Archive for 'Columns'

Del Ray’s one-time love of cookie-cutter homes

Del Ray’s one-time love of cookie-cutter homes

The intense development of Del Ray as a streetcar suburb in the early years of the 20th century was aided by the mass production of building materials that could be produced elsewhere and shipped to almost [...]

Hobie and Monk: What to do when the kids aren’t all right

Hobie and Monk: What to do when the kids aren’t all right

Dear Hobie & Monk, I looked back through your columns, and I’m surprised that no one has written in about this topic considering the wealth of restaurants and children in Alexandria. When my son was young [...]

Bidding adieu to Vaucluse

Bidding adieu to Vaucluse

The West End site of Alexandria Inova Hospital, just off Seminary Road at North Howard Street, was once the location of one of the area’s most gracious plantations — Vaucluse, named for the French derivative of [...]

Adding more roads just 
feeds the congestion beast

Adding more roads just 
feeds the congestion beast

By Jonathan Krall Everybody wants to fix traffic congestion. “Our roads are congested! We should do something about it,” say otherwise-sensible adults all the time. And otherwise-sensible community leaders reply by saying they are working on [...]

A second chance

A second chance

It occurred to me recently that I am the recipient of a rare second chance. I say this because I’m reliving the childhoods of my two oldest boys, Jack and Flin — who are away at [...]

Alexandria architect leaves his mark

Alexandria architect leaves his mark

A recent addition to the Virginia Landmarks Register is the International-style Charles M. Goodman House, which sits along North Quaker Lane in Alexandria. Goodman was an influential American architect, educated at the Illinois Institute of Technology, who [...]

Free advice is available to local entrepreneurs

Free advice is available to local entrepreneurs

Small businesses and nonprofits often face situations in which it makes sense to get expert guidance to avoid costly mistakes. At the very earliest concept for a business venture, there are resources that can provide objective [...]

Hobie and Monk: College pal wants help covering up troubled past

Hobie and Monk: College pal wants help covering up troubled past

Dear Hobie & Monk, I have a friend from college whom I like a lot and see socially, but she has some personality issues that make it difficult for her to stay in any one job [...]

The Old Club served up fine dining 
in a city hungry for choices

The Old Club served up fine dining 
in a city hungry for choices

Alexandria’s restaurant scene is an epicurean’s dream, so it is hard to imagine that dining options in the mid-20th century were few and far between. Aside from small luncheonettes and cafes near City Hall, quick, chain [...]

Margaret Thatcher deserves her due

The reaction to last week’s death of Margaret Thatcher, the former prime minister of the United Kingdom, has been fascinating. Love her or hate her, she was the most important woman of the 20th century. Paul [...]