Nice Guys Finish First John Reardon is a throwback, a kind of “Renaissance man.” His aptitude for choosing niche entrepreneurial opportunities with start-up companies, combined with his compassion for helping children in need, have allowed him to make a positive impact on the Old Town Alexandria community for the past 14 years. However, John is not the type of person to seek a claim for fame. In fact it is his very humble kindness that made interviewing John such a pleasure. Currently, John serves as the Managing Director of Choctaw Telecommunications, LLC – a business dedicated to providing services to utilities and pipeline companies. As the Internet of Things has continued to dominate the press, while becoming an actuality in everyday items, John has strategically positioned himself at the forefront of this game-changing phenomenon. Through John’s guidance Choctaw Telecommunications has begun to capitalize on the niche market space for providing machine-to-machine long distance propagation. If you suddenly find yourself pausing to understand what you just read, don’t worry: you are not alone. The telecommunications field is a complicated one at best. I simply mention John’s current work because it is as intriguing as the man himself. And, when it comes to professional accomplishments, John is no stranger to adapting the title “Jack of All Trades.” As a board member of Oxford Lane Capital, John recently had the opportunity to stand among his fellow board members to ring the opening bell on NASDAQ. To hear John speak of this amazing experience is to watch a little kid retelling the story of opening Christmas stockings. After all, it’s not every day that you get to see yourself projected to thousands of people from the Times Square jumbo-tron. When John is not busy helping start-up companies reach the ever-elusive “green bottom line,” he…
As the saying goes…there’s a new sheriff in town…and that is the recently opened Flat Iron Steak & Saloon at 808 King Street here in Old Town Alexandria. With a decidedly western theme, this new eatery is serving up locally sourced steaks as well as a variety of menu items. We decided that this would be a good place to feature since Father’s Day is this month and Flat Iron is the perfect place to treat dad to a manly man dinner! There are seven different steaks on the menu ranging from a Bistro Steak to an 18 ounce T-Bone. At dinner last night my companion ordered the Filet Mignon, which is a favorite of hers. Hailing from Wyoming, Lani likes her steaks done rare, almost bleeding. Her steak was cooked just right and was complimented by mashed potatoes and spinach au gratin. Everything was cooked just right. As is our habit we ate dinner at the bar. A gentleman sitting next to us had ordered the T-Bone and his was cooked to his specs as well. Not only was the steak nice and rare, the outside was seared nicely and had good flavor. I opted to try the Fajitas for my main course. Although they were not served sizzling like I have had elsewhere, the chicken and steak were cooked just right, nice and tender. Served with sautéed onions and peppers with jack cheese, quacamole, grilled jalapenos, sour cream and charro beans and rice, they are accompanied by house made flour tortillas. There was so much that I had to take at least half of it home. Although this is primarily a steak house including a bone in pork chop and lamb chops, there is a substantial choice for everyone in your group. There is Kobe beef burger and…
Sport Are you looking for the perfect small companion? If so, then Sport is the guy for you! Don’t let Sport’s age fool you, he is a spunky, energetic little man! He enjoys walks, playing outside and hanging out with his human friends! Sport would do well in any home environment and would love a family to call his own! If Sport sounds like the new addition you have been looking for come to the AWLA today and meet him! Reece We’d like to introduce to you to a very special girl named Reece. Reece was surrendered to the league over 2 months ago because her family was no longer able to financially care for her. She came in weighing a little over 22 pounds and was unable to groom herself or run.Reece was examined by our vet and put on diet. She spent a month and a half in foster care and her foster family made sure she got her “catsersize” daily. King Street Cats Adoption Calendar for June 2014 For details please see our Website: http://www.kingstreetcats.org Or contact us via email at: contact@kingstreetcats.org King Street Cats 25 Dove Street, Alexandria, VA 22314 Every Saturday and Sunday from 1.30pm-4.30pm Pro Feed Bradlee Shopping Center, 3690 King St, Alexandria, VA 22302 Every Saturday and Sunday from 1pm-4pm Petco Unleashed 1101 S Joyce St, Arlington, VA 22202 Saturday, June 7 and Saturday, June 21 and Sunday, June 22 from 1pm-4pm Dogma 2772 S Arlington Mill Dr, Arlington VA, VA 22206 Sunday, June 8 from 1pm-4pm Petsmart Willston Shopping Center, 6100 Arlington Blvd, Falls Church, VA 22044 Sunday, June 22 from 1pm-4pm King Street Cats is looking for foster homes! You provide the spare room and TLC and we can provide food, litter and…
Arianna Zukerman is a musical force to be reckoned with; her performances have both amazed and brought listeners to tears throughout dozens of countries and countless venues. However, it is not just her ability as a soprano that has made her into a musical force, it is her industry experience, as well as the open frankness that she adopts when discussing the next generation of classical performers. When I asked Arianna about her decision to become a singer she simply stated that, “I have orbited around music my whole life, it seemed natural and normal to become a musician. I didn’t know that other jobs existed.” She first discovered singing and theater in high school and since then her talents have been sought after throughout the globe. Her passion for music can be seen through any of the numerous anecdotes, which I had the pleasure of listening to for well over an hour. But perhaps my favorite story was one in which Arianna experienced a “totally terrifying, surreal, and out of body sensation.” This experience occurred when she performed with Daniel Hope, a friend and student of world-renowned violinist Yehudi Menuhin. Arianna sang at West Minster Abbey in front of a crowd that included Prince Charles and Joan Sutherland, who is arguably the greatest opera singer of all time. Words cannot capture the immense importance of that experience, except to say that it was a moment of complete and utter clarity. A moment when the world appears to stand still and songbirds nod their head in musical understanding. In a career that has been filled with these special, indefinable moments, Arianna Zukerman has recently had the amazing opportunity to start a new adventure: motherhood. She and her husband, Pete, are the proud parents are two little girls, 10 week old…
While it may be hard to believe that spring is on its way with the weather whiplash the first part of 2014 has presented the East coast (or pretty much everywhere but California), it is safe to say the wait is over. We can finally look forward to the sunshine, warmer temperatures (for more than one day at a time), and the opportunity to spend time outside doing the things we love. At the top of many “To Do” lists is to revisit the garden. Whether it be your love for homegrown produce, or you are competing with the neighbor down the street for best yard; at this point, your window boxes, gardens and general landscaping is screaming for some attention. According to Ray Greenstreet, owner of Greenstreet Gardens, no one does gardening better than Alexandria and it is because we take such great pride in our homes and neighborhoods that we are able to live in such a beautiful area. Greenstreet Gardens is located at the coveted corner of West Braddock and King Street, and is the business we are spotlighting to help you prepare you for the seasons ahead. Having seen thousands of garden centers in his career, Ray knew a good opportunity when he saw it when he decided to expand from Maryland to join the Alexandria community. He is committed to providing the best flowers, plants, and supplies to help beautify our neighborhoods, businesses, and homes. Ray has always had a green thumb, and grew up learning agriculture as a way of life. While he will tell you there is still a lot to learn, he knows how to surround himself with a strong team and resources to help even the least experienced gardener find success. Operating on the mantra, “success grows here”, Ray and his…
This month the Old Town Crier has the pleasure of presenting a personality profile on the second half of the dynamic Armstrong Old Town Duo: Meshelle Armstrong. If you have ever been to Restaurant Eve, Eamonn’s A Dublin Chipper, or Society Fair, then you have seen Meshelle’s handiwork first hand whilst you enjoyed her husband Cathal’s cooking. While all of Meshelle and Cathal’s restaurants are beautifully adorned and perfectly represent the harmony that exists between the husband and wife team, this month I would like to focus on a place that is decidedly Meshelle. In fact, in many ways it has come to represent a “home away from home.” I’m talking about Society Fair. When you walk into Society Fair it is like crossing the threshold of a country circus for the first time. Your mood immediately brightens and a feverish energy overtakes you as soon as you push open the front doors. Bright colors, charming music, decadent smells, and an inviting atmosphere all mingle together to create the perfect welcoming sensation. Without the genius of fun-loving entrepreneur Meshelle Armstrong, Society Fair would just be a dream, rather than the brilliant reality that it is today. I recently had the pleasure of sitting down with Meshelle over a glass of wine (or maybe two) to talk about her illustrious career, partnership with her husband, and her amazing kids, who inspire her every day. For those of you who don’t know Meshelle, she is self-described as, “very loud, flamboyant, and funny.” After spending a couple of hours becoming fast-friends, I have to say that even as a wordsmith I would have a hard time describing Meshelle with more accurate adjectives. She is a fascinating woman, who has led an incredibly amazing life. Let’s take Society Fair as one of many available…
Martin White is perhaps the nicest, most jovial, and craziest (more on this later) person that I have ever had the pleasure of interviewing. In his words he is “a little bit nuts.” In fact, you have to be just a little bit crazy to enter into a lifelong career as a restaurateur. But, before getting into the amazing details of Martin’s career, I want us to first explore his journey to the States. It all started in 1986, when Martin White made the trek from Ireland across the ocean to the United States. As a young 21-year-old lad, Martin came to the Alexandria area on a tourist visa. It should come as no surprise that this charming man met his future wife on his very first day in Alexandria. Two children and many years later, the two are still happily in love and looking forward to Martin’s next big restaurant adventure. Martin’s love of the restaurant industry began as a 14-year-old boy in Dublin, Ireland, where he worked in food service on the trains. When Martin came to the U.S. he started working as a food runner at a Hamburger Hamlet owned restaurant. Hamburger Hamlet was the enormously successful joint venture of actor Harry Lewis and his girlfriend turned wife Marilyn Lewis. The chain first opened its doors in Los Angeles in 1950 and soon spread to multiple locations across the country. When Martin White joined the team, he was attracted to the chain because of their dedication to their employees. According to Martin, “Marilyn Lewis was a genius and ahead of her time.” She understood that a restaurant should be more than a place to have good food. “A restaurant needs to look after its staff. After all, the best restaurants become a home away from home for…
Negro attorney Charles Hamilton Houston’s colleagues, despite his death in 1950 at age 54, recognize him as the legal genius most responsible for racial integration. His strategy was carefully created, “a protracted legal struggle based on the planned, deliberate prosecution of test cases.” Houston’s legal team included former Howard University law students, black NAACP lawyers like Maryland’s Thurgood Marshall and Virginia’s Spotswood Robinson III. Injustice is defined as a lack of fairness. Charlie Houston—described by his protégé Thurgood Marshall as the Moses of the Jim Crow journey—relied on Plessy v. Ferguson’s 1896 separate but equal doctrine to prove Alexandria’s Parker-Gray High School’s Wythe Street facility unequal. By implementing the Plessy rule, by confirming the high costs associated with the construction and maintenance of separate but equal school facilities, Houston hoped the states would “kill Jim Crow.” Houston was born September 3, 1895, a child of the Jim Crow era. He was the educated son of Washington, D.C. lawyer William L. and Mary E. Houston; the grandson of escaped slave and Underground Railroad conductor Thomas Jefferson Houston. It was T.J. who taught Charlie the meaning of moral conviction. With the abolition of slavery, southern states became increasingly uncomfortable with the freedman’s status. Several state legislatures passed restrictive laws, Black Codes in an effort to ensure white supremacy. In 1866 the federal government tried to remedy civil wrongs with passage of the Fourteenth Amendment. The Amendment, as ratified in 1868, overruled Dred Scott v. Sanford of 1857. The Fourteenth Amendment, Section 1: “….No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive…without due process of law; nor deny…equal protection of the laws.” After Reconstruction, America passed the Civil Rights Act of 1875. Short-lived, the US Supreme Court…