Arlington, which will take place on May 20 from noon to 5 p.m., rain or shine, on Wilson Boulevard in front of Ballston Common Mall (the same location as last year’s event).

[ Related: Pining for a New Pub? Try Your Luck at Ireland's Four Courts in Arlington ]

And this year is special. Not only because we’ve written about a popular event twice, but for the fact that it’s the festival’s 25th year feeding and entertaining the residents of Arlington.

Says their site: “Over 35 restaurants participate in this spectacular community event, which draws an average of 15,000 people each year who live in the greater Washington, D.C. area.”

That’s another reason to trot out the word “special.”

Participating restaurants include Capitol City Brewing Company, Jaleo and Ted’s Montana Grill.

[ Related: No Bull: Jaleo Serves Up Tapas All Over Metroland ]

There’s entertainment via the Festival Stage featuring, among others, rockers Lethal Peanut, and like last year, Bowen McCauley Dance’s Kenmore Junior Company and tropical-flavored band The Constituents.

While it’s free to attend the Taste of Arlington, you do need tickets to sample the food and beverages the event serves up. Online tickets can be had for $25, while you’ll have to fork over $30 the day of the event. Each ticket consists of eight tastes.

It may or may not be too late to volunteer for the Taste of Arlington, but if you’re interested, hit the link above. There’s always next year’s festival.

Presented by the Ballston Businesses Improvement District, here is a list of event sponsors. The following three community nonprofits will benefit from this year’s event: Arlington Community Foundation, Virginia Hospital Center and Phoenix Houses of the Mid-Atlantic.

Come out and have a taste of Arlington, which could be your next home.

Sample minded: For $20 (or $25 on the day of the event), you can pick up one ticket book, which is good for eight mini meals from the more than 40 restaurants featured at the Taste of Arlington. (cliff1066™ via Flickr)

On May 22, from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m., you’re cordially invited to the Taste of Arlington.

What right do we at ApartmentShowcase.com have to invite anyone to anything that we don’t have direct involvement in? We don’t. But guess what? You can’t stop us, so there!

Hosted and owned by the Ballston Partnership, this year’s event is sponsored by many organizations, including WJLA-TV ABC 7, Regal Entertainment Group and a surprising number of craft brewers. The 24th annual Taste of Arlington will take place on Wilson Boulevard in front of Ballston Common Mall. Oh, what fun will be had.

[ Related: Ballston: Bustling Arlington Neighborhood is a Renter’s Delight ]

More than 40 restaurants participate in Taste of Arlington each year, and the event draws an average of 15,000 people annually. If you’re looking for apartments in Arlington, this is a great way to familiarize yourself with the local flavor.

Participating restaurants include La Tasca, Sushi Rock and Thirsty Bernie Sports Bar & Grill. (And, yes, we thought of it even before you did.)

As the Taste of Arlington is a street festival, there’s no fee for attending, but you’ll have to pay if you want to chow down. Conscientious, forward-thinking folks would do well to purchase these “taste” tickets ahead of time for $20. Why? Because if you wait until the day of the grand gathering, you’ll have to pay 25 smackers. Really, sometimes we’re too good to you, dear reader. (Now cut the crap and start renting apartments already!)

Just what does the ticket book afford the festivalgoer? Says the site: “One 2011 Taste of Arlington ticket provides you with 8 Tastes. Food samples will require 1 Taste while 2 are needed to enjoy each beer or glass of wine.”

[ Related: Adams Morgan: Exotic Eateries Let You Travel the World, One Morsel at a Time ]

But being a festival means a bit more than food, drink and watching people watching you; it means entertainment. The 2011 Festival Stage will feature Bowen McCauley Dance’s Kenmore Junior Company, tropical-flavored music group The Constituents, rock band The Resistance and other acts. There will also be children’s activities, along with vendor booths.

Among other local celebrities, ABC 7 hottie, er, talking head, I mean, newscaster … newscaster Pamela Brown will even be on hand for, well, who knows what for. And who cares? To all of the historical fiction writers out there: This gorgeous oracle is a fan of the genre, so polish up those lines, playas.

A portion of event proceeds will benefit the Virginia Hospital Center, Phoenix Houses of the Mid-Atlantic and the Arlington Community Foundation.

The Taste of Arlington is right down the street from the Ballston-MU Metro station. So, come on out and take a bite out of Arlington.

You are here: Worried about moving to Ballston only to wake up one morning and forget where you are? It's a common problem. Fortunately, the city has erected this handy reminder overlooking Wilson Boulevard. (Google)

About a year after I moved to Washington, D.C., my then-girlfriend referred to what I thought was “Boston” in a casual conversation we were having, as in, “Yeah, it’s this place in Boston. Let’s go check it out,” or something to that effect. I was like, “Uh, tonight?”

Stupid, provincial me had no idea what she was talking about. I still don’t, which may explain a bit about what happened with us. But this is about you, not me, and why you’d be a fool not to rent an apartment in Ballston … the one in Arlington, Va., that is.

[ Related: Ballston: Well-Stocked Public Library is Worth Checking Out ]

Now that we’ve established that Ballston is just outside the capital city, let’s see what else it has going for it. For one thing, Ballston has one of the better collections of small skyscrapers that the D.C. area will allow. That always lends a sense of gravitas to the proceedings. Second, according to the Arlington Economic Development website, this impressive urban village “is Arlington’s hub of science and technology and contains the nation’s greatest concentration of scientific research agencies, anchored by the National Science Foundation.” The site also lauds Ballston’s “green spaces,” labeling the area as “vibrant” and “pedestrian-friendly.”

If that alone isn’t enough to send the potential renter into giddy paroxysms, how about the knowledge that you’ll be in the presence of Ballston Common Mall. The four-level shopping center is anchored by Macy’s, a 12-screen Regal Cinema and a Sport & Health Club.

Here are a few more good things about Ballston that have nothing to do with the Red Sox. In a 2007 article, The Washington Post called Ballston “a national model for transit-oriented development.” One of the reasons for this is the Ballston-MU stop on the Metro’s Orange Line. That “MU” tacked onto the end stands for Marymount University. Just thought I’d share that.

I’ll leave you with a little information about the Taste of Arlington, an annual event hosted by the Ballston Partnership. The 2010 event featured the participation of more than 40 restaurants. The festival, which draws an average of 15,000 people each year, also offers local entertainment and activities for children.

[ Related: Bethesda Serves Residents Another Helping of Popular Food Festival ]

The 2011 Taste of Arlington will occur Sun., May 22 from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m., rain or shine, and will be held on Wilson Boulevard in front of the Ballston Common Mall. It’s free to show up and gawk, but it’s 20 smackers for a ticket book (if bought in advance), which is good for eight tastes. Lollygaggers who show up wanting to eat, drink and be merry will be charged an additional $5 for the same deal. Don’t say you weren’t warned.

Read all about it: Whether you're studying leading philosophers of the 18th century or simply trying to spot Waldo, the Arlington Central Library in Ballston likely has what you need.

The Arlington Public Library is an impressive collection of eight separate branches spread out all over the county, but its main branch, Arlington Central Library, sits in Ballston.

If you’re looking for an apartment in or near Ballston, it would behoove you to get a library card and come learn a little something.

Every Arlington Public Library branch offers free computers and Wi-Fi, all but one has some sort of book club, and each, of course, has many books.

But there are numerous strengths to Arlington Central Library that make it a leader among branches:

• It boasts more books, programs and features than any other branch
• It generally displays more art exhibits than any other branch.
• It’s the only branch that’s open every day of the week, including from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday-Thursdays – hardly banker’s hours.
• Lastly, Arlington Central Library houses the Virginia Room, a collection of books, photographs, maps and documents that focuses on the history and current affairs of Arlington County. Some of the more amazing items are Arlington-area maps from the 1600s to present and copies of the Alexandria Gazette dating back to 1784 (Arlington County used to be called Alexandria County).

[ Related: Manassas Gives Residents a Home Rich in History ]

One of the more somber highlights of the Virginia Room is its Sept. 11 Oral History Project. In commemoration of the fifth anniversary of the attacks, the Virginia Room staff collected more than 30 interviews from firefighters, police officers, educators and Arlington citizens, each of whom had their own unique experience of the tragedy. The interviewees gave their opinions about the attacks and how they felt the event affected Arlington and the country as a whole. Another great feature to the Virginia Room is its genealogy section.

Arlington Central Library is located smack dab in the middle of two WMATA Metrorail stops on the Orange Line, Ballston-MU and Virginia Square-GMU, which is just another great reason to make Ballston your new home. You can find one of the metro area’s best libraries at:

Arlington Central Library
1015 N. Quincy St.
Arlington, VA 22201