Washington Post Discovers Rockville Neighborhoods

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Washington Post readers in Our Fair City of Rockville, MD were treated to a nice surprise this morning when they discovered a not-insignificant article all about some of the wonders to be seen around the Rockville and Twinbrook Metro stations.

To be fair, we do know that the Post knows we exist. Lori Aratani, a key local reporter, often links to Rockville Central and has even been to our Rockville Roundtable lunches. But today’s article spends more time on Rockville than the Post typically does.

We urge you to read the whole article by Alex Baldinger, but here’s a snippet:

[W]hen I decided to move to Rockville last year, traffic was something I knew I would find.

A neighborhood, though? A place to walk around, with hidden gems to discover and places to become a regular? I wasn’t optimistic.

But it’s out there. . . . It’s hidden a short walk from the Twinbrook Metro.

It’s also hidden among the chain stores of Rockville Town Center, which opened in 2007 across from the Rockville Metro. . . . Just like a good scavenger hunt, the gems are hidden among the ordinary.

The piece lists eleven picks. What are they? Read on . . . .

Rockville Town Square Featured By Reuters

Town Square fountain (photo by Eric Jensen)

A number of Rockville Central readers have shared a terrific Reuters piece that takes a close look at Rockville Town Square in the context of the “smart growth” movement:

[S]ome experts in the real estate business believe that in the future, more and more of us will be going back to places like the revamped Rockville — quite happily, in fact. . . .

15 years ago, Rockville convened hearings and forums to discuss its lackluster downtown, deciding in the end to replace it with a town square lined with shops, restaurants and apartments, all steps away from a subway station. . . .

The citizenry wanted vibrant street life both for the fun of it, and to attract business. So far, it’s worked. . . . Rockville’s renaissance over the past four years shows how the shift toward urban-style living has reached the suburbs. And urban planners insist the trend has legs.

Dubbed “smart growth,” the movement favors the development of a mix of housing and businesses in and near existing cities. At the same time, it discourages the Topsy-like growth of peripheral suburbs, known disparagingly as “sprawl.”

Go here to read the whole piece. Whatever your view of smart growth, the article is quite interesting.

Let There Be Light

If you have ever attended a Thursday night concert or other event at the Rockville Town Square stage, you might have found the performers in the dark as sundown neared.

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Gizmo Guys in the dark

This past Tuesday the Gizmo Guys made a big deal about it. They commented about the City’s stage being very different from any other performance stage. It was very unique! For the first time ever, the audience was in more light than they were. Of course they were clowning around but it was difficult to see the ping pong balls and pencils by the end of the night.

Blaggards under the lights

So when I happened to run out to the pharmacy last night and decided to catch a couple of songs by the Blaggards, I couldn’t believe there were colored lights at the front and back of the stage. Although not very big, the different hues added a little bit of rock star quality. I wasn’t sure if the Blaggards had brought the lights or not, but upon inspection this morning, they were still in the pavilion.

If anyone can shed any additional light on the subject, then by all means do! In the meantime, Rockville Town Square is alive for the summer. Here’s our Ultimate Summer Guide for Rockville Town Center.

Why Is There A Penguin In Town Square?

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You can’t help but notice the big white penguin in front of the Rockville Memorial Library. What on earth is it doing there? When I first spotted it, I looked around for a sign or plaque. I checked to see if there were any other penguins stoically perched under trees, then I snapped a picture.

At home I start wondering if anyone knows. I googled “penguin in Rockville Town Square” without really expecting to find an answer but what do you know? On the Senior Artists Alliance website I find an announcement from Irma Spencer:

Two of my outdoor pieces are spending five months leased to the city of Rockville. My “Penguin of Summer” can be seen in the Rockville Town Center plaza, under a tree, surveying his strange warming environment and watching children play in the fountain. He will reside there until November.

The Rockville Park, home of the F. Scott Fitzgerald Theatre and the Glenview Mansion, has 6 sculptures on its grounds. My painted yellow round piece, “Happy Daze” is on the grass facing the entrance road.

So the “Penguin of Summer” artist also has a piece in Sculpture on the Grounds. Mystery solved, but the penguin is really Silver Spring’s mascot.

The Ultimate Summer Guide for Rockville Town Center [Updated]

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Here’s the complete listing of everything scheduled in Town Center so you don’t miss any of the fun happenings and specials in the heart of Rockville during the steamy months ahead. Though since some of the series have already started, you might have missed the first ones!

TUESDAYS

Kids Night
Tuesdays, June 15-August 3, 2010
6:30 to 8:30 PM
Live stage shows at 6:30 PM & 7:30 PM. Kids eat free at participating restaurants which are still to be announced. Free face painting with purchase and other specials.

June 15 Gizmo Guys –Comedy jugglers with a rapid-fire, hilarious act
June 22 Unicycle Lady — Interactive unicycle show with juggling, jokes and more!
June 29 Mutts Gone Nuts — Jessie and James and their mischievous mutts present a comedy dog thrill show
July 6 Reptiles Alive –Educational LIVE animal show.
July 13 Airborne –Airborne comedians featuring unicycles, juggling and lots of laughs.
July 20 Bert the Nerd –Bert performs amazing feats of skill, daring stunts and incredible magic.
July 27 Speed & Thro — High energy magic and comedy for kids.
August 3 Rocknoceros –Children’s music with a fun, educational flare.
Activities subject to change without notice.

Beso del Cielo – Live Latin Music
Tuesdays, 5 to 10:30 PM The Rooftop At Rockville Town Square
“Salsa, Bachata, Regaton. Come to The Rooftop for the hottest live Latin music in the region. Every Tuesday night Beso del Cielo will sweep you off your feet with its soft elegance and hot latin music. Hosted by La Tasca, guests will enjoy dancing, great drink specials and more!”

WEDNESDAYS

Farmer’s Market
Wednesdays, June 2 to October 27, 2010
11 AM to 2 PM
East Montgomery Avenue in Rockville Town Center (in front of the Rio Theater Row)

Out to Lunch Wednesdays
Wednesdays, June 2 – October 27, 2010
11 AM to 2 PM
June 2 Rags – rock
June 9 Bobbe Shore and First Call – Jazz/Standards/Blues
June 16 Backroads Band – Retro Country
June 23 Robert Redd Trio – Jazz
June 30 Janine Wilson – Rock/Blues
July 7 Squeez Bayou – Swing
July 14 Project Natale – Classic/Latin Jazz
July 21 Martinez and Guthrie – Folk
July 28 Rock and Roll Revue – Oldies
August 4 Kevin James – Classic rock
August 11 Night & Day – Swing/Big Band
August 18 Bad influence band – Blues
August 25 Rita Clarke and the Naturals – Bayou Rythms
September 1 ilyAIMY – Acoustic rock
September 8 Keegan Corbey – Indie
September 15 Joshua Bayer – Jazz
September 22 Rick Whitehead Trio – Jazz
September 29 Dave Chappell – Roots Rock/Blues

Sunset Jazz at The Rooftop [Added since original post]
Select Wednesdays at 6 PM
“Experience Live Jazz from a Diverse Selection of Extraordinary Artists”
June 16: Smooth Jazz : Marcus Johnson Project (Keyboardist / Smooth Jazz)
July 14 : Contemporary Jazz: Jonathan Davis Project (Keyboardist)
July 21: Inspirational Jazz:Rob Maletick Group (Saxophonist)
August 18: Traditional Jazz:Project NATALE (Keyboardist,Saxophonist, Bass, Drums)
September 1: Double Feature/Contemporary and Gypsy Jazz Eddie Botts and Company (Keyboardist) and Hot Club of DC (Guitar,Violin,Bass)
September 8: Urban Jazz Art Sherrod Jr (Saxophonist)
To Reserve Your Seat, Reserve a Table, and For More Information, Contact Steve Hines at 301.509.7811

Movies on the Square
Rockville Town Square
Wednesdays, June 16-August 4, 2010
8:45 PM
June 16 Julie & Julia
June 23 Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
June 30 Sherlock Holmes
July 7 Valentine’s Day
July 14 Where the Wild things Are
July 21 The Blind Side
July 28 Aliens in the Attic
August 4 New Moon
Movies subject to change without notice.

THURSDAYS

Concert in the Square on the Rockville Town Square stage.
Thursdays, June 3 – August 5, 2010
6 to 8 PM
For comfortable seating, bring a folding chair or blanket. Parking in the Town Square garages is $1 for the entire evening after 6 PM.
June 3 The Nighthawks – acoustic blues
June 10 Second Wind Bandits – roots/rock
June 17 Blaggards – country rock
June 24 Joker’s Wild – swing
July 1 Navy Band Brass Quartet – chamber music
July 8 Bill Kirchen and Too Much Fun – roots/rock
July 15 Lil’ Cliff and the Cliffhangers – blues
July 22 Fools and Horses – rock and roll/new British pop
July 29 Gonzo’s Nose – 80’s and 90’s cover band
August 5 The Justin Trawick Group – urban folk rock

SkyAtFive Weekly Happy Hour
Thursdays, 5 to 11 PM
The Rooftop At Rockville Town Square
“With the vogue feel of a South Beach club, the only open air rooftop event space in Montgomery County opens its doors on April 29th again to launch our second season of SkyAtFive, our weekly happy hour and party, which has been coined by some as the “the hippest weekly party in town.” SkyAtFive entertains over 600 guests weekly with sleek furnishings, the finest in food and drink and a hot weekly DJ.
The SkyAtFive is open to guests age 21 and up. Event sponsors include Absolut Vodka, Lindy Promotions, Malibu, Miller, Oro Pomodoro, Peroni, Real Maryland, Red Bull, and others.”

FRIDAYS

Breeze 2010
Fridays, 6 PM to 1 AM
The Rooftop At Rockville Town Square
“Brought to you by 2K Lifestyle Entertainment, Breeze has already rocked the town. Hosted most Friday’s starting at 6, come early. The line stretches around the corner. Dancing with music brought to you by DJ Twinspin, spinning the hottest HipHop, Top 40s and house. Food catered by Taste of Saigon. 21+. Cover charge at the door.”

SATURDAYS

Farmer’s Market
Saturdays, May 15 – November 20, 2010
9 AM to 1 PM
Juror’s Lot at the Corner of Route 28 and Monroe Street

MONDAYS

Cheap Date Nights
Mondays 5pm to close
Rockville Town Square.
Participating merchants include:

*Austin Grill: Fajitas and craft beer for 2 for $30. Includes fajitas for 2, a sampler of micro brews from the Flyer Dog Brewery and key lime pie for dessert.

*Bobby’s Crabcakes: Dinner for 2 for $45. Includes: Caesar salad to share, 2 jumbo crabcake platters and key lime to share.

*Cosi: Buy one flatbread pizza, get one for free!

*Gifford’s Ice Cream and Candy Co: $3 sundaes ALL DAY!

*Gordon Biersch: Dinner for 2 for $39.95. Choose one appetizer (southwest eggroll, garlic fries or soup of the day), two entrées (linguini marinara, fish and chips, burger of the day or chop salad), two mini taster desserts (strawberry cheesecake, carrot cake, chocolate cake, berry trifle or peanut butter pie), and 4.4L glasses of house made beer (2 per guest).

*Jouvence Aveda: $25 off any service over $50 when you bring a friend.

*La Canela: 3-course meal and a glass of wine for $35 per person. Meal will be ordered from a special “Date Night” menu.

*La Tasca: Choose 1 pitcher of sangria or wine, 4 tapas and 1 dessert for $45. Items will be ordered from a special date night menu.

*Lebanese Taverna: 25% off sandwiches and sandwich platters.

*Oro Pomodoro: Dinner for 2 for $35. Two Caesar salads, two spaghetti and meatballs and dessert (for 2) and a bottle of house wine.

*Pomegranate & Co.: Purchase one chair or sofa and get a second upholstered item at 50% off. Call 301-251-8577 for details.

*Robeks Fruit Smoothies and Healthy Eats: Buy one smoothie, juice or frozen yogurt and get one free!

*Spice Xing: Dinner for 2 for $39.95. Choose one appetizer, two entrées, one dessert and two glasses of wine.

*Sushi Damo: Dinner for 2 for $49. Includes 2 glasses of house wine, 2 miso soups, 1 damo creation sushi roll or vegetarian entrée, 1 entrée from select menu and 1 dessert.

*Taste of Saigon: 3 course menu for $20.09 per person.

Valid at Rockville Town Square location only. Some restrictions may apply, see store for details.

Contributor Opinion by Trapper Martin: Town Square Parking Changes

>An open letter from Town Center Action Team (TCAT) president Trapper Martin:

Madam Mayor and Council Members,

Last week, it was brought to my attention that changes were made to the fees and hours for parking in Town Center. Specifically, I understand that the Mayor and Council implemented a charge of $1 for unlimitted parking in the garages on Saturday and increased the fine for all parking violation to $40. It appears that these changes were done as part of the budgeting process without any public input.

As you are well aware the merchants and last Mayor/Council spent a considerable amount of time discussing and coming up with a plan that we all felt would increase revenue for the City without putting undue burden on or hampering the still fragile businesses in Town Center. We have seen parking usage continually rise since these changes were implemented.

The changes to the parking policy were discussed at the TCAT meeting held on May 18. While the members of TCAT did not object to implementation of $1 parking fee and would in fact support such a nominal fee, we believe the Mayor and Council must stop changing the parking fees so that visitors to town center can get used whatever fee is being charged. Otherwise visitors will start to become frustrated and avoid Town Center.

The members of TCAT did object the $40 penalty for parking violations. People who have received $40 tickets have sworn that they would not return to Town Center. There have been multiple stories this year about other jurisdictions raising parking ticket prices yet seeing a decline in actual revenue from this as people increasingly contest or just don’t pay their parking tickets. Therefore, TCAT voted last week to urge the Mayor and Council to reduce the parking fees throughout the City to $25.

Please continue to know that all the support that the City can provide to this area while it is still in its infancy is greatly appreciated.

Trapper Martin, TCAT President

This is a Contributor Opinion. Rockville Central encourages readers to submit such pieces for consideration — the more voices the better. Simply send them to rockvillecentral@gmail.com. We ask that all such contributions be civil and we reserve the right to edit (in consultation with the author) or reject. Contributor opinions should not be seen as reflecting opinions held by Rockville Central editors, as they are just as frequently at odds with our own views. That’s the whole point!

POTD: Town Square

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This was the scene in late afternoon the other day. I thought it was quite idyllic.

POTD: Smile!

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I discovered this fine graffitoe in the Town Square parking garage stairwell the other night. My son thought I was foolish for snapping it, but little does he know. . .

Town Center Action Team To Meet April 8 In Mayor And Council Chambers

As >Rockville Central readers may have been following, the pullout of Super Fresh from the Town Square development has generated a number of suggestions for what Federal Realty Investment Trust might want to pursue as a substitute. Many have expressed a desire to talk the issue through rather than just leave comments online.

A great forum in which to have that conversation will be the upcoming meeting of the Town Center Action Team, the group that initially began to set the direction for Town Square many years ago. TCAT will be meeting on April 8 at 7:00 pm at the Mayor and Council chambers in City Hall. I am led to believe that all are welcome and that a representative of FRIT will be there.

If you plan on attending, let TCAT chair Trapper Martin know you will be doing so by dropping him an email at tmartin@noodles.com.

Here’s how Trapper has described the meeting:

This meeting is open to the public and we would welcome some new faces and perspectives. This will be a great way to kick off discussion not only of what we want in this space but begin the discussion of Phase II. At our next meeting I am trying to get a representative of JBG to attend to discuss where they are in the planning process and get some timelines.

Super Fresh Pulls Out Of Rockville Town Square

Confirming what some have suspected for some time, the grocery chain A&P announced that they will not be opening a “Super Fresh” grocery store in the space they had leased at Rockville Town Square. A&P had signed a 20-year lease for the space but it had lain dormant since being built. On many occasions (for instance, at the Town Center Action Team Summit last year), community members and others asked whether Super Fresh was a “go,” only to be told that things were progressing and all seemed well. Still, many expressed skepticism that they would see the high-end grocery store open at the corner of Beall Ave. and N. Washington St., and they have been proven correct.The City issued a press release on the subject late this afternoon which appears below in its entirety:>

The Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company, Inc., (A&P) of Montvale, N.J., announced today that a Super Fresh grocery store will not open in Rockville Town Square, as previously planned.

“We’ve been waiting for quite some time for the Super Fresh to open,” said Mayor Phyllis Marcuccio. “While this is disappointing news, we at last know the situation and can now move forward.”

In 2007, the A&P signed a 20-year lease to open a Super Fresh store in Town Square. Since the lease was signed, City officials and Federal Realty have worked closely with A&P with a goal of a timely and successful opening.

“Federal Realty is disappointed with A&P’s decision to not open Super Fresh at Rockville Town Square,” said Robin McBride, vice president, Mid Atlantic region chief operating officer for Federal Realty. “We have worked with A&P for five years to help them plan, design and permit their store. We are actively looking for a replacement tenant for the space that will enhance the existing merchandising mix and consumer experience at the property.”

“Everyone recognizes the importance of this site,” said Scott Ullery, City Manager. “Town Square has done very well in a difficult economy, and a new tenant in this site can only add to its success. We are excited by the possibilities.”

Let’s see this as an opportunity to move forward. What kind of shop do you think ought to be there? Do we need a grocery store? Or maybe a destination anchor store? How about a Gap or a Barnes and Noble? Something else?

Let us know in the comments!

First Watch Daytime Cafe Reviewed: Yum

I was delighted to see >this recent review of one of my favorite all-time breakfast spots, First Watch Daytime Cafe in Rockville Town Square. I have spent many a pleasant moment in First Watch, not only eating their fabulous food but also holding court in meeting after meeting. If you’re looking for somewhere to go in the day, First Watch is a great bet.

This from the review:

Everyone is always on the lookout for a great brunch and breakfast joint. In the Washington D.C. metro area, one place you’ll want to pay a visit to is the FirstWatch Daytime Café, located in Rockville, Maryland.

Perhaps the only problem with the FirstWatch Daytime Café in Rockville for brunch or breakfast is that there are so many awesome looking menu items that you may have a hard time narrowing down your choices. Some are innovative like their specialty Crepeggs, which offer a thin crepe combined with whipped eggs. Others are more traditional and you’ll find classic breakfast and brunch fare as well.

Read the full review here.

100 Gibbs St., Unit D
Rockville, MD 20850
301-762-0621

POTD: Psychedelic

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I visited my favorite burger spot Five Guys just as the sun was setting and saw this. That’s a cool pattern the light casts!