Signage installed at The Charles apartment tower in Bethesda

The logo signage for The Charles apartment tower at 7342 Wisconsin Avenue in downtown Bethesda has been installed. Last night, it was already lit up after dark. The property's official website is accepting submissions for an "interest list" of prospective tenants. Developer Greystar anticipates the first residents moving in during Q4 of 2025.

Assault at supermarket in Bethesda

Montgomery County police were called to a grocery store in Bethesda Monday night, November 10, 2025, after someone was allegedly assaulted there. The 2nd-degree assault was reported at a supermarket in the 10400 block of Old Georgetown Road at 7:03 PM Monday. Giant is located on that block.

Woodmont Grill rapid scheduled disassembly continues in Bethesda (Photos)

The rapid scheduled disassembly of Woodmont Grill continues at 7715 Woodmont Avenue in downtown Bethesda. Woodmont Grill closed after the close of business on October 29, 2025. What parent company Hillstone Restaurant Group tells anyone who asks is that the closure was due to a lack of parking. This is rather farcical, given that there is a huge parking garage directly across the street from the restaurant. Tastee Diner and Black's Bar & Kitchen somehow remain in business with this non-existent parking dilemma.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, more pieces of the Woodmont Grill are being hauled away. Signage has been removed, and the words "Proper Attire Requested" have been scraped off the door. Packing boxes are visible inside the building.

Assault at Westland MS in Bethesda

Montgomery County police responded to a report of a 2nd-degree assault at Westland Middle School this past Thursday evening, November 6, 2025. The assault was reported at the school property at 9:02 PM Thursday. Westland MS is located at 5511 Massachusetts Avenue in Bethesda.

BabyCat Brewery opens in Bethesda (Photos)

BabyCat Brewery has opened at 4850 Rugby Avenue at the Gallery Bethesda II apartment tower in downtown Bethesda. The Bethesda taproom is open 4:00 PM to 10:00 PM Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 12:00 PM to 11:00 PM on Fridays and Saturdays, and 12:00 PM to 10:00 PM on Sundays. Unlike the original Kensington location, there is a food menu here, which also means that no outside food is allowed to be brought in at the Bethesda taproom. The Bethesda menu is similar to that offered by the Cattie Shak food trailer at Kensington.

North Star setting up for 55th Christmas tree season in Chevy Chase

Elves have been spotted making preliminary preparations for the 55th year of North Star Christmas Trees in Chevy Chase. They'll be returning to their spot of recent years at 2550 East-West Highway Service Road at Grubb Road in Chevy Chase. You may recall them being on the "Green Mile" along Wisconsin Avenue in the past, but they've found this Chevy Chase location is the sweet spot to draw customers from both Bethesda and the greater downtown Silver Spring areas. North Star says it will be opening for business on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving this year - Thanksgiving Eve, you might say.

The company is also hiring staff. See the contact information in the photo above. These are tough times in Montgomery County, and across the nation. By the way, these are new photographs; North Star is still displaying their 50th Anniversary banner at the site.

Resurfacing project begins on Little Falls Parkway in Bethesda

A resurfacing project has begun on Little Falls Parkway north of Dorset Avenue. Milling work has already been performed on the roadway. The work added to traffic woes this past weekend on the parkway, which has become congested at peak times since Montgomery County implemented a series of illegal road diets that were overwhelmingly opposed by the surrounding community. If you have a new car, you may want to avoid the parkway until this work is finished.

Go! Calendars & Games opens at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

2025 will be winding down next month, and that means it's time to replace your calendars in preparation for the new year. Go! Calendars & Games has returned to Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda just in time to serve your needs in that department. The selection of mainstream calendars is pretty competitive with what you will find online, and they also carry puzzles and stuffed toys. Look for Go! on Level 1 of the mall in the Cheesecake Factory wing of the mall, outside of T-Mobile.

Bob's Shanghai "opening soon" in Bethesda (Photos)

Bob's Shanghai is "opening soon" in Bethesda, according to coming-soon signage posted in the windows of its future space yesterday afternoon. I broke the news in September that the popular and award-winning Chinese restaurant would be filling the old Anthony's Coal-fired Pizza spot in the ground floor of the Windsor Bethesda apartment tower at 7770 Norfolk Avenue. Needless to say, it's quite an amenity to have a Bob's Shanghai and a Medium Rare in the bottom of your apartment building, so this is quite a coup for the Windsor - and for residents of the many nearby buildings, as well. Construction has been underway inside for several weeks, but the windows are still papered over, so the progress on the interior fit-out remains unknown.

See's Candies opens at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

The holiday shopping season is in full swing at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. There's no better indication of that than the annual arrival of See's Candies. Look for their shop on Level 1 in the Nordstrom wing of the mall, between Anya by Vivien and Everything But Water. There's a good reason See's Candies has been around for over 100 years.

Arc'teryx opens at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

Arc'teryx has opened at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. The outdoor apparel store is located on Level 1 of the mall, between Sleep Number and Kiehl's. Their techwear and streetwear lines are as popular with couch potato city dwellers as they are with active outdoorspeople. Operating hours for Arc'teryx are 10:00 AM to 9:00 PM Monday through Saturday, and 11:00 AM to 7:00 PM.

Pati Jinich burrito pop-up at Marriott HQ in Bethesda (Photos)

Celebrity chef and author Pati Jinich was at the MI Cafe in the Marriott International headquarters in downtown Bethesda today. The host of public television's Pati's Mexican Table and resident chef at the Mexican Cultural Institute in Washington, D.C. was hosting a burrito pop-up in the cafe, which serves Marriott employees, but is also open to the public. The pop-up was serving breakfast and lunch burritos, aguas frescas, and desserts. 

This event was sponsored by Marriott Bonvoy, and hopefully is one of more to come. Today's event was a fantastic opportunity to try the cuisine of a celebrity chef who does not yet have restaurants in the area like Gordon Ramsay or José Andrés. But such events would also help lure more Marriott employees back to the underutilized headquarters, as well as further activate the area around the cafe and office/hotel campus.

Burrito in the bag