Skinny Arlington?

So, CNN’s Money ranked Arlington as the 13th skinniest County in the nation.

“Skinniest” cities are chosen by average body mass index (BMI). Read more.

Having lived in more rural areas, I tend to agree, but I'm curious - what do you think? Is Arlington a skinny city?

P.S. - The article also includes several intersting factoids about Arlington. Lots of good stuff here.

Need a couch?

We all love a good yard sale, but it's even better when it is a fundraiser for a good cause!

NOVA Womens Rugby is having a yard sale fundraiser at 818 S. Highland St this Saturday from 8 am till 12:30 pm

There is going to be furniture, tools, sports equipment, and much more!

More interested in Rugby than shopping? The team's home pitch (that's field to nonruggers) is at Gravelly Point in Arlington. You can watch the planes take off and watch rugby at the same time.

Find out more about the team at their website.

Planet Arlington

Another chance to get up and get out with CRM this Saturday as CRM takes on Planet Arlington, a large world music festival in Rosslyn!


While listening to Salsa, Jazz, and Irish American beats we will be helping with activities like building instruments from recycled materials and face painting.

Sign up to volunteer from 2:30 -7:30 pm or check out the event from 4-10 pm as an attendee!

Shrinkage in the Frozen Food Aisle

The Green Miles has already established himself as a grocery store nerd, so I thought I'd pass along this eye-rolling discovery:

They look identical, right? But the ice cream container on the left is 1.75 quarts, while the one on the right is 1.5 quarts. The one on the right is tapered towards the bottom, which I didn't even notice at the store.

As food and transportation costs rise, many manufacturers are shrinking package sizes rather than raising prices. The thinking is consumers are less likely to be turned off by a smaller package size difference than they are by a higher price. There's a great website called MousePrint that keeps track of subtlety shrinking packages.

How can you avoid getting fooled? Don't compare products by sticker price -- compare by cost per unit (per ounce, per sheet, whatever). It's the tiny number to the left of the price.

I've noticed this at bars, too -- for example, beers served in slightly smaller pint glasses.

Have you noticed any shrinkage in your packages? Wait, let me rephrase that ...

the hottest titles in town

I went to the Plaza Library the other day to get a library card and there on the shelf in front of me was the movie (Persepolis) which I had just gotten from Netflix. I could save money and start getting my movies here!

It turns out that the Arlington libraries are very current places with lots of new releases and wifi hot spots. Unfortunately the Plaza branch is only open during business hours, but the other branches stay open till 9 pm Mon/Tues/Wed and Central is open till 9 pm Sunday through Thursday!

In addition to a great selection of dvds, they of course have books and research databases but they also have Movie Screenings and special events!

For example, today at 1 pm they are screening Music and Lyrics and next Wednesday they are leading a discussion on Heath Ledger's films (also listed on What's Up Arlington Newsletter).

The Joy of Juicy Peaches

I love leaving work on Wednesdays more than any other day for one simple reason... peaches!

How does that make sense? Because I take the Clarendon Metro and the Farmers Market comes to the Clarendon Metro on Wednesdays from 3-7 pm.

Last week I got a bunch of peaches there and they were fabulous!! Since I ate them immediately I have had to wait all week in anticipation of more.

Work in the Ballston area? Well you have to wait till Friday and get there before 3 pm, but you have one at your metro too.

Ray's Hell burger

Any place with the name "Ray's Hell Burger" has got to serve good hamburgers, right?

Well, judging by the reviews and the lines that Ray's Hell Burger is getting, I think it must be serving some good burgers.

Check out the nice review from the Post, and then check it out for yourself. Ray's Hell Burger is located at 1713 Wilson Blvd.

Already been there? Let the rest of us know, what you think. Shout out in comments below.

WUA vs WUA or 140,000 vs 40,000

Are you getting it?

In one corner, What's Up Arlington! - the e-newsletter.

The number of subscribers for the What's Up Arlington! e-newsletter just topped 5,000. Over the course of 3 years, based on open rates, the newsletter has been read almost 130,000 times. That's cool.

In the other corner, What's Up Arlington! - the blog.

What's Up Arlington! - the blog, over the course of 2.5 years has had approximately 40,000 page views - not bad, but not 130,000.

The winner ... well both, you get one type of information in the newsletter, another in the blog.

But if you're not reading the newsletter, now is a good to start. Check it out an subscribe today. I think you'll like it, :-)

Photoblogging the Arlington County Fair

I love fair food. As soon as I arrived at the 2008 Arlington County Fair, I made a beeline for the stand that sells fried Oreos. I deliberately ate next to nothing the whole day before going to the fair so I could load up on ridiculous food and not feel as guilty.



Nice little petting zoo sponsored by Ballston Common Mall and Westwood College. Am I the only one who can't look at a llama without thinking, "Hey, Lama! How 'bout a little something, y'know, for the effort?"




Another sponsor -- Nintendo Wii Fit. They should've just called this the Make Your Parents Feel Guilty for Not Buying You a Wii Tent. And is Wii Fit really exercise? I say no.





Arlington Democrats sent out a press release touting that they're not giving away balloons in an effort to be environmentally friendly ... then gave out bottled water and stacks of brochures, flyers, stickers, and yard signs, none printed on recycled material. You can't have it both ways. Better -- Arlingtonians for a Clean Environment was giving away pens and pencils made out of recycled jeans and recycled newspaper.

GM was there promoting its hybrid vehicles. Note to GM: We'd give you a lot more credit for your hybrids if you weren't fighting tougher fuel economy standards and making ridiculous gas guzzlers. Instead, let's give another plug to ACE, which has its Hallowgreen 30th Anniversary event coming up.






I'm not sure who or what this talking tree was promoting, but he was inadvertantly scaring the hell out of any kid who walked past. Arlington County does take some steps to reduce the Fair's environmental impact.








Finally, it's the Old Dominion Cloggers! They practice every Tuesday night at Thomas Jefferson Community Center. If you'd like to learn more, there's contact info near the bottom of this page.

EnviroCAB: Jarringly Pleasant

On my recent trip to Austin for Netroots Nation, I called an enviroCAB for my ride to the airport. Since I don't take cabs very often, this was my first chance to use enviroCAB.

So how was it? In a word, spooky. In a made-up word, spookygreen.

It was completely silent. No engine roar as the hybrid car glided on battery power through the back streets of Ballston. The driver was courteous, well-dressed, and didn't talk on his cell phone or blare the radio. The cab even still had that new-car smell.

Compared to the terrifying experience of riding in a loud smelly cab as it careens through the streets of DC ... no, wait. There's no comparison. EnviroCABbing was a completely different experience than traditional cabbing.

If you don't have it in your cell already, add their number now: (703) 920-3333.

Cross-posted from TheGreenMiles.net

DC Comedy Fest comes to Arlington

What's cool about DC Comedy Fest? Well, probably a lot of things, but most of all is that they are having an event in Arlington this Friday and Saturday!

As part of DC Comedy Fest, Lizz Winstead (Co-Creator of The Daily Show) will be performing at Arlington Cinema and Drafthouse on Friday and Saturday nights.

Meetup Tonight in Shirlington

Tonight's going to be my first time attending a CRM meetup and I am stoked. The combination of checking out a brewery I have never been to, meeting new people, and finding out about things to do in Arlington is pretty stellar.

If you read the What's Up Arlington E-Newsletter you already know that tonight's meetup is at the Capitol City Brewing Company at 7 pm.

What you did not know, is that I am going to be there; which gives you one more reason to check it out.

If you are totally confused reading this and don't know what CRM is, check out the website or the Facebook page.

WUA in the Washingtonian

I recently did an interview with the Washingtonian about What's Up Arlington and my favorite Arlington things.

Check it out here.

Cool off in Clarendon

It didn't take me long to fall in love with the little shopping area of Clarendon, since I am a particular fan of some of the stores there... but I have found a new reason to appreciate the area.

Air conditioning.

Based on a very unscientific survey that I have conducted I conclude that the Ethan Allen Store on Highland St in Clarendon is the most over airconditioned retail oasis in the neighborhood. Not only is it downright crisp, it has comfy chairs and beds to sit on! Now that's a place that knows how to lure a hot and tired shopper.