It’s hard to believe this is our 10th annual Best of Arlington issue. Each year, we ask you to name your favorite people, places and businesses. We crunch and compile the data, hire writers and photographers to create great content, and serve this helpful information back to you. We even have our editors weigh in with their favorites. Best of Arlington is the best kind of popularity contest because we share your favorites in aggregate. Looking for a new restaurant to try? Which dining establishments have the best chefs? What are some great options for date night? Here’s your resource. But it’s not all about food. We can also help you find a builder, cardiologist, dentist for your kids, mental health professional, mortgage lender, accountant and so much more—even the best places to play pickleball.
Our community loves to celebrate the best, and the best way to celebrate is with a party. Please mark your calendars for Thursday, June 1, 2023, from 6-9 p.m. We will be hosting the annual Best of Arlington party once again at Mercedes-Benz of Arlington. I hope you will join us for an enjoyable evening of delicious food, fine wine, tasty craft beer and live music. Â
Also in this issue, we do a deep dive into Arlington’s newest high school, Arlington Tech. Since its launch six years ago, I have wondered: Is it the Thomas Jefferson equivalent in Arlington? Is it designed to serve students with learning differences? Or is the focus on technical training and career readiness? As I’ve talked to people in the community, it turns out I am not alone in my confusion, so we decided to investigate. If you’re expecting me to provide an answer in this letter, sorry to disappoint. You’ll have to read the story.Â
On a deeply personal note, I want to acknowledge the trauma our community has endured recently with the tragic deaths of two fine young men, Braylon Meade and Alexander Gill. Braylon was a senior at Washington-Liberty, and Alex was a 2022 Yorktown graduate and freshman at William & Mary. Our middle daughter, Katherine, is also a senior at W-L and has been friends with Braylon since the 7th grade. Her boyfriend, Brian, is on the varsity basketball team with Braylon, and they’ve played together since the 5th grade. We’ve loved watching the boys play over the years and feel a real connection to them and their families. It is a wonderful, supportive community and we are so sad for the families, their close friends, the players and the members of the W-L senior class. We extend our most sincere condolences. We didn’t know Alex, but we mourn his tragic loss, too, and share in the pain his family and friends are experiencing.Â
I hope you find our Best of Arlington issue to be an interesting and helpful guide to the wonderful communities we serve—Arlington, McLean and Falls Church. Best wishes to you and your loved ones in 2023. As always, I can be reached at greg.hamilton@arlingtonmagazine.com. You can find our editor, Jenny Sullivan, at jenny.sullivan@arlingtonmagazine.com. Cheers.
Greg Hamilton, Publisher