New outdoor seating at 7200 Wisconsin Avenue in Bethesda

The new plaza at JBG Smith's 7200 Wisconsin Avenue office building debuted a few months back. Now there is new seating that has been installed. The public is invited to use the plaza seating, with a reminder posted about social distancing.

Anthropologie says Terrain Cafe will return at Bethesda Row after holidays

New winter pop-up shop

now filling restaurant space

for Christmas season

Fans of the shuttered Terrain Cafe are getting an early Christmas present this year. Parent company Anthropologie & Co. says the restaurant inside the ground floor of their Bethesda Row store will reopen after the holidays. In its place until then is a new pop-up called the Winter Shop.

Termed a "Terrain pop-up event," the holiday pop-up features a specially-curated selection of plants and housewares, a custom floral arrangement bar, and the chain's 2020 Holiday Collection of merchandise. With Joe Biden - probably correctly - predicting a "dark winter" ahead, now is the time to stock up on holiday decor to brighten your home before the next tidal wave of Covid-19 hits for the winter.

Underground utility work in Kenwood

A utility contractor was out working last night in Kenwood. The crew was working underground on Brookside Drive at Norway Drive.

Bethesda Row sidewalk work underway

Sidewalk work is underway at Bethesda Row. The project is at the intersection of Woodmont Avenue and Elm Street near Matchbox.

Virraaj looks close to opening in Bethesda (Photos)

Virraaj Fine Indian Cuisine looks like it's ready to open any minute at 4914 Cordell Avenue in downtown Bethesda. The very fancy interior appears complete, and tables and seating are in place. A website with menu is also now online. 

None of the social media links work, and I cannot find any social media presence for the restaurant online as of this writing. Virraaj was scheduled to open this summer, then in early October, so stand by for an opening date.

Bethesda East-West Highway Starbucks closes (Photos)

The Starbucks at 4520 East-West Highway in downtown Bethesda has closed. As Bethesda Magazine's Dan Schere reported on Monday, the coffee chain is terming it a "temporary" closure, and that is also how it is now showing up in Google searches. 

The location has been deleted from
the Starbucks website "Find a store" database

Last night, a man was busy papering over the windows at the shop, and it's worth noting that Starbucks has now entirely removed the location from its website. Signs in the windows say "We will miss you," and direct customers to the newer Starbucks at the nearby Hyatt Regency Bethesda hotel.

Burglary at Bethesda Row, strong-arm robbery in Brookdale neighborhood

Montgomery County police responded to a burglary at Bethesda Row early Tuesday morning. The North Face store at 4848 Bethesda Avenue had been broken into, and merchandise was stolen around 4:00 AM.  Crime data indicates property damage was caused by the burglar(s). @CordellTraffic on Twitter tells me that the responding officer found part of the glass storefront shattered, after the store's alarm system summoned police.

About four hours earlier, a strong-arm robbery was reported in the 4800 block of Park Avenue, in the Brookdale neighborhood just off of Western Avenue and River Road.

Dolcezza reaches agreement to stay open for holiday season at Bethesda Row

Free small gelato for first
50 customers on Oct. 23

Just two weeks after declaring it would close its Bethesda Row location, gelato chain Dolcezza reached an agreement with landlord Federal Realty to remain open through the holiday season. “Bethesda Row has been a home to us for the last 15 years and we are grateful for the continued support from Federal Realty’s Bethesda Row neighborhood and surrounding community,” Dolcezza's Robb Duncan said Tuesday.

“Dolcezza is an extremely popular neighborhood favorite and we look forward to having them at Bethesda Row this holiday season,” Federal Realty Senior Vice President, Regional Finance and Portfolio Manager James Milam said in a statement. To celebrate the extension, Dolcezza is offering a complimentary small gelato to the first 50 patrons on October 23rd.  

Maryland releases draft Covid-19 vaccination plan

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) released a draft of the state's Covid-19 vaccination plan this morning. Like all states, Maryland must submit a plan like this to the federal government for how it will store, distribute and administer any future approved vaccines for the coronavirus.

The Maryland vaccination plan is split into three phases: the initial period when vaccine supply may be minimal and who should have priority to receive it must be determined, a second phase when large amounts become available and there is a more general rush to administer it to a large number of people, and a third, ongoing phase when one or more Covid-19 vaccines continue to be distributed like a flu shot in the future.

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R)

The Maryland Department of Health Center for Immunization (CFI) will orchestrate the operational side of implementing the plan. MDH's Office of Preparedness and Response (OP&R) will focus on planning, coordination and logistical matters. And other MDH programs and agencies such as the Maryland Emergency Management Agency and Maryland State Police will take on other roles "as the operational needs evolve," the plan draft states.

Will you, the average Montgomery County citizen, be one of the first to receive a Covid-19 vaccine? No, according to the plan. In phase one, only high-risk members of the population and workers at hospitals, long term care (LTC) and skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) are anticipated to be vaccinated. 

The plan states that two doses of the potential vaccine(s) will likely be required, with a period of three or more weeks between shots. Maryland plans to use its PrepMod and Maryland MyIR online portals to send recipients a reminder that it is time to come in for the second dose. PrepMod will also initially be the main vaccine management system, 

PrepMod is an online clinic management and appointment scheduling system. It is used by Maryland local health departments to conduct mass vaccination drives and vaccinations at school-located clinics. Maryland's ImmuNet will play a central role as the one-stop shop for health care providers to register as an official Covid-19 vaccine provider, order their vaccine supplies, track vaccine deliveries, report doses administered, and to determine scheduling of second doses.

Maryland's first priority in public messaging when a vaccine becomes available will be assuring the public that it is a safe and effective vaccine. Public communication will then emphasize vaccination of the most-vulnerable first, and then the general population.

One of the other key points covered in the report is the necessary training of providers in the handling, storage and administration of this new vaccine or vaccines. This training will have to be rapid. Among the required training efforts, Maryland plans to utilize state, federal and CDC materials and webinars to get providers up to speed quickly.

SoulCycle returns in Bethesda - but at a different location for now

Will they or won't they? The questions of whether SoulCycle would survive the pandemic shutdown have swirled around the fitness studio at 4931 Elm Street in downtown Bethesda for months, as it remained dark. The short-term future appears good now, however, with a new announcement from the business.

SoulCycle has resumed some classes in Bethesda, but they are not being held in the Elm Street studio. Instead, they are utilizing an outdoor space in the parking lot of the Bethesda North Marriott Hotel at 5701 Marinelli Road, in the White Flint area. Which means you can take Metro from downtown Bethesda to the White Flint station that is very near to the temporary site.

Pickpocket strikes at downtown Bethesda restaurant

Montgomery County police responded to a report of a pocket being picked at a downtown Bethesda restaurant Saturday evening. The pickpocket struck around 6:00 PM at a restaurant in the 7200 block of Woodmont Avenue.

Spanish Diner "coming soon" sign at Bethesda Row

The first sign of Chef José Andrés' future Spanish Diner has popped up at Bethesda Row. A coming-soon poster has been placed on a window at Andrés' now-shuttered Jaleo at 7271 Woodmont Avenue. As I reported last week, Spanish Diner is scheduled to debut in the spring of 2021.

George's Chophouse space for lease in Bethesda

The building most recently home to George's Chophouse at 4935 Cordell Avenue is now on the market for lease. Previous tenants include 4935 Bar + Kitchen and Tragara. George's chef-owner Ashish Alfred's award-winning Duck Duck Goose is still going full steam less than a block away at 7929 Norfolk Avenue.

Hawkers opening mid-November at Bethesda Row

Hawkers Asian Street Fare says it will be opening in mid-November at 7117 Bethesda Lane at Bethesda Row. With construction virtually complete on the Asian food hall-style restaurant, attention is now on hiring and training staff for all positions.

Early morning crane work in downtown Bethesda

Early morning crane operations closed some lanes of Wisconsin Avenue Saturday. The work was at JBG Smith's 8001 Woodmont project at 7900 Wisconsin. Work began before dawn and continued as the sun rose over downtown Bethesda.