MASSACHUSETTS AVENUE SPEED CAMERA MAY HOLD CLUE IN BETHESDA HIT AND RUN

Montgomery County Police are searching for a late-model, dark blue minivan with right side damage, after it struck a bicyclist at Massachusetts Avenue and Cromwell Drive in Bethesda, and fled the scene.

But it's possible police may have a photo of the minivan's tag, if it was speeding when it was last seen heading south towards the District on Massachusetts.

There is a portable speed camera that would have snapped a photo of the minivan, if that was the case.

The accident occurred after 10 AM this morning, and police would like to speak to anyone who witnesses the incident.

Let's hope they check that camera!

BLING RING BURGLARS BURGLE AGAIN

Yet another burglary points to the Bling Ring this week.  A wave of burglaries in exclusive enclaves washed over Somerset again Tuesday, August 21, in the 4800 block of Falstone Avenue.

This is at least the third break-in in the Somerset neighborhood since the burglary spree began.  Authorities have not detailed what is being stolen in these cases, or made any public statements about them.

The burglaries have occurred in wealthy, old-money neighborhoods over many weeks, starting in Spring Valley in NW DC.

CAN YOU BUY A GOOGLE NEXUS 7 IN DOWNTOWN BETHESDA? YES!

The highly-coveted Google Nexus 7 tablet can be hard to find.  Especially in downtown Bethesda.  It's not at the Verizon store.  It's definitely not at the Apple Store!  Not even at Best Buy.

Would you believe I found one at Staples on Wisconsin Avenue?

Not exactly the first place you'd think to look.

But sure enough, there it is:

Google Nexus 7 at Staples in downtown Bethesda

The only two problems are, this one was not getting any electricity and wouldn't turn on.  And, second, Staples can't seem to stock enough to satisfy demand.  So you'll be lucky if there's one there.

MY FIRST BETHESDA APARTMENT - A YOUNG PERSON'S WEEKLY GUIDE TO BETHESDA, MD APARTMENT HUNTING

Welcome to the first installment of a new series:  My First Bethesda Apartment!  This is an ongoing urban guide to the intimidating and challenging task of apartment hunting in Bethesda, and scoring and tricking out your dream pad once you find it.

If you're new to Bethesda and have questions about restaurants, stores or where to find "this or that," leave a comment, or send me an email.

Any suggestions or comments are also welcome, in the hopes of presenting more of what you, the reader, would find most useful in this series.  So, without further adieu, let's get started.

BETHESDA APARTMENT 

OF THE 

WEEK

1 BR/1 BA FAIRMONT PLAZA [Click for listing] - $1,780 a month

Why start with Fairmont Plaza?  This particular offer sounds like a fair deal, and it illustrates two points about apartment hunting in overpriced Bethesda:  1)  Sometimes it's worth paying slightly more, rather than cost-cutting in a low-quality building on the edges of town, and 2) With rents so inflated, one way to beat the system is to lease a condo from someone who owns one.

$1,780 isn't bad if you split it in two, and one person takes a fold-out sofa bed in the living room (maybe that person should pay less than half!).

What you're getting in return is one of the best buildings in Bethesda.

Start off with location, location, location.  Only Upstairs at Bethesda Row is closer to more things, and rents there are out of this world.  If you want to go out to bars at night, and literally be steps away from your apartment, Fairmont Plaza is the place to be.

As one of the Nathan Landow buildings - and I've been in just about all of them now - you are going to get high quality finishes, floors and countertops.  Marble lobby.  Ceramic tile.  Oak parquet floors.  Raised-panel wood interior doors.  Balconies.

Amenities are sparse in terms of there being no pool, no fitness center...

But how about this:  In-unit washer and dryer!  No more loose change or cards that don't register.  No finding your clothes thrown out of the dryer by the crazy tenant down the hall.  Big closets?  Check.  Gourmet kitchen?  Check.  Gas stove?  Right-o!

I notice this listing says you'll get the use of a large, wall-mounted flatscreen TV, so you can save TV money.

Convenience?  First of all, if you're uninsured or underinsured healthwise, you have a CVS Minute Clinic right across Wisconsin Avenue.  A 24-hour 7-Eleven with Redbox rentals right across from the (controlled) lobby entrance.

Dining?  Steps away, you have Starbucks, Black's Bar and Kitchen, Woodmont Grill, Tastee Diner, Jetties, BGR and Bold Bite .

Nightlife?  Just as close, are The Parva, BlackFinn, Hanaro, Rock Bottom, Union Jack's, and more.

The first floor of the Fairmont has a yoga studio, hair salon, and French pastry shop.

And Veterans Park, farmers markets and the Taste of Bethesda will all be yards away.

It's worth checking out this weekend, if someone hasn't beaten you to it!

Fairmont Plaza, 4801 Fairmont Avenue

= [] =

TRICK OUT YOUR PAD

Spend lavishly, or just make everyone think you did!

Most apartments have a bar area attached to the kitchen.  Which means you'll need bar stools for casual dining or entertaining.

SPLURGE

Ice Cream Bar Stool from Loft Living - $129

FAKE IT

Scooper Barstool from Target.com - $49.99

Verdict:  They look the same, but what a savings at Target, and the reviews average 5 stars.  I think Target is the right choice here, and you can get more bar stools so all your friends can pull one up when they come over.

FIRST-TIME RENTER 

TIP-OF-THE-WEEK

Don't forget Renter's Insurance when figuring out your budget!  The yearly cost is far less than the value of all of your stuff, should there be a fire or water damage.

Have a great weekend, and let me know if you you find the apartment of your dreams in the Richest Town in America!

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.

THE PINK PALM ENDLESS SUMMER SALE ENDS TONIGHT AT MIDNIGHT

The name Lilly Pulitzer and the phrase "up to 60% off" are rarely used in the same sentence.  But today they are both found at The Pink Palm's Endless Summer Sale.  Shop from the comfort of home on the website, or come in to their Bethesda Row boutique.

Here are just a few of the products massively reduced in price until midnight tonight:

THE PHANTOM CONDO PROJECT, CHAPTER III

BETHESDA'S MOST

CONFUSED AND

PUZZLING REDEVELOPMENT

GOES TO PLAN C

Another Robert Dyer @ Bethesda Row Exclusive

It's a posh, boutique luxury condo building.  It's a 2-floor restaurant and retail mecca.  On third thought, it's an old office and retail building, desperately in need of tenants.

Will the real 4901 Cordell Avenue please stand up?

Several years ago, the owner proposed a lavish, low-rise luxury condo project known as The Veneto.    Despite its fairly rapid progress towards approval by the county Planning Board, the effort mysteriously ground to a halt.

Then, suddenly in May 2012, Memenza Jewelers announced it was closing on the ground floor.  A new sign was raised announcing a more vague future - lease or renovation "to suit."

Nothing happened.

Two months later, a slightly more ambitious plan was posted on the building's exterior:  a new, glass facade 2-story structure that would house 2 restaurants, and retail space.

Fast forward to yesterday, and yet another, not-ambitious-at-all sign has appeared.  "For Lease:  Approx. 430 sq-ft Office or Retail."

Nothing says "Richest Town in America" like bars on the windows

So this sounds like the individual units are now going to be leased, most likely as temporary pop-up shops, like the scooter store on Norfolk Avenue.

It's surprising that, with the building's unique garage doors on some of the units, some creative person hasn't opened a Boho bar or cafe there.  The building remains a prime spot in the future redevelopment of "Old Town" Bethesda.

For now, there seem to be many plans, but that's all.  Every sign tells a different story - and even has different phone numbers.  The Phantom Condo building's ultimate fate remains a mystery.

ICEBREAKER TO OPEN STORE AT BETHESDA ROW!

HIGH-END, MERINO WOOL

PERFORMANCE WEAR

COMING MARCH 2013

Another Robert Dyer @ Bethesda Row Exclusive

Big news at Bethesda Row!  New Zealand adventure apparel pioneer Icebreaker will open its first DC-area store at 4821 Bethesda Avenue, in March of 2013.

Icebreaker's NYC Meatpacking District store [Photo: Icebreaker]

Icebreaker will fit nicely with The North Face, as both companies are known for producing "expensive-but-worth-every-penny" products known for function, as much as fashion.

BAA!  Icebreaker is all about wool; New Zealand merino wool, to be precise.  According to Icebreaker, the irony of their products is that their source - merino sheep - are "one of the toughest animals in the world," yet the resulting wool is extremely comfortable to wear.

Merino wool is lightweight and cool in a single layer during summer, but in multiple layers is perfect for cold winters.  By nature and design, Icebreaker's all-natural material is non-itchy, anti-microbial and odor resistant.  Their wool is hand-picked from carefully selected producers, and humane treatment of the source animals is one of the company's ethical pillars.  Following the lead of their CEO, Jeremy Moon, Icebreaker also maintains sustainable land-use and environmental practices.

One interesting - and slightly humorous - example of this in practice, is the Baacode.  Get it?  Using the Baacode on your running outfit, underwear or socks, you can discover the sheep "station" where the wool came from.

All of these green and sensitive policies will surely appeal to Bethesda residents.  In fact, CEO Moon says "Bethesda Row shoppers (have) an eye for new and beautiful apparel."

The store will be referred to as a TouchLab.  Their Tactile Gallery will allow customers to feel the material, and find out more about its practical features in a wide range of athletic apparel.

Obviously, Icebreaker is new to many of us in this area.  But in speaking to a couple of one-time shoppers at Icebreakers' SoHo NYC location, outstanding customer service from employees is one of their trademarks.  They also have a weekly run club, just as lululemon has had at Bethesda Row in the past.

With Icebreaker joining the latter, City Sports, Lucy, and The North Face, Bethesda Row is now perhaps the premiere, one-stop shop for high-end athletic apparel in the DC area.

As befits our recent designation as the Richest Town in America!

Are you pumped up about Icebreaker coming to Bethesda Row?  Have you worn any of their products?

ANOTHER BLING RING BURGLARY

The latest burglary matching the pattern of the Bling Ring burglars took place Sunday, August 19, in the 3700 block of Bradley Lane.  That block is a tree-lined street of often lavish homes, white picket fences, and circular driveways.

A series of burglaries taking place in old-money, exclusive neighborhoods including Spring Valley, Kenwood, Somerset, and several Bethesda communities, earned the suspects the "Bling Ring" name.  The wave of burglaries began several weeks ago in Spring Valley, and has bounced back and forth between Montgomery County and NW DC ever since.

HANARO SUSHI'S ROLL OF THE MONTH: DANCING CRAB ROLL - BETHESDA SUSHI BAR

Hanaro Sushi's Dancing Crab Roll - which has nothing to do with the Tenleytown restaurant, and everything to do with fresh seafood and a fabulous diversity of flavors - is their August Roll-of-the-Month:

Which is the top

 restaurant for

 sushi in 

Bethesda, 

in your opinion?

BETHESDA CENTRAL FARM MARKET NOW TAKING THANKSGIVING TURKEY ORDERS

Gobble, gobble.  Are you ready to talk turkey (as in Thanksgiving turkey) in August?

The Sparks, MD farm that raises natural, hormone/antibiotic-free, free-range turkeys for the market has just begun taking orders.

Bethesdans ready to order Thanksgiving dinner months in advance can fill out a simple online form now.

Springfield Farm Turkeys will be available for pickup at a special edition of the market in downtown Bethesda a couple of days before Thanksgiving.

Are you ready to order your Thanksgiving turkey this early?

What kind of turkey person are you:  fresh or frozen?  Brined or not brined?  Long holiday in the kitchen, or fully-cooked and catered by your grocery store?

OURISMAN HONDA EXHORTS BETHESDA TO "FREE YOURSELF FROM FOREIGN OIL!"

I was walking down Bethesda Avenue the other night, and saw a silver car that appeared to be making a call on a landline payphone.  And a Bethesda-friendly sign message, exhorting passersby to "Free Yourself from Foreign Oil!"

"I'd like to make a collect call.
My name is Honda Civic."

 So I had to stop and find out what was going on!

Turns out, Ourisman Honda is offering a natural gas-powered Honda Civic - and, an at-home natural gas "gas station," which can be installed outside, or even inside your garage.

You can set up this same natural "gas station" in your driveway or garage

The at-home system, called Phill, is similar in concept to whole-house, natural gas generators now popular in the area.  However, it is about the size of your electric switchbox, uses the electricity equivalent to a small appliance, and has a noise level equal to an air conditioner.

This is an alternative to an electric car you would plug in at home.  And, of course, it means you can fill up your car's tank while you're asleep, when it's raining, or when snow and ice make it difficult to reach the gas station.

You can stop by Ourisman Honda and check out the display yourself, the next time you're at Bethesda Row.

Green machines at Bethesda Row:
Honda CR-Z Hybrid [left], natural gas Honda Civic

Have you made the switch to an alternative fuel vehicle (Prius, Leaf, Volt, Civic, etc,)?  Has it saved you money on gas, or did the high price make it no cheaper than a gasoline engine vehicle over time?

WILL YOU BE PRETTY IN PINK TONIGHT AT BETHESDA ROW OUTDOOR MOVIES UNDER THE STARS? WEARING PINK WILL PAY OFF!

This is definitely Ladies Night at Bethesda Row.

Make sure to wear pink to tonight's outdoor movie on Bethesda Lane, and you'll get all kinds of benefits.  Like Pretty in Pink cocktails at Redwood for only $5.  And 10% off at Bethesda Row shops City Sports, Ginger and Urban Chic.  But only if you're wearing pink!

The movie will start after dusk (around 8:45 PM).

Tonight's screening of Pretty in Pink has again inspired Redwood to create a themed menu:

Pretty in Pink popcorn

Salmon Rillettes

Raspberry mousse

Plus, Redwood's outdoor patio seating will give you the best seat in the house!

BETHESDA NAMED RICHEST TOWN, EUROMOTORCARS CELEBRATES WITH LAMBORGHINI GALLARDO

The same day that Bethesda was officially declared the richest town on the face of the Earth, I found yet another one of my dream cars has rolled into EuroMotorcars.

Una macchina feroce e bella.

This 2005 Lamborghini Gallardo is turning heads at the corner of Arlington Road and Bethesda Avenue, in the dealership's pre-owned lot.

Vital stats: 0-60 MPH in 4.2 seconds, Top speed:  192 MPH

What an appropriate way to celebrate our new ranking as the bling capital of the world.

Floor the accelerator on that V10, and
 no one in the world can catch up to you.

Final thought on Bethesda's victory over every other town in America:

"Only one can be the best." - Bruce Jenner

BRICKSIDE FRONT PORCH DECK IS TAKING SHAPE ON CORDELL AVENUE

Big construction news from the future location of Brickside Food and Drink on Cordell Avenue:  the new Bethesda restaurant is building a front porch deck onto the building front.

Even in this primitive form, you can tell what a huge improvement this is.  It's creating a nice new outdoor dining space.

This already looks like a nice place to dine
outdoors, with city lights views

I'm still hoping the Funnel Fries make the menu there.

Streetfront decks are a rare find in downtown Bethesda

What do you think of this deck so far?

VINO VOLO BANNER IS UP AT BETHESDA ROW

One of Bethesda's most-anticipated openings this fall is that of wine bar Vino Volo.

A banner announcing the fall opening is now displayed on the Bethesda Row storefront.

Vino Volo has a patented wine chart to help even the novice discover new and great wines.  Personally, I fall into their "brooding" category, I think.  Malbec is my favorite.

Surprisingly, their menu is better than many restaurants'.  The Tuscan chicken sandwich is the only menu item that sounds kind of boring.  I want to try everything else on there.

So I'm definitely looking forward to this grand opening.

Have you visited any of the existing airport locations of Vino Volo around the country?  What did you think of the food and wine?

RIDE ON BUS CRASHES INTO HOUSE, INJURIES REPORTED

Montgomery County Police report that a Ride On bus has crashed into a home on Avenel Road at Stateside Drive in Silver Spring.

10-15 passengers were aboard the bus, and at least some were injured.  Residents were home when the bus hit the house.  The nature of the injuries was not made available.

Fire inspectors are on the scene to evaluate the soundness of the home's structure.

BETHESDA HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS INTERESTED IN ATTENDING DUKE UNIVERSITY: MARK YOUR CALENDARS!

If you are a Bethesda high school student interested in attending Duke University, October 2 should be marked on your real or smartphone calendar now!

That Tuesday evening, the university will hold a Discover Duke event at the Hanley Center at Georgetown Prep, in North Bethesda, from 7-8:30 PM.

A Duke representative will make a presentation, and answer all of your questions about the university, the admissions process, and financial aid opportunities for potential students.

Click here to fill out an online form to reserve your spot.

AMERICAN LEGION BRIDGE STUDIES PROVE ROCKVILLE FREEWAY, OUTER BELTWAY WOULD EASE BETHESDA BELTWAY CONGESTION

LEGION BRIDGE

ISN'T THE PROBLEM,

THE MISSING

HIGHWAYS AND

BRIDGES ARE

Another Robert Dyer @ Bethesda Row Exclusive

"Hooray!  Finally, someone is doing nothing about something!"

I don't know if that was an exact quote, but the above sentence sums up the decidedly-awestruck tone of media coverage of a recent "high tea" party, held by the Montgomery and Fairfax County Councils.  The meeting was presided over by Ronald Kirby, Transportation Planning Director for the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments.

Which is an Orwellian title indeed, as the sum of Kirby's public statements suggests he shares the Montgomery County Council's anti-highway, anti-car fervor - and promotion of transit-only policies that benefit development interests.

No surprise, then, that all parties involved conveniently reached a consensus that the solution to Beltway gridlock is... buses.  Never mind that there used to be a Bethesda-Tysons Corner bus that was terminated for lack of ridership.  "Rapid" bus?  Uh, what are you going to do, put bus stops on the shoulder?

Also predictably, we're told that widening the bridge would cost $800 million, and Beltway HOT lanes on the Maryland side would be even more cost prohibitive.

The good news I have for those doomsayers, is that we actually don't need to do either of those things.

What we need to do, is finish our 50-year-old master plan highway system. The twist is that the very numbers anti-highway Kirby touted, actually prove that he and the County Council are wrong, and I - and the planners of five decades ago - are right.

These studies clarify the missing highway capacity of the unbuilt Rockville Freeway and Outer Beltway.

Virginia drivers, the studies say, are headed to Interstate 270 27% of the time when they cross the Legion Bridge.  And a whopping 63% want to go east on the Beltway.

The 270 folks would use Potomac River bridges planned for the Outer Beltway and the Rockville Freeway to reach western Montgomery County and 270.  If one or both bridges were built, you'd have 27% of American Legion Bridge cars off the Beltway right there.

That 63% heading east?  It's likely some portion of that group could use the Rockville Freeway and ICC to reach their eastern destinations.  A Beltway-ICC link via the unbuilt Northern Parkway would further decrease that 63% group of cars headed east from Virginia.

How about Maryland drivers?

We've been told for years that nobody crossing the Legion Bridge in the morning from Maryland is going to Dulles.  Common sense told us that was bunk.  And now, the studies confirm it was complete and utter bunk.

23% of Maryland bridge-crossers are headed for the Dulles area.  Just consider that for a moment:  a Potomac crossing to Dulles via the unbuilt Outer Beltway and/or unbuilt Rockville Freeway, would take a full fourth of Virginia-bound cars off the Legion Bridge like a magic wand.

Another 24% of Maryland crossers were headed to areas of Northern Virginia that would be accessible to drivers on proposed bridges via the Rockville Freeway (Fairfax County Parkway) or Outer Beltway (Sully Road/Rt. 28, or the now-talked-about alternative west of Dulles).

In total, one or two additional bridges would reduce Virginia-bound traffic by nearly 50%.  And reduce Maryland-bound traffic by at least 50%.

And there are actually people opposed to new highways and bridges?!

Yes!  The scary thing is, among those opponents, are the very people discussing the future of the American Legion Bridge at this comedic farce of a meeting.

Best of all?  The $800 million cost of the unnecessary American Legion Bridge widening would could pay for the construction of most of the Rockville Freeway within Montgomery County, between 270 and the ICC.

Federal funds, as well as private/toll-funded options, could very realistically be secured to build at least one new Potomac River bridge.  Even if the Rockville Freeway only ran between 270 and the ICC (at Indian Spring Country Club), drivers crossing an I-370/ICC bridge could easily access it via 270.  The Rockville Freeway's 270 interchange already exists; most today know it as Montrose Road.

The good news is that one of Bethesda's biggest traffic nightmares, the American Legion Bridge, can be fixed without widening the bridge or the Beltway.  And if your home is one that would be demolished to make way for that widening, I suspect you'd have a strong self-interest in supporting the Rockville Freeway and Outer Beltway (both can be built without destroying homes within Montgomery County, as can the Northern Parkway).

The bad news, is that your county council and the wise people at COG have studied the same data I've presented to you here, and concluded that the answer is to do something short of nothing.

"Hooray!" for "leadership."

WITH PHANTOM HUGGER STILL AT LARGE, DO NOT WEAR THIS T-SHIRT IN BETHESDA! (PHOTO)

Obviously, there is nothing at all humorous about the Phantom Hugger for the victims of those recent Bethesda assaults.

But with all of the media hype about the Bethesda Hugger recently, I had to pass along a photo of this T-shirt and hat ensemble, spotted on the Boardwalk in Ocean City:

"What Not to Wear" in Bethesda:  "FREE HUGS" t-shirt and cap