Bethesda McDonald's beats Starbucks with holiday red cups, Peppermint Mocha (Video+photos)

Starbucks is scheduled to officially release its holiday season famous "red cup" on November 10. McDonald's has beaten them by about 10 days, offering its own red cup two days ago at their Bethesda location on River Road. They also have a limited-time-only Peppermint Mocha.

Check out the new cup's holiday design and Peppermint Mocha in this video review.

BETHESDA CONSTRUCTION UPDATE: 4500 EAST-WEST HIGHWAY OFFICE BUILDING

4500 East-West Highway, a gleaming new Class A office building in what some are calling the future "Pearl District" of downtown Bethesda, is nearing completion. One minor detail - the building still has no tenants, reflecting more upon the moribund office space market in Montgomery County than on the building itself. Viewed from different angles, the glass facade has a very modern look, while other sides of the building echo some of the more traditional office towers of the downtown area. Carr Properties redeveloped this former home of the Bethesda McDonald's, and the project is being constructed by Bethesda's own Clark Construction.

Click on photos to enlarge for greater detail:

FORMER BETHESDA MCDONALD'S SITE CONSTRUCTION UPDATE (PHOTOS)

Where Big Macs were once ordered in Bethesda, is now rising a Class A office building that developer Carr calls the "best building ever built in the city of Bethesda." With the Newlands Building, Hyatt Regency hotel, and Capital One towers in the running, that's a mighty tall claim. Nevertheless, I look forward to seeing the final product fully lit up, before passing a judgement. But for right now, let's take a look at how the project is coming along at 4500 East-West Highway:

PEARL ST. TO BE ONE WAY DURING CONSTRUCTION AT FORMER BETHESDA MCDONALD'S SITE AT 4500 EAST-WEST HIGHWAY (PHOTO)

Pearl Street, between East-West Highway and Montgomery Avenue  in downtown Bethesda, will become a one-way street during construction of a Class A office building at the former McDonald's location.

According to the developer of 4500 East-West Highway, the southbound lane of Pearl Street will be closed indefinitely "on or about" February 18, 2013.

For the duration of the building construction, Pearl Street will be a one-way, southbound-only street. Drivers will be unable to turn left onto Pearl from Montgomery Avenue.

Reader Diarmaid McGleenan submitted this aerial-view photo of the former East-West Highway McDonald's site.  The restaurant was demolished a while ago.  At the top of the lot is the auger that just finished drilling for the installation of the steel I-beams you see around the perimeter of the growing hole.

The excavation machine is already filling dump trucks, and eventually a crane will arrive onsite.

BETHESDA MCDONALD'S DEMOLISHED! (PHOTOS)

The Bethesda McDonald's on East-West Highway was demolished over the weekend, and I received 2 aerial photos. @itsjayla on Twitter sent this one.

And reader Diarmaid McGleenan sent this one, taken from up in the Air Rights Building:

BETHESDA MCDONALD'S ON EAST-WEST HIGHWAY CLOSES FOREVER - PHOTO GALLERY EXCLUSIVE!

AN ERA ENDS,

DEMOLITION BEGINS

Another Robert Dyer @ Bethesda Row Exclusive

Several weeks ago, I reported on the plan to redevelop the current site of the downtown Bethesda McDonald's, on East-West Highway at Pearl Street.  But the actual closing date of the long-operating store was unknown.

That day came yesterday.

Although a number of downtown restaurants have been forced out by developers in the last few weeks, this one hits close to home for me.  I've had many a meal from this McDonald's over a lifetime.  Talk about "Living in the 90s."  Were you there for the Jurassic Triple Cheeseburger, the Super Hero (a tie-in with one of my favorite movies, Batman Forever), and the Arch Deluxe?

Students at BCC High School, workers in nearby office buildings, and residents who thought the Golden Arches would always be a few steps away, had a rude awakening Tuesday.  Even when these photos were taken, loyal customers were still pulling in.  "It's closed? It's closed?"  "Yes."  "It's closed," the man said to himself again audibly, with a stricken expression, as reality sunk in.

No more Big Macs, no more America's Favorite Fries.  Just super-size developer profits.

And then there was one.

There is now literally only one fast food restaurant operating in the entire town of Bethesda - the other McDonald's on River Road.  Why fast food restaurants are unofficially banned from opening in Bethesda, remains a mystery government officials have yet to share with citizens.

Do you really have freedom of choice, when there are no choices?

It's the end of an era.  The Golden Arches have stood along America's highways for decades, beckoning to hungry travelers.  So it was here on our East-West Highway.

It will be missed.

The famous Golden Arches sign has been torn down,
but McDonald's fans kept arriving for dinner anyway

The doors are locked tight

Here's all that's left of the Golden Arches
sign on East-West Highway

Left side of restaurant

Interior of the abandoned restaurant.  Note many ceiling tiles are
already missing.  A lone mystery man works on a
laptop at a table by the far windows

Ronald has left the building

No more coffee deals; Starbucks has the monopoly in
downtown Bethesda again

The End