New Subway at Georgetown Square.

In the past month a new Subway sandwiches opened in the Georgetown Square shopping center on the corner of Old Georgetown Rd and Democracy Blvd in Bethesda, MD. A new karate place (Kicks Karate) also opened, both of these are where the Blockbuster Video used to be. The Subway joins Flippin' Pizza, Chipotle, Bradley's Ice Cream, and Giant as lunch time options for students of Walter Johnson High School, right next door.

Today is the first day of school in Montgomery County so watch out for kids. Walter Johnson has an open lunch policy so right around lunch time masses of kids stream out and head for one of the above restaurants for a quick bite to eat. I have been in the Giant a few times right at lunch and it is interesting to see the volume of kids that suddenly appear.

Bethesda's Hampden Lane getting a new building

Last week I was walking along Hampden Lane between Arlington Road and Woodmont Avenue and I noticed they were tearing a house down. Today, it was totally gone. Intrigued, I went looking for information on what is going in there.

Initially, I thought it was related to plan #820070100, which is to build 60 condos (or apartments, I couldn't tell which) along the road, however, only one building was being demolished. I believe I have pieced together the story now.

There are 5 lots along Hampden lane that are connected. Lot 1 being on the corner of Hampden Ln and Arlington Rd. Originally, Lot 3 was transfered to the county for them to build Moderately Priced Dwelling Units on (this was to fulfill a the MPDU requirements for another project.) The owner of the rest of the lots said it will be much better to swap lot 3 for lot 5 so they could build a single building (this was in the 2005-2006 time frame). It looks like that was approved so lots 1-5 will have the 60 condos but construction hasn't started yet. Lot 5 will now have Transitional Housing, a single three-story building with six one-bedroom and six studio apartments, owned and operated by the Housing Opportunities commission (although they view the housing as "supportive" not "transitional", I don't know what the distinction is).

Looking on a Montgomery County Website I see Supportive Housing is defined as

for homeless adults who have experienced prolonged episodes of homelessness, have at least one disabling condition and possess other challenges that can contribute to difficulty housing them. Tenants of Home First are placed into a permanent home – through one-bedroom apartments or four-bedroom homes – and provided with wraparound services to ensure that they remain housed.

So, if you are one of the many working people who who would like to live within walking distance of Bethesda Metro Station but can't afford it, your best bet is to quit your job and become homeless!

It's time for the fair

The Montgomery County Fair starts Tomorrow, August 13th and runs through Saturday, August 21st. This Friday and Saturday are mostly about the amusement rides, the animals and the other exhibits open on Sunday.

There is tons of stuff for kids of all ages to do. There are rides that suit kids from 3 through teenagers, there;s the animals, cows, pigs, sheep, goats, rabbits, ducks, chickens, plus Old MacDonald's Barn with a few more for the kids. At night there are outdoor movies. There is also the pig races, if you have never seen them they are worth a look. If you are interested in crafts, or photography, lots of people enter what they have done and prizes are awarded in many categories.

Each day they have special events too, for instance, Wednesday and Thursday there is a monster truck show, and Friday and Saturday there is a demolition derby (these events cost extra).

Movies (8pm each night, no extra cost):

• Friday: Where the Wild Things Are
• Saturday: Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince
• Sunday: Blind Side
• Monday: Up
• Tuesday: Planet 51
• Wednesday: Astro Boy
• Thursday: Alice in Wonderland
• Friday: The Princess and the Frog
• Saturday: Twilight Saga: New Moon
  

Sunday hours coming to Bethesda library

Starting August 15th, Bethesda Library (7400 Arlington Rd, Bethesda, MD) will be open on Sundays from 1-4pm. Not long ago I wrote about parking no longer being free, so this is an improvement.

It is part of a larger initiative to keep some libraries open on Sunday year round. Bethesda, Germantown, Marilyn J. Praisner, Rockville Memorial, Silver Spring and Wheaton will now have year round Sunday hours. I seem to recall that all library used to be closed on Sundays in the Summer but open on Sundays during the school year. I didn't see any mention of opening the rest of the libraries in the system on Sundays this fall so it isn't as much of an improvement as it seems.

Bethesda Fountains Part 11 (potd)

This fountain at the Bethesda Metro Plaza was dry all last year. This year, however, they got it going again. It is a simple round fountain and the edge is wide enough to sit on all the way around.


I did all but a couple of the fountains in Bethesda, MD last year, if you want to catch up you can read all of the Bethesda fountains series.