Strong-arm robbery on Westbard Avenue in Bethesda

Montgomery County police responded to a report of a strong-arm robbery in the Westbard area of Bethesda on March 20, 2025. The robbery was reported in the 5300 block of Westbard Avenue at 8:43 PM. That would be somewhere between Bowlero and Crown Street.

Assault at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

Montgomery County police were once again called to Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda this past weekend, after a report of an assault. The assault was reported at a department store inside the mall at 5:33 PM on Saturday, March 22, 2025. This was the third assault reported at the mall so far this year. There were 11 assaults reported at the popular retail center in 2024, 5 in 2023, and 12 in 2022.

St. Elmo Deli closed in Bethesda

St. Elmo Deli at 4818 St. Elmo Avenue in Bethesda was closed during normal Monday business hours today, March 24, 2025. The interior appears largely cleared out. There's no seating, shelves (such as where you would typically see chip bags lined up) are empty, and the menu displays have been taken down. Signage is still up out front, but there's no note to customers explaining the reason for the closure. St. Elmo Deli has been around since 1997 - an impressive, almost thirty-year run - so it would be sad if this is a permanent closure.

Merlo Point, De Clichy closing at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

The super-short run for Merlo Point at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda is approaching an end, according to signage at the store, which opened shortly before Christmas. A closing sale is now underway at the local retailer, which carries European-inspired furniture, art, and home decor. Look for Merlo Point on Level 1 of the mall, between Calzedonia and Kickz.

Also exiting soon is De Clichy. The menswear boutique has been around significantly longer than Merlo Point, having opened here in 2022. It, too, is holding a closing sale. Find De Clichy and savings on Level 2, next to LensCrafters.

Dunkin' Donuts opens at Chevy Chase Lake (Photos)

Dunkin' Donuts has opened its newest Montgomery County location at the Giant gas station at 8500 Connecticut Avenue at Chevy Chase Lake. It is located by the future Purple Line bridge over Connecticut, and in front of the Crescent at Chevy Chase apartments. Operating hours for the store are 5:00 AM to 9:00 PM, seven days a week. That will cover donuts and coffee for both rush hours, and potentially some sticky fingers aboard the Purple Line - whatever year it opens.

Volkswagen ID Buzz at Ourisman Volkswagen in Bethesda (Photos)

One of the few Volkswagen models generating excitement on this side of the Atlantic is the new ID Buzz electric van. Based on the classic VW Bus, the ID Buzz began arriving in Montgomery County last fall. Here is a pink one parked on the sidewalk outside of Ourisman Volkswagen of Bethesda at 7001 Arlington Road. It was also spotted first arriving at Ourisman's service facility on Butler Road. 

Unlike the black one spotted in Rockville last November, this one has a color that wasn't available on the original VW Bus: pink. Very Pepto Bismol-pink, in fact. I've never seen a vintage VW Bus in either color in person before. Another reminder that Volkwagen chose Northern Virginia over Montgomery County for its U.S. headquarters. Fahrvergnügen!

Acclaimed national tutoring academy opens Friendship Heights location

An acclaimed national tutoring academy The New York Times has said may be New York City's “premier tutoring service" has opened a new location in Friendship Heights. Advantage Testing, located at 5335 Wisconsin Avenue NW #335, draws inspiration from the British model of private education. Focusing not only on exam success, Advantage also seeks to aid students in developing writing, reading, and analytical thinking skills. In-person and remote tutoring are available for students from the middle school level through college and graduate school. 

All Advantage Testing tutors have achieved scores in the 99th percentile on the SAT/ACT, and are graduates of many prestigious universities, including Columbia, Emory, Swarthmore, Vanderbilt and Yale. Beyond the personalized sessions offered, weekly proctored practice exams are conducted at the Friendship Heights location, which is convenient to the Friendship Heights Metro station. 

Founder Arun Alagappan, a Princeton and Harvard Law School graduate, established Advantage Testing, Inc. in 1986. Current members of the Advantage Testing Foundation Board of Trustees are Shirley Tilghman, who joined as President of Princeton University; John Sexton, who joined as President of New York University; Martha Minow, who joined as Dean of Harvard Law School; John Manning, the current Dean of Harvard Law School; Tom Hill, former vice chairman of the Blackstone Group; Lauren Frank, a leader in educational philanthropy; Beth Nash, a leader in educational philanthropy; Sandor Lehoczky, a senior leader at Jane Street; BK Fulton, the founding chairman and CEO of Soulidifly Productions; Jacquelyn Stone, a partner at McGuireWoods; and Troy McKenzie, the Dean of New York University School of Law. Former members of the board include U.S. Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan.

"No mode of instruction is more powerful than one-on-one tutoring," Alagappan says. "If you think back to the teachers who have had the most lasting influence on you, you may recognize that they were the ones who spoke to you as an individual, and challenged you." David Sommers, who holds degrees from Vanderbilt University and George Washington University, is the Washington, D.C. Director of Advantage Testing. Prior to joining Advantage in 2011, he gained classroom experience as an English teacher in Washington, D.C. and Jaffa, Israel, and as an adjunct English professor at a CUNY school in New York.

Acura Integra Type S at Chevy Chase Cars (Photos)

The Acura Integra badge recalls a time when downtown Bethesda was on the right track, and a brighter future was ahead all around us. Integra was one of the iconic automobile shapes of the 1990s, alongside the Dodge Stealth and Viper, the Toyota Supra, the Subaru SVX, the Mazda RX-7, the Mitsubishi Eclipse, the Ford Probe, and big brother Acura NSX. With its distinctive round headlamps and wing spoiler, the Integra Type R was a stylish and relatively affordable sports car. Two 1990s Integras were immortalized on the silver screen in 2001's The Fast and the Furious.

Now the Integra is back, and Chevy Chase Cars at 7725 Wisconsin Avenue has a Type S on display. It's not quite as iconic in visual design, and it certainly isn't modestly priced. A fourth tailpipe would have been nice. It looks nothing like its 1990s predecessor, which seems like a wasted opportunity. But if your street racing days are over, and you are still pining for your mid-90s wheels, the exhaust note and European handling of the Integra Type S might add a nostalgic zip to your commute and errand runs. 

Get ready for sticker shock, as the $54,395 price is more than you would have paid for a Corvette in those days. You could get an entry level BMW under $30,000 back then. Remember the 90s, when they told you free trade would make cars cheaper? LOL. On a more positive note, this car was assembled right here in the USA, in Marysville, Ohio.

Burglar breaks into Bethesda Exxon station

The gas prices may be highway robbery at the Exxon at 7975 Old Georgetown Road, but it was a burglar who struck at the "last gas" before the Beltway on March 13, 2025. Montgomery County police responded to a report of a burglary at the gas station in the early morning hours. Officers responding to the scene found evidence of forced entry. Cash and convenience store merchandise were taken.

Police describe the suspect only as a "male." If you have any information that can help detectives close this case, call (301) 279-8000.

Are Bethesda residents turning in their Tesla Cybertrucks?

Now that the Tesla store has closed at Westfield Montgomery Mall, the only place to find a Tesla in a showroom or on a sales lot in Bethesda at the moment is at EuroMotorcars at 7020 Arlington Road. A Tesla Cybertruck is now on prominent display in the used car area. Cybertrucks have been on the road here for barely a year, so it seems awfully soon to be trading one in, but here it is. While the Cybertruck design has been divisive, other Tesla models have been hugely popular in Bethesda for over a decade, until Elon Musk began backing Donald Trump last summer. Still, I saw 3 Cybertrucks in one hour in Bethesda.

Paris Baguette posts more "coming soon" signage in Bethesda

Paris Baguette Bakery Cafe has posted more "coming soon" signage in the windows of its future storefront in the Sophia Bethesda apartment tower at 4924 St. Elmo Avenue. The 3000-square-foot corner space fronts onto Fairmont Avenue, and the pedestrian paseo between Sophia and the Ellis Bethesda apartments. South Korea-based Paris Baguette has a massive menu of French and Korean baked goods, hot lunch and snack items like tiny pizzas and pigs-in-a-blanket, and coffee and tea beverages. There's even a whole line of donuts, including cronuts and mochi donuts. Stay tuned for an opening date!

Pisco y Nazca Ceviche Gastrobar to open next week in Bethesda

Pisco y Nazca Ceviche Gastrobar will open next week at 7401 Woodmont Avenue in the 2 Bethesda Metro Center office tower. The 6,547-square-foot Peruvian restaurant caps off a $25 million upgrade of the building by property owner The Chevy Chase Land Company, to reposition it for today's tough office market. “We are excited to welcome Pisco y Nazca to 2 Bethesda Metro, bringing an upscale and energetic dining amenity to the tower, as well as to neighboring office and retail,” Jason Winans, Executive Vice President, Asset Management at The Chevy Chase Land Company said in a statement yesterday. 6000 SF of retail space remains available for lease at the building.

Evereve opens at Bethesda Row

Evereve has opened at 7262 Woodmont Avenue at Bethesda Row. That is the former Foxtrot space. The women's apparel boutique had originally targeted a Spring 2025 opening, and they managed to pull it off on the very first day of spring. Note the custom "E" door handles at the entrance.

Evereve was originally founded in 2004 as Hot Mama, a fashion boutique targeted toward moms and middle-aged women. After a demoralizing shopping trip at a local department store, co-founder Megan Tamte was inspired to create an in-store experience where customers would be closely assisted by staff in finding on-trend pieces that fit their personal style and body type. Evereve carries curated items from over 150 brands, many of which are exclusive.

Assault at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

Montgomery County police responded to a report of a 2nd-degree assault at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda on March 14, 2025. The incident was reported at 3:47 PM at the mall. This is the second assault at the mall so far this year. There were 11 in 2024, 5 in 2023, and 12 in 2022.

Virginia beats Maryland in January job growth

Virginia hammered Maryland in job growth once again in January 2025. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Virginia added 7,100 jobs in January, while Maryland only created 4,900. The BLS also revised Virginia's numbers from December upward, with the Old Dominion's jobs-added figure rising from 4,900 to 14,200. Maryland had infamously only gained a paltry 200 jobs in December.

“More Virginians are working than ever in the Commonwealth as jobs and opportunity continue to expand in Virginia,” Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin said in a statement Tuesday. “In January, the Commonwealth added 7,100 nonfarm jobs, building on the upwardly revised job gains in December. This performance underscores the success of our pro-business policies and our ongoing focus on workforce development, which are providing Virginia companies the talent they need to grow and Virginians with the opportunities to succeed.”