Sidewalk work on Woodmont Avenue in Bethesda

Sidewalk work is underway on Woodmont Avenue in the vicinity of Bethesda Chocolates at 8003 Woodmont in Bethesda. Part of the sidewalk was closed Friday, but it was still possible to pass. A permit is posted at the site, regarding restoration of brick pavers to conform with downtown Bethesda streetscape guidelines. Construction Heroes of Rockville is the contractor performing the work.

Mussel Bar Bethesda update (Photos)

The window coverings have been removed at the new Mussel Bar & Grille, now located at 4903 Cordell Avenue in Bethesda. Permanent signage was installed outside the restaurant Friday. Operating hours and Mussel Bar logos were applied to the windows. Tables, already set for customers, were visible inside the space. Later in the day Friday, a "coming soon" sandwich board was placed on the sidewalk out front.

This sudden burst of activity, and the effort to put a finished presentation forward to passersby, are understandable. Today is the Taste of Bethesda, and thousands of hungry potential customers will be walking past this corner for several hours. It's an advertising opportunity to a captive audience seeking culinary adventures, and Mussel Bar was wise not to pass it up. Formerly located at Bethesda Row, Mussel Bar is seeking a return to Bethesda, this time in the Woodmont Triangle.

Cornucopia Specialty Food Market reopens in Bethesda

Cornucopia Specialty Food Market has reopened today at 8102 Norfolk Avenue in downtown Bethesda. The shop was temporarily closed due to the owner having to make an unexpected trip to Italy. Cornucopia sells fresh-prepared Italian foods, as well as a wide variety of groceries and goods from Italy. One of the hidden gems of the Woodmont Triangle.

Beth's Cafe & Bar opening in downtown Bethesda

UPDATE - 7:08 PM: The restaurant website and an Instagram page are now online.

Beth's Cafe & Bar is coming soon to downtown Bethesda. It will be located with ala and the future Fairmont Grill in the former Positano Ristorante Italiano building at 4948 Fairmont Avenue. You can see the garage doors in the front of the building that were opened during events at Positano. Beth's Cafe has no social media presence or website that I can find so far. The interior fit-out for Beth's does not appear to have been completed yet.

Purple Line construction access gate has been left open for weeks in Chevy Chase

The access gate to the Purple Line construction site at Chevy Chase Lake has been left open for several weeks, observers report. You can see the missing gate on the ground, behind the orange cones and netting, next to the entrance in the photograph above. This is a major access point to the entire light rail project, which runs from downtown Bethesda to New Carrollton, and a primary access for the section between Bethesda and downtown Silver Spring. 

Trespassers, urbex explorers, equipment thieves, saboteurs, or anyone else could walk right into the Purple Line construction area at this point on Landmark Court, which comes off of Connecticut Avenue by the bridge and Crescent at Chevy Chase apartments. It's a surprising security lapse in the post-9/11 era, given that the light rail line's infrastructure could potentially be accessed and tampered with.

Bethesda Black cemetery advocates sue River Road self-storage developers

A seven-year dispute between advocates for a desecrated Black cemetery in Bethesda, and the developers of a self-storage building directly adjacent to it, is moving to the courtroom. Several activists have filed suit against the project's developers, 1784 Capital Holdings, LLC and Bethesda Self Storage Partners, LLC, in Montgomery County Circuit Court. The civil case is the latest effort by the Bethesda African Cemetery Coalition to halt and reverse development impacts to the burial ground - which is located under land occupied by the Westwood Tower apartments and a second plot hastily-purchased by Montgomery County to avoid an archaeological search for graves - and ultimately have the graveyard memorialized and restored.

The six plantiffs in the case are asking the court for "a judicial declaration that the land, designated as parcel 242, was used as a burial ground and that human remains, burial artifacts and funerary objects were wrongfully removed from the site, and for an order requiring the defendants to return such remains, artifacts and objects to BACC," a press release from BACC today notes. The plaintiffs are also seeking monetary compensation. 

Although the self-storage site was not part of the original cemetery, the concern since 2017 has been that burials in Black cemeteries sometimes were placed beyond the boundaries of the graveyard in question, when property lines were not delineated by fencing. The core of the dispute is that observers with BACC say they saw potential remains and funerary objects being excavated and trucked away, while the archaeological expert hired by the developers reported that they had determined these were not human remains or funerary objects. Those bones and objects in question are now stored in a Virginia warehouse, and BACC has sought to have them reviewed by their own experts.

Among the plaintiffs are Harvey Matthews, a former resident of the Black community on River Road between Brookside Drive and Little Falls Parkway, that was wiped out by developers who evicted the residents to redevelop the area into an industrial and commercial zone in the 1960s. A second plaintiff is Darold Cuba, a historian who has extensively researched kinship communities and networks that formed in post-Emancipation America, exactly like the one on River Road formed by freed slaves from the adjacent Loughborough plantation. Cuba is currently a PhD candidate at the University of Cambridge. 

BACC and its President, Marsha Coleman-Adebayo, are also plaintiffs. BACC community organizer and activist Ari Gutman, and activist and former Green Party candidate for Montgomery County Council Timothy Willard round out the parties filing suit.

The plaintiffs have the highest-powered legal representation yet in the cemetery saga. They are being represented by the prominent and massive international law firm of Holland & Knight.

A pre-trial conference in the case has been scheduled for June 5, 2025 in Montgomery County Circuit Court. The case has been assigned to Judge James A. Bonifant.

Photo: Gail Rebhan

Signage installed at Silver and Sons in Bethesda; Washingtonian "excited" about Nov. opening

Signage has been installed at Silver and Sons Barbecue at the new Westbard Square development in Bethesda. The Mediterranean-inspired barbecue recipes of chef-founder Jarrad Silver, whose cuisine also incorporates influences from his Jewish upbringing, have already been a big hit at his food truck's stops around the area. Beginning in November, diners will also travel to him for takeout at this Westbard Square storefront. Washingtonian just put Silver and Sons on its list of "10 DC Restaurant Openings We're Excited About This Month."

"Sirius" failure for Montgomery County, Maryland as Virginia wins UK defense firm's US HQ

Officials in Montgomery County and the State of Maryland just can't seem to get "Sirius" about economic development, coming up empty again as a U.K. defense firm has followed so many others to Virginia to establish its first U.S. headquarters. Sirius Analysis, a defense management software consulting company headquartered in Portsmouth, England, will open its American headquarters at 4525 Main Street in Virginia Beach, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced in a statement. The headquarters will bring 105 new high-wage tech jobs to the Old Dominion. 

Youngkin said Virginia and Massachusetts were the two finalists competing for the headquarters. There's no indication that Montgomery County or Maryland officials even bothered to compete. This despite Sirius having sought a location near military bases, of which Maryland has twenty, compared to Massachusetts' paltry six. Did we blow it, or what?

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin

“Sirius Analysis choosing Virginia Beach as their U.S. headquarters showcases the Commonwealth's magnetic appeal in global defense innovation,” Youngkin said in a statement. “This expansion bridges UK-US defense collaboration, bringing cutting-edge analysis capabilities to our shores and creating valuable job opportunities for Virginians.”

“The arrival of Sirius Analysis signals a bright future for our region's tech ecosystem,” Virginia State Senator Aaron Rouse said. “By choosing our Virginia Beach for their U.S. operations, Sirius Analysis is not just creating over 100 high-skilled jobs, they're planting seeds for a new wave of innovation by strengthening our position as a hub for defense technology." 

It's long past time Montgomery County and Maryland's elected officials conducted a "Sirius Analysis" of their failures to attract corporate headquarters to locate here. Virginia is laughing at us.

Photo credits: Sirius Analysis (top), Office of Gov. Glenn Youngkin (bottom)

Fortune Cooky opens in Bethesda

Fortune Cooky has opened at 7816 Old Georgetown Road in downtown Bethesda. The Asian fusion restaurant is "blending traditional flavors with a modern twist. Fortune Cooky has an existing location in Glen Burnie, so it is not just a renaming of former tenant Banana Leaves Asian Cafe. Operating hours for the Bethesda restaurant are 11:00 AM to 9:30 PM Monday through Thursday, 11:00 AM to 10:00 PM Fridays and Saturdays, 12:00 PM to 9:00 PM on Sundays, and closed on Tuesdays. 

Friendship Heights Metro Dunkin' is chain's first exclusively-walk-up location in Maryland

The new Dunkin' Donuts at 2 Wisconsin Circle at the Friendship Heights Metro station already stood out as unique for its tiny size, compared to other Dunkin' stores. But the store has another distinction that sets it apart, according to franchisee Luis Group of Bethesda. This is the first and only Dunkin' store in the entire State of Maryland to operate only via a walk-up window. Orders can be placed at the store's Walk-Up window, or ahead of time via the Dunkin' app to be retrieved at the Pick-Up window.

Despite its small size, the store offers the full Dunkin' menu. It employs 15 people, and is open daily from 5:00 AM to 9:00 PM. Like the chain's full-size Next Gen stores, it features the Premium Pours tap system, and "DD Green Achievement" appliances and environmentally-friendly features that are about 33% more energy efficient than previous Dunkin' store models.

Montgomery County Public Libraries hit by network outage

Montgomery County Public Libraries announced that they are experiencing a system-wide network outage, due to an "underground fire in Baltimore this past weekend." The fire damaged a fiber optic cable network that serves public libraries statewide, MCPL said in a statement this afternoon. 

All Montgomery County libraries remain open on their normal schedules, and it is possible to check out books and materials. However, MCPL’s Wi-Fi, public computers, printing, scanning and copying services are currently unavailable, and MCPL believes the outage may last for several days. Libraries and school systems in all Maryland counties have been impacted.

Repairs to the fiber optic system are currently underway, MCPL stated. Baltimore City officials do not yet know the cause of several recent underground fires that have impacted electrical and communication utilities. This past weekend's fire was followed Monday by a major Verizon cell service outage impacting multiple states, and today by an eight-hour Sony PlayStation Network outage that affected users worldwide. Neither Verizon nor Sony have indicated the cause of their service interruptions so far.

Surveillance camera robot removed from Bethesda park again

The surveillance camera robot in Veterans Park in downtown Bethesda has been removed again. It was previously stationed there from June 1 to August 4, and from August 26 until yesterday. Montgomery County had also recently deployed a second mobile camera unit on nearby Cordell Avenue. If the park camera has been redeployed elsewhere, I haven't run across it yet.

Pure Green Juice Bar opening in Bethesda

Pure Green Juice Bar is coming soon to downtown Bethesda. It will be located at 7900 Wisconsin Avenue, in the ground floor of the 8001 Woodmont apartment building. Pure Green serves juices, cold-pressed shots, smoothies, and acai and pitaya bowls. "Our juice shop is a bright and welcoming oasis, where the aromas of fresh fruits and vegetables greet you as you walk in," the chain said in a message promoting the future location. "Conveniently located in the heart of Bethesda, we’re your go-to spot whether you’re on your way to work, finishing up a workout, or just exploring the local area."

Squishable reopens at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

Squishable has reopened at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. The store closed at the beginning of August, and the mall posted a sign indicating that a new retailer would soon fill the space. But the Squishables just wouldn't vacate the premises! Nothing was moved. Nothing changed. 

About two weeks later, the sign was reinstalled above the storefront. The windows remained covered. Now the store has reopened, without any explanation for what happened. So I'm filing this under the category of "weird" once again. Look for Squishable on Level 1 of the mall, between Bath & Body Works and Mango.

Everett Hall opening downtown Bethesda store

Everett Hall, a legendary name in menswear in Washington, D.C., and around the world, is coming to downtown Bethesda. It will be located at 7706 Woodmont Avenue, in the ground floor of the Lionsgate condominiums. If an Everett Hall suit was good enough for Nelson Mandela, it's probably good enough for you. Everett Hall has had a longtime location at Chevy Chase Pavilion. Get ready to dress for success with Everett Hall in Bethesda.

No "Megalopolis: The Ultimate Experience" IMAX showings in Montgomery County so far this weekend

Montgomery County didn't make the cut for "Megalopolis: The Ultimate Experience" in IMAX theaters this opening weekend. Neither of the IMAX cineplexes in the County - AMC Dine-in Rio Cinemas 18 in Gaithersburg and Regal Majestic in Silver Spring - will feature the "Live Participant" who will interact with Adam Driver's Cesar Catalina character during the film's most-publicized scene. AMC Tysons Corner 16 is the only theater in the D.C. region offering "The Ultimate Experience" this weekend, according to IndieWire, and a review of local movie listings. 

It's surprising, given that Montgomery County has one of the highest-educated populaces in the nation. By comparison, New York City, San Francisco, Seattle, Phoenix, and Denver have more than one location offering "The Ultimate Experience." Providing a live performer to enact the scene was always expected to be a major challenge when the film went to nationwide distribution, but IndieWire reports that additional theaters could be added as time goes on. If they are, confirmation will be offered at the time of ticket purchase by the label "The Ultimate Experience" on the particular screening time.

How long "Megalopolis" will play in theaters remains to be seen. Many reviews so far suggest the major messages of the film have gone over most critics' heads. It's likely to be a movie that will be reassessed much more positively in a decade or two.