New hours for Bethesda Circulator July 1 (Photo)

The free Bethesda Circulator bus will have a new schedule starting on July 1. Hours will be:

Monday-Thursday: 7 AM - 11 PM

Friday: 7 AM - 12 AM

Saturday: 10 AM to 12 AM.

For more information on the Circulator and its route, visit Bethesda Urban Partnership's website.

HSBC BANK ELIMINATING SATURDAY HOURS IN BETHESDA (PHOTOS)

At a time when banks are popping up all over town - and when one of them, TD Bank, is boasting about its expanded hours - HSBC Bank is taking the opposite approach. Starting Tuesday, October 14, its branch inside the Lionsgate condominiums is changing its hours - and dropping Saturday hours altogether. The bank will then be open only from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM, Monday - Friday. Previously, the bank had been open on Saturdays from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM.

Ironically, TD Bank will be opening directly across Old Georgetown Road from HSBC, on the site of the current Shell gas station.

HSBC Bank

7637 Old Georgetown Road

4935 BAR AND KITCHEN NOW OPEN REGULAR HOURS FOR DINNER IN BETHESDA

4935 Bar and Kitchen, the restaurant that replaced Tragara at 4935 Cordell Avenue over a year ago, is now open regular hours. While the restaurant has functioned primarily as a nightspot with varying schedules, a spokesperson says patrons can now dine Tuesdays through Saturdays from 4:00 to 11:00 PM.

Last night's New Year's Eve party was a Grand Opening for the restaurant, which hired new staff in December. 

BETHESDA OUTDOOR MOVIES 2013

Outdoor movies return to the Woodmont Triangle area of downtown Bethesda July 23-27, 2013, at 9:00 PM each evening. The annual outdoor movie series is organized and sponsored by Bethesda Urban Partnership. This is the ninth year, for those keeping score at home.

Movies will be shown at the corner of Norfolk and Auburn Avenues. Look up and check out all 17 stories of luxury building The Gallery, currently under construction, while waiting for the movie to start.

There will be limited chairs available, so FYI: BYOC, if you want to be sure of having a seat.

This year's movie titles are:

Tuesday, July 23:
The Princess Bride
"Inconceivable!"

Wednesday, July 24:
Rear Window
Jimmy Stewart, Grace Kelly.

Thursday, July 25:
Back to the Future
One of the Top 10 movies of all time, in my book.

Friday, July 26:
The Hunger Games
You may have heard of this cult classic.

Saturday, July 27:
Life of Pi
Some guy on a raft. Wait a minute, I just saw this at Bethesda Row Cinema, and it was called Kon-Tiki.

Bethesda UP has a directory of nearby restaurants for pre (outdoor)-theater dining. Please note that two of the restaurants listed have changed: Uptown Deli is now an Indian wok restaurant called Kadhai, and Wing Hub is now Maggie's but still has the Wing Hub wings on their menu - if that's not confusing!

There are some other notable restaurants not listed, including the brand-new Brickside Food & Drink, Smoke BBQ and Latin favorite, The Parva.

BETHESDA BP REOPENS GARAGE FOR AUTO REPAIRS AT FAIRMONT AND OLD GEORGETOWN (PHOTOS)

Two months ago, the shuttered BP station at the corner of Fairmont Avenue and Old Georgetown Road reopened as a convenience store.

Now the gas pump-less Bethesda service station has reopened the garage as an auto repair facility. Much like Eastham's across town, they are repairing cars on a short lease, while the developers who own the respective properties await groundbreaking for their luxury residential buildings.

One thing you won't find at BP: restrooms. They don't have one.

The throwback, limited hours of the convenience store are 7:00 AM - 6:30 PM weekdays, and 8:00 AM - 2:00 PM Saturdays. They're closed on Sundays.

THE FRONT ROW AT BETHESDA ROW 2013

Fashionistas, are you ready for the biggest event of the year at Bethesda Row?

With Jessica Alba appearing in-person, this will be the biggest Front Row at Bethesda Row event ever.

When should you plan to be at The Row?

THURSDAY, MAY 16

7:30 PM

Attend the premiere of fashion flick "The Tents" at the newly-renovated Landmark Bethesda Row Theatre. Afterwards, participate in a Q&A session with director Marcus K. Jones. Take a star-studded trip backstage at New York Fashion Week by reserving your free theater seat: RSVP to thetents@brandlinkdc.com now!

FRIDAY, MAY 17

5:00 PM

Jessica Alba. 'Nuff said. She'll be signing her new book, "The Honest Life," a handbook to living an environmentally-sensitive life and eating a healthy, toxin-free diet.  Book signing will take place on Bethesda Lane in front of Redwood.

7:30 PM

The sun goes down and the music turns up as models take the latest fashions to the runway on Bethesda Lane. There will also be a preview of pieces from the Fall 2013 season.

Georgetown Cupcake founders Katherine Kallinis and Sophie LaMontagne will be your emcees.

You'll also enjoy beauty lounges, fashion sketching, a street-style photo booth, and trunk shows around the Row all day, night and Saturday.

A complete list of all in-store sales and events is available here.

BLASTING TODAY AT 4500 EAST-WEST HIGHWAY CONSTRUCTION SITE IN DOWNTOWN BETHESDA

BAROOOOOM!

Contractors will be blasting today at the 4500 East-West Highway construction site, former home of the Bethesda McDonald's.

Detonations will occur between 10:30 AM and 2:30 PM.

If you are within 300 feet of the site, you can expect to hear an underground roar, and feel vibrations. (In my experience, it can be heard further than that!).  There will be an audible alert prior to blasting, a second alert just before detonation, and an all-clear signal after detonation. You know the drill.

Blasting is expected to resume again on Monday, same Blast time, same Blast channel. This will likely go on all next week.

What's going on, is that excavators struck an area of solid rock at the southern end of the site when digging. This is not unusual, given the geological makeup of the ground under Bethesda, or Montgomery County, in general. Blasting is now necessary to complete excavation.

CHAPTER TWO BOUTIQUE OPENS IN BETHESDA (PHOTOS)

Chapter Two Boutique, a fine consignment shop, opened yesterday on Cordell Avenue.  The website was not working, however, as of last evening.

MATHNASIUM INSTALLS UNIQUE DIGITAL SIGN, READY TO OPEN [PHOTO]

Another Robert Dyer @ Bethesda Row Exclusive

Mathnasium on Fairmont Avenue has installed a unique, digital schedule sign in its front window.  I can't think of another sign like this in downtown Bethesda, even though the sign technology itself is common elsewhere.

It now appears Mathnasium is ready to tutor students.  The door has been open quite a bit recently, and the classroom - complete with whiteboards - appears to be finished.  The sign suggests they are inviting parents and students to now stop by and sign up.  This kind of place would really have come in handy when I was in school.   I'm posting the photo here, so you can see the schedule for yourself.

LED ZEPPELIN CELEBRATION DAY WEDNESDAY AT BETHESDA ROW CINEMA!

"LED ZEPPELIN

WEDNESDAYS!"

Another Robert Dyer @ Bethesda Row Exclusive

If only the legendary Anton Fig were here to give that the proper audio announcement.

Led Zeppelin fans, you are in for a treat at Bethesda Row Cinema this Wednesday night:  the long awaited and much-discussed concert film of the band's 2007 concert at London's O2 Arena is showing in hi-definition digital, with audio you simply haven't heard on your old CDs at home.

There will be two screenings Wednesday night, at 6:30 PM and 9:00 PM.

You could have dinner nearby, or enjoy the many options on the theater's hot concessions menu, including chicken fingers and the original Phillips Crab Pretzel.

Some interesting facts about the movie:

This was the first, only, and possibly last full-length Led Zeppelin concert since 1980.

20 million fans attempted to order tickets, but only 18,000 were able to obtain one!

Director Dick Carruthers used 14 cameras, capturing not only every angle, but incredible close-ups of Jimmy Page's fretwork.  If you ever wondered, "how did he play that," your question might be answered Wednesday night.

Have the best seat in the house Wednesday night at Bethesda Row:  tickets are $12.50.  Click on your preferred showtime to order:  6:30 PM or 9:00 PM

WRITERS ON THE ROW: BETHESDA ROW'S BLOCKBUSTER BOOK AND AUTHOR EVENT, OCTOBER 11-14, 2012

SAVE THE DATE FOR

4 DAYS OF FOOD, FASHION,

FAME AND... BOOKS!

Another Robert Dyer @ Bethesda Row Exclusive

Bethesda Row is playing host to one of the best book festivals in the area this October 11-14:  Writers on The Row.

Unlike some book fairs, you've likely heard of most or all of the authors appearing at this one.  And with this being Bethesda Row, expect food and fashion events to be a part of the celebration.

Are you a fan of Pardon the Interruption on ESPN, Pregnant in Heels on Bravo, or True Blood on Showtime?  How about Georgetown Cupcake?

Then you definitely don't want to miss this blockbuster event!

Here's a rundown of the events scheduled so far:

Thursday, October 11

Michael Wilbon of the aforementioned PTI will be at Equinox from 7-9 PM, to discuss The Best American Sports Writing 2012.

True Blood fans, however, will be on Bethesda Lane to meet Karen Sommer Shalett, co-author of True Blood:  Eats, Drinks, and Bites from Bon Temps.

Friday, October 12

Rosie Pope, star of Pregnant in Heels, will appear on Bethesda Lane with her upcoming book, pregnancy guide Mommy IQ, from 6-8 PM.

Saturday, October 13

Meet Cheryl and Peter Barnes, authors of Woodrow for President, from 2-4 PM on Bethesda Lane.

Actor/comedian/author Richard Belzer will be on Bethesda Lane (is that a movie plot in itself, or what?) from 4-6 PM.  I think I remember this guy from the short-lived but classic superhero series, The Flash - but most know him from slightly-trendier, mainstream shows.  His book, Dead Wrong:  Straight Facts on the Country's Most Controversial Cover-Ups is definitely a daring choice for Bethesda.  This is a government town, where conspiracy theories are not usually warmly received.  That will definitely be an interesting 2 hours.  Is Bethesda ready for "the truth?"

Sunday, October 14

Bethesda Row favorites Katherine Kallinis Berman and Sophie Kallinis LaMontagne of Georgetown Cupcake will be on the Lane from 1-3 PM.  They'll be talking about the book that's likely to be one of the most popular holiday gifts this year, Sweet Celebrations:  Our Favorite Cupcake Recipes, Memories, and Decorating Secrets that Add Sparkle to Any Occasion.

From 3-5 PM, they'll be followed by Maz Rauber and Amy Reingold, who wrote the novel Capital Girls under the nom de plume (hey, it's Bethesda Row, and I'm speaking French) Ella Monroe.  Now becoming a series of books, Capital Girls takes Gossip Girl and Pretty Little Liars to Washington, D.C.  If that sounds interesting to you, you know where you'll be that afternoon.

Stay tuned for more details as the event gets closer, but it's quite an impressive lineup Federal Realty has assembled for such a new event.

DRYBAR AT BETHESDA ROW NOW TAKING APPOINTMENTS - AND ON YOUR iPhone

The Drybar at Bethesda Row hasn't even opened yet, but demand is so high, they're already taking appointments!

There's also a Drybar app you can use to quickly make your appointment; sadly for Android users, it is only available for iPhone at the moment.

Ladies, this means you can pick up your new iPhone 5 on Friday, and make your Drybar blowout apppintment before you even leave the Bethesda Row Apple Store!

BETHESDA LIBRARY WILL HAVE NEW HOURS STARTING SEPTEMBER 16

Bethesda's downtown library on Arlington Road will have new hours, beginning September 16:

SUNDAY: 12-5 PM

MONDAY-THURSDAY:  9 AM - 9 PM

FRIDAY-SATURDAY:  10 AM - 6 PM

BETHESDA BAR ASKING PATRONS TO SOLVE A MURDER MYSTERY IN SEPTEMBER

DISPLACED THEATER

COMPANY PROMISES

"A WHOLE NEW

CRIME SCENE IN

BETHESDA"

Another Robert Dyer @ Bethesda Row Exclusive

Whodunnit?  That's what Flanagan's Harp and Fiddle is hoping Bethesda barhoppers can answer.

Every Friday and Saturday, beginning September 14, the popular Bethesda pub will host a murder mystery dinner theatre production.  If this sounds like the shows you may have heard of, or attended, at the Blair Mansion, well... these are those shows.

Blair Mansion has closed, and the theatre company behind the mysteries is now decamping to downtown Bethesda.  And promising to bring "fear, mayhem and mystery" with them.  Come to think of it, that kind of sums up the parking experience in downtown Bethesda...

Shows will be held in the private dining room at Flanagan's.  Dinner will be served at 6:30 PM, and the show will start at 7:30.   The first show will be "Drop Dead, Gorgeous!," and a new show will be introduced every six weeks.  Organizers say the material is rated "PG-13" as an advisory to family patrons.

This is a new phenomenon for Bethesda; I can't recall a murder mystery dinner theatre here in my lifetime.

Tickets will be $47.50 each, and include the show, a buffet dinner, and taxes.  Beverages and gratuities will cost extra.  Order tickets online or by calling 443-422-3810.

The tickets are a little pricey, in my opinion, but you are getting dinner.  And it's definitely something new and different you can't find in DC, Clarendon, Rockville or Silver Spring.

Flanagan's Harp and Fiddle, 4844 Cordell Avenue, Bethesda.

RIDE ON PULLS 26 BUSES FROM FLEET AFTER LATEST BUS FIRE, SYSTEM ON HOLIDAY SCHEDULE THURSDAY, FRIDAY

Attention Ride On riders:

Your bus will be on a "modified holiday schedule" Thursday and Friday.

Montgomery County Executive has pulled 26 Champion buses from the Ride On fleet after yet another one burst into flames.

The bus drivers' union had urged Leggett to do so for months.

One exception to the special schedule relevant to the Bethesda area is that the Route 2 bus to Walter Reed will have full service both days.

All bus routes will run, but will have 20% less frequency.

BETHESDA PUBLIC POOL OPENS SATURDAY

For those in Bethesda who either don't have a membership to "the club," or a rooftop pool atop your building - and with temperatures in the 90s forecast for the weekend - you'll be glad to know the Bethesda public pool on Little Falls Parkway opens Saturday.

The pool will be open from noon until 6 on weekends intitially.

Starting June 11, it will be then be open on weekdays, and close every night at 8:00 PM.

Call for information regarding swimming lessons.

Hint:  if you live in downtown Bethesda, it's an easy walk on the Capital Crescent Trail.

Bethesda Pool, 6300 Little Falls Parkway.  301-652-1598.

READING WITH

THE STARS

Bethesda Literary Festival Takes

Over Downtown Bethesda this Weekend

Today through Sunday is the 13th annual Bethesda Literary Festival. Of course, every day is a literary festival at the Bethesda Library and Barnes & Noble at Bethesda Row. If you're an English major or just mad about books, you'll want to attend every event. But for those who are short on time, here are the big stars, and when and where they'll be in downtown Bethesda this weekend.

PAMELA BROWN

ABC 7's news anchor and reporter extraordinare will be Mistress of Ceremonies, as awards for the festival's Essay and Short Story Contest are handed out. *Tonight* 7 PM, Hyatt Regency Bethesda (atop the Bethesda Metro station for those coming from DC).

R.L. STINE

Author of the Goosebumps series. Saturday, 11:30 AM, Bethesda Elementary School.

WALTER ISSACSON

Author of the bestselling "Steve Jobs" biography. Saturday, 12:30 PM, Doubletree Bethesda hotel.

THOMAS FRIEDMAN

Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times columnist; author of That Used to Be Us. Sunday, 11 AM, Doubletree Bethesda.

BOB EDWARDS

Longtime NPR host of "All Things Considered" and "Morning Edition," now author of A Voice in the Box: My Life in Radio. Sunday, 12:30 PM, Doubletree Bethesda.