Ferris Bueller

3 hours ago, DonRocks said:

Ferris, I haven't gone back and read through all of this, but in general, are you pro- or contra-Reston devlopment? I figure since this is essentially "your" thread, that might give readers some background information. Or, maybe, your viewpoint is more nuanced than a simple pro or contra?

(Speaking for me, I'm very much for keeping rampant development in check, and have been for quite awhile now - I try and think long-long term, and I just see no good coming from it; or, at least, I see the bad vastly outweighing the good.)

So herein lies the challenge - development is progress, like it or not it is coming.  Extensive building, both residential and commercial, is being approved without infrastructure considerations.  Yes, the METRO is being expanded to points West, but the surrounding roads, schools, sidewalks, intersections, parking are not being proactively upgraded to prepare for what is coming.  There is a certain calm to the area that arises from only having ~60,000 residents and streets that were navigable.  It can now take 45 minutes for me to go 4.5 miles from one side of the DTR to the other at fringe times of rush hour.  As the commuters (office space) and residents increase to fill the vertical buildings being the bulk of the expansion (there is little land remaining for single family homes, some townhomes, but mostly apartments and condos), there are only so many ways in/out of the area.  Roads are already clogged.  The stance of the County appears to take the tax revenue from the property, business and sales (tax) and project the burden on those who live here to deal with it.  This may be a long-winded way of answering your question(s), but I am neither pro/contra to Reston development as long all the components needed to lessen or accommodate the increased density appropriate.  

Located just off Gunston Road in Gunston Plaza next to the US Post Office, this place surprisingly has 13 locations in the area.  The pizza is good as are the subs, pasta and daily lunch specials which are typically $8-10.  Service is consistently good as well.  Atmosphere is typical vinyl green-checkered table clothes and the Italian flag, tacky Italian inspired, framed pictures and wall paper adorn the walls.   Kitchen is somewhat open and the place is always clean and pretty busy for lunch - I have probably eaten here 25 times, and oddly just now adding this post.  If you happen to be in Lorton and want someplace easy to park and dine, you have found it; very reasonably priced.

County Board Approves Nearly 10 Million Square Feet of Development in Reston by Fatimah Waseem, RestonNow

CALIFORNIA TORTILLA CLOSES IN LEESBURG by Chris Wadsworth, theburn.com

On 7/25/2018 at 12:07 PM, Ericandblueboy said:

The doorbells have motion detectors.  So they basically are security cameras.

In addition, you may have already ruled out the Arlo 2, but they work great.  Cameras are motion-sensitive, so not only the front door, but typically come in pks of 2, 3 or 4 and setup is a breeze.  Video quality is excellent.  On sale frequently at Costco, BestBuy etc.

This may help for comparison's sake

A side-by-side comparison of all four Ring Video Doorbells - from All Home Robotics

6 hours ago, silentbob said:

Yep, the AMEX FHR benefit for Platinum cardholders, if you like staying at nice hotels, can be super-useful.  Sometimes there are stay 2 or 3 nights, get one free offers.  And many hotels throw in $100 in food/beverage, spa, or general use credit when you book through AMEX FHR.  Plus you get free breakfast for two (obviously more valuable at some properties than others), early check-in at noon if available, at least a one-category room upgrade if available, and guaranteed late checkout.  Their rates are often a bit higher than booking through the aggregators or hotels directly, but these ancillary benefits in the aggregate often more than make up for the rate difference.

There are great benefits esp if you like nicer hotels.  In addition, they pay for your Global Entry every 5 years ($100) which is another great benefit (X2 if you have the companion card).  The 3rd night free is easy to book and with kids we have often received the breakfast for 4 when staying at a property, if not, the $100 credit can easily be used to cover the difference.  AMEX travel is a piece of cake to book travel through and we have had the pleasant experience as the costs are much more inline with other reservation methods. 

On slightly separate notes:  

After Parkland, gun-control advocates see a turning point for new state laws By Amber Phillips, The FIx

Florida just did something extremely rare for a Republican-controlled state: Pass a bill limiting people’s access to guns By Amber Phillips, The Fix

I read about this as well - notice the truck driver interviewed, said this same individual threatened to shoot him previously, when the truck he was driving was in the same space.  Really hard to believe the guy felt threatened, when the guy pushed him and backed off, gun displayed, and everyone ran.  Gun ownership in Florida (statistically) about 1/3 of the population owns a firearm; safe to assume a guy giving someone a hard time about waiting in their car in a special parking space may be confident due to being armed.  Having lived in Florida for a decent period of time, there was no shortage of firearms, and this was a long time ago.

Website

What's next? watch the video too.

Pro-gun activists are following the Parkland teens on a gun control tour around the country in a 'military-style armored vehicle' by Jacob Shamsian, The Insider

"Photos: Mezeh Mediterranean Gril Now Open in RTC West" by Fatimah Waseem on restonnow.com

Former Reston Town Center Business Reopens by Dan Taylor, Patch

The Bike Lane has opened up its new location after leaving RTC over paid parking.

I think Uncle Julio's also does well with drinks like, their Tres Amigos Margarita (equal parts Casamigos Silver/Cointreau shaken with sweet lime juice, sprig of mint and lime cup floater with shot of Casamigos Anejo is actually pretty good. 

Apparently now have Food Trucks as well.  Saw an advertisement on my way home last nite. 

JBG Smith's RTC West promises new additions for an old Reston office park By Michael Neibauer, WBJ

New Restaurant Opening At RTC West by Dan Taylor, Reston Patch

BGR: The Burger Joint plans to open a restaurant there in the fall.

This is in the same vicinity as the new Starbucks, Honeygrow, Cooper's Hawk and Nando's.

It is unfortunate 1L has become a restaurant haven.  Initially it was supposed to be more mixed use with a mid/high end grocery store as an anchor.     

I believe, Uncle Julio's continues to do well, as there are few "Mexican" restaurants in the area, conveniently located with good food (I did not say great).  Julio's fills that gap albeit marginally, hence they are printing pesos.  The place is consistently busy at RTC, with apparent waits if the people congregating outside are any indicator.

That is correct, he was affiliated with Thai Tada as well as Thai Luang.  He is the gentlemen in the photo on the website.  While not the "owner" of either of those establishments, he is the owner of Nunu's.  A gracious individual who welcomes you like family.

Yea, I am sure - the tough Winter(s) and Summer heat can be rough on those Billboards. 😎

Nunu's Thai dishes located in Herndon (formerly the KMart Shopping Plaza), is new, but owner has been involved in area Thai places for many years.  He will welcome you when you visit and wish you back upon departure.  The food flavorful, and servers accommodate requests easily.  The place is relatively small, but is usually pretty busy.  They offer daily specials (lunch includes soup and a main course), for less than $15.  Have been here several times and it is consistently good.  When in the area and craving authentic Thai food - worth a strong consideration.

"Aggio Closed Down at One Loudoun" by Chris Wadsworth on theburn.com

On 6/22/2018 at 12:56 PM, Ferris Bueller said:

Balducci’s Food Lover’s Market Kicks Off Weeklong Opening Celebration by RestonNow

The grand opening celebration kicked off at 11 a.m. today with a champagne sabering, live music and a ceremony led by Judy Spires, CEO of Balducci’s. During the weeklong celebration from Friday (June 22) through July 1, there will be a 10 percent discount on all purchase. Tastings and demonstration will also be held throughout the week. Today, around 400 additional parking spaces will be available for customers.

So I just went by and 1st impression was this is a small store.  There were about 10 cars in the reserved parking area which is free to Balducci's customers (head's up they are located on the 2nd floor) which requires elevator access to the store at ground level.  I did not see anywhere close to 400 parking spaces for customers, and if there were 400 people in there, you would be packed in like gourmet sardines.  There were certainly more employees than customers at 5:15 PM on a Thursday.

Having frequented the McLean store and prior Reston location, perhaps my expectations skewed.  They are catering to the pedestrian crowd from the vertical buildings @ RTC, which makes immediate sense, but may be a too targeted a market, hence the direct mail I have been getting hammered with the past 3 weeks.   

Plenty of prepared foods, however the fresh seafood and meat selections have been minimized.  Sushi chef was making rolls and case was well-stocked.  The wine selection area was underwhelming.  From my perspective, WF takes this category for boutique shopping experiences in the area.  More direct entry/exit at Plaza America and if you need wine, you can hit the new Total without moving your car.

But wait there''s more...Massive 22-Acre Development In Reston Moves Forward: Report

                    The Fairfax County Planning Commission reportedly has approved a proposal for a data center project at Sunrise Technology Park.

                    1,000,000 sq' of data center.

Major Reston Density Talks Happening In Coming Weeks (Watch Live)

Fairfax County representatives will be meeting with local activists for "small workgroup sessions," which will be streamed live.