“Irish Exit” – Leaving a social gathering without saying goodbye. Also known as an “Irish Goodbye.”
Picture this. It’s Saturday night. You’re in your late twenties at a party with your friend. You only know a few people. It’s been over half an hour since you talked to somebody you knew. Every attempt to converse with strangers near the beer cooler had mixed results. Most of the time, you stare at your phone while the people you know engage in meaningful conversations. And then it happens: an idea. At that moment, you see the door to the apartment, with some delicious takeout and reruns of The Office within an hour in the comfort of your own home. You take your chance. You rush towards the door…to your freedom.
You did it. You performed an “Irish Exit.”
Now, you only have time to think about that brief moment before COVID-19 when a local Northern Virginia restauranteur performed the perfect LITERAL “Irish Exit:” Martin White and Fiona’s Irish Pub.
Fiona’s Irish Pub opened at 5810 Kingstowne Centre in May 2014 in Alexandria, across from America’s first Top Golf. The new restaurant replaced one of the area’s King Street Blues locations. Martin White, owner of King Street Blues, chose to shutter the barbecue and southern food experience for something more authentic to his native Ireland. White is no stranger to local eateries in the region. Arriving in the United States from Ireland in 1986, White quickly started working in the restaurant business at the Hamburger Hamlet. Since then, he worked his way up in the industry, eventually buying four King Street Blues locations and developing Donato’s Pizza (several still exist in the area). He became a U.S. citizen on St. Patrick’s Day in 1996 and served as the parade’s Grand Marshal that year. According to an Eater DC article, opening an Irish Pub has always been his dream. “My desire is to continue to pass my good fortune forward through ongoing support of the local and Irish community,” White said.
His wish finally came true with the opening of Fiona’s. From the start, the reviews and responses to his menu were favorable. White modeled the food and decor from his hometown of Dublin in a cozy and relaxed atmosphere. The description of the restaurant read:
“Catch the Irish Spirit at Fiona’s Irish Pub. Fresh, authentic Irish Fare—fresh seafood stew, lamb chops… 14 draft beers, 20+ bottles, extensive Irish Whiskey and Scotch collection.”
A Yelp review from “Marissa D” boasted about the restaurant’s family-friendly atmosphere on top of the Guinness stew and Dublin mixed grill. The restaurant maintained a four-star rating throughout its time in service. As the business owner, Martin commented on people’s food ratings on Yelp, from the positive to the slightest of negativity. Despite some negative reviews, the Dublin transplant operated well on the surface.
The Guiness Stew looks….good?
Things were going so well that White opened a second Fiona’s location on 23rd Street in Arlington’s Crystal City, along the busy row of restaurants in April 2019. According to an Arlington Now article, White stated that things were “going gangbusters” at the Kingstowne location.
Things were not going well. Fiona’s official social media accounts last posted on April 29, 2019, primarily about the opening of the new establishment. Within two months of opening a new location in Arlington, Fiona’s in Kingstowne closed without warning.
Patrons (and employees) came to work on June 10, 2019, to locked doors. A small printed sign on the door read: “Due to circumstances beyond our control, Fiona’s Irish Pub is permanently closed.” Their website also had a short message thanking patrons for their support. According to a report from Alexandria Living, an employee of a tenant next door did not know why they closed either. The biggest news was that the owner of Fiona’s exited the company. No explanation.
The Crystal City location on 23rd Street in Arlington was also closed, but they initially reported that it would reopen after resolving some issues with the building. To say the closure was unexpected and abrupt is an understatement. After everyone lamented the closure of their favorite local watering hole, questions began to arise as to WHY. Thanks to Nextdoor and Reddit, some of the proposed questions have answers.
Some users on Reddit said the lease was up, and White could not pay the high rent due to the raised prices in recent years. Others said it was as simple as a lease agreement. With the other Fiona’s restaurant closed, the questions kept coming. Some claimed he went to Florida to start fresh. User “Technoslave” had a much more concise (and plausible) reasoning:
“The owner absconded with rent money, plus whatever else, since I think October, probably back to Ireland. Landlord/Management/Owner of the property finally went through all the processes necessary to get the place shut down. Sheriffs came in and closed the place.”
Reddit User “Technoslave” re: Fiona’s Irish Pub Closing
According to a user on Nextdoor, Martin was over $450,000 in arrears on his rent “based on the judgment entered against him in Fairfax a few years ago.” If that is true, the opening of a completely new restaurant in a busy and expensive area of Northern Virginia makes it sound all too wild and financially irresponsible. But everybody has to dream. Mr. White dreamed a little too big.
Former Fiona’s location under construction for new “mystery” project, 2022.
Whether he left back to his home country or not, Martin White, the once-celebrated pillar of the Irish community in Alexandria, made an exit for the ages. To this day, no information exists on his whereabouts or location. Only months after its closure, the second Fiona’s location never reopened, with its reporting that it had closed for good by June 12. The location remained an Irish pub, albeit mediocre, called McNamara’s.
What happened to the Kingstowne location?
In February 2022, Fairfax Now announced that, despite delays, Chick-fil-A planned to open a 5,200-square-foot location in the former location of Fiona’s, a formerly popular Irish bar. Plans to build the Chick-fil-A at this specific location date back to April 2020, when plans were initially filed. The plans were to include a wrap-around drive-thru similar to the nearby Springfield location.
The new restaurant opened on May 26, 2022, with a balloon arch with black and white “cow” balloons, reminding you, amongst other things, that their advertising works. Eat More Chicken. The Yates gas station across from the new restaurant even put a large banner on the back of their garage welcoming Chick-fil-A into the shopping center.
Individuals who purchase food there can bring a receipt for special discounts. When I saw that, I couldn’t help but think of the George H.W. Bush “Mission Accomplished” banner aboard USS Abraham Lincoln back in 2003 when I saw. And for the restaurant chain, maybe the mission is done. If Martin White exited the area without a word, fast food chicken made an entrance that greets countless customers today. Unfortunately, the fast food chain does not sell Guinness stew or shepherd’s pie. That is a distant and fond memory for all who once went to Fiona’s.
Happy St. Patrick’s Day. When you leave a party without letting anyone know this year, remember to do it without skipping out on the bill like Martin did.
It is the middle of March. Today’s temperatures crept up to 74 degrees, and tomorrow’s will be similar. After a freezing and dreary winter filled with lots of rain, this warmup, albeit way in advance for my global warming consciousness, felt amazing.
Twenty-one years ago, however, the weather in Northern Virginia was anything but warm. A massive system from Florida to Maine dropped a foot of snow in this region. The warm air and moisture from the Gulf region hit the cold air from western Canada with a shallow barometric pressure that yielded terrifying weather results. The storm caused 11 tornados in Florida and over 200 deaths after its hurricane-force winds finished ripping through the East Coast and Canada on March 14th. According to some news reports, snow drifts in Northern Virginia measured upwards of 12 feet in height. The storm left thousands of travelers and citizens without heat and electricity for days.
The Superstorm of March ’93, sometimes referred to as the “Storm of the Century” or snowicane,”did not have as significant an impact as many previous or more recent snow events in the region. The most recent event, the snowstorm of 2016, dumped over two feet of snow into the area. However, according to Accuweather, that snowstorm was not a Category 5 storm on the National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) scale. Accuweather’s article on the event said the 1993 blizzard was “one of the most devastating storms of the 20th century.”
Steve Marvill, a senior forecaster for Accuweather back in 1993, said in a Washington Post article that the event “had all the conditions for a powerful storm. It was as if there was a hurricane, but in the winter.”
It certainly felt like a hurricane to many who lived through it. At the Gov. Harry W. Nice Memorial Bridge near Dahlgren, VA, the wind speed topped out at 73 mph. When the dust (and snow) settled, the storm caused nearly $6 billion in damage in 1993 USD. That’s over double the $12.8 billion in today’s money. That’s enough to build four new stadiums for the Commanders. That gives them four chances to win a game, right?
Although summer is officially over, who says you can’t bring on the new season in style? Here is a very early fall playlist on books, film, and records — all with a NOVA connection.
As far as Northern Virginia landmarks go, the Pentagon ranks at the top. For many, it’s the MOST recognizable fixture of the region — a veritable symbol of the military-industrial-government complex we all tap into. If Northern Virginians are Romulus and Remus, the Pentagon is the wolf mother we suckle from.
…Anyways.
Most films that include the Pentagon feature it the same way. There’s a large, nondescript room with government seals and television screens on the wall. There’s usually a mix of military and civilian workers with one guy in a suit yelling at everyone. When I think of the stereotypical “Pentagon” in film, I look no further than 2007’s action blockbuster, Transformers.
Equally fake (but way more interesting), my first NOVA-inspired film or television show you should watch this fall is Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb. The film’s cinematography surrounding the massive ring pendant table inside the “Pentagon” is worth it alone. The insane conversations around that table throughout the movie are a joy (and a terror) to watch. Cue…any year in recent memory. WIRED Magazine called the film “Basically a Documentary.“
AF Archive/WIRED/Alamy
The war room, with its giant screens that any sports bar would die for, is another prominent feature throughout the film. The suits and the smoke swirling through the room’s dead air are marvelous. Looking at the table and the people who portrayed fictional (yet not so fictional) characters during Cold War hysteria is like seeing a bizarro version of the Knights of the Round Table — like Spectre from the James Bond movies or other nebulous evil syndicates surrounded by a cocoon of giant screens with world targets (why always Prague…what did they do?)
Just watch it. The Air Force general’s name is “Jack D. Ripper,” for gods sake.
2. National Treasure: Book of Secrets – Walt Disney (2007)
There are two levels of imbibing alcoholic spirits when you are approaching forty and have been a parent for a few years. The first has the adult drinking one or two alcoholic beverages in a relaxed atmosphere. In the end, these drinks make you sleepy (which you gladly oblige in fear of getting a four-day hangover). The second is what I like to call “Greater Than Two,” or the “I’m Going to Steal the Declaration of Independence.” Thank you, Nicolas Cage…you are truly a national treasure.
Although there are bits and pieces that seemingly feature Northern Virginia locales in the first National Treasure film, National Treasure: Book of Secrets features a set piece filmed on location at George Washington’s estate, Mount Vernon.
Screencap (Walt Disney)
In the scene early in the film, Ben (Cage) uses a no-so-clever ruse with his father (who fishes at night that close to Mount Vernon on the Potomac River?) to break into the President’s birthday party at Mount Vernon in order to corner him for crucial information about the supposed “book of secrets” hidden at the Library of Congress. There are secret doors and pithy dialogue throughout the 10-minute scene. According to the Mount Vernon website, the scene took a week to film. Playing off the success of the film, you can still book a “National Treasure Tour” at Mount Vernon where guests “hear stories about the filming, and learn how the locations were used during Washington’s time.” The cost is only $10 additional to the regular cost of admission.
Is the scene a bit hokey and hackneyed? Yes. Do I still find it entertaining? Absolutely. Say what you want, the National Treasure films are like downing Krispy Kreme doughnuts — completely empty yet utterly fulfilling.
3. Jack Ryan – Amazon (2018-2023)
After four seasons, Amazon’s hit show with Jim Halpert — I mean John Krasinksi — finally wrapped to moderate fanfare. To be honest, the last season was not phenomenal. As a lifetime fan of the Clancy series since The Hunt for Red October, I was a bit disappointed.
Why does a show that spent the majority of time internationally make the list? The first two minutes of the premiere episode. In the shot, Jack bicycles to work from his home in Georgetown to CIA headquarters in Langley in McClean.
Screencap (Amazon/Spy Culture)
Put simply, Jack Ryan’s bicycle route from Georgetown to Langley is insane. At one point he is biking from Georgetown to the Tidal Basin and back to Georgetown from the opposite direction before making his way to CIA Headquarters. It may be a 7-mile trek from Georgetown to Langley, but Jack’s route would add at least 5 more.
Sure Jack Ryan may have claimed Annandale is in Maryland and had him bike an asinine route from Georgetown to Langley, but the biggest flaw of the show was definitely that all of the escalators were working at a Metro station
Although the opening shot was actually filmed at the CIA, the end of the episode included this disclaimer (via Spy Culture):
If you want the full breakdown of his route, go HERE.
4. Mission Impossible – Paramount (1996)
Speaking of Langley, does it get any better than the nail-biting espionage scene at the CIA headquarters when Ethan Hunt rappelled from the ceiling to grab the NOC list? I especially love it because it truly dates the film – the NOC list was stolen on a floppy disk. It seems both dated and nostalgic at the same time when you watch it with 21st-century eyes.
“It’s a Unix system.” (Paramount Pictures)
I will die on the hill that action films peaked in 1996: The Rock, Independence Day, Mission Impossible, Twister, etc. It was the golden age and we didn’t even know it (But not Goldeneye…that was the previous year).
I always felt bad for Agent Donloe. The man just wanted some coffee to wash down the top-secret work. He didn’t need to be poisoned by a secret agent hooked up to a suspension system that looks like it belongs in a BDSM dungeon.
I have a pleasure room. (Paramount Pictures)
Although the exterior shots of the CIA Building are the real deal in Langley, the interior was filmed in the old London County Hall near the Westminster Bridge. It’s not quite as authentic as the Jack Ryan series because nothing was ACTUALLY filmed there, yet I choose to believe this is actually what the CIA headquarters up the road looks like from the inside. I have to tell you, I have been to many of the government buildings and Washington, D.C., and I am holding out hope that there are a few that have moderately interesting interiors.
5. Wonder Woman 1984 – Warner Bros. (2020)
Let me just go on the record before I even talk about it — this movie was very, very bad. I don’t even want to go into the specifics of it. I think we can all say that the high hopes were dashed almost from the very start. At least the mall scene filmed in Alexandria’s former Landmark Mall was neat. It was the perfect location. The scene filmed in the atrium and food court took advantage of the huge bank of windows and open concept.
(Warner Bros.)
The producers of the film decided to take the then-recently closed mall (Jan. 2017) and turn its largely vacant state into an 80s-themed mall that gave Starcourt a run for its money. I’m not sure how much money Warner Bros. poured into fixing that mall, but it must have been significant. The last time I was in the mall, it was almost completely empty save for the Chick-Fil-A at the top and the eyewear store at the bottom near the parking garage.
Taken in 2020 after filming wrapped for Woman Woman 1984.
Landmark Mall is completely gone now. I think we should think of it as burying the memory of watching this film. Great memories and cool locations, but not much else. Keep it as a historical document.
Can we just talk about how she and Steve stole a jet from the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum to make a nearly 6,000-mile trip to Cairo, Egypt? Ooof. Big oof.
Honorable Mentions:
The Americans – One of the best shows in television history has the Jennings’ living in the fictional “Falls Church Commons.”
American Dad – Set in Langley Falls, which I can only think is a facsimile of McLean.
Breach – Kind of stating the obvious, but I want to do a deep dive of this for a future post.
Mercy Street – Set in Union-occupied Alexandria during the American Civil War. Ted Mosby stars in a role where he isn’t simping on women. Refreshing.
If you are over the age of thirty, you remember going to a music store and picking up a CD to buy and bring home. For the most part, you would have very little chance to hear the entire album and assess its merit from start to finish. These were expensive purchases (remember this is the mid 1990s and CDs were still $15-20). Without buying a music review magazine like Billboard, you only had your knowledge of the songs you’ve heard to make your purchase. Even if you did have access to magazines like that, your personal taste might be different than the reviewers. It was always a coin toss.
Sometimes the coin came up on the wrong side.
For mature millennial and Gen X’ers, we’ve all been burned this way. For me, it was the Red Hot Chili Peppers. I remember going to my local music store with my father and putting down my birthday money to purchase One Hot Minute in 1995. I was so excited to hear what the album had to offer beyond the first two singles, “Warped” and “My Friends.” I wasn’t stoked on the second single, but “Warped” had a funky quality that I liked compared to the band’s grunge contemporaries. I got home and listened to it. To this day, I can safely say that “Warped” is one of the only songs I liked on that album. The Red Hot Chili Peppers are a taxing band, and that album is quite taxing. That goes double for today. Even if the album was generally well received by critics, it never stuck with me. I thought the critics were wrong. It wouldn’t be the last time.
flippa-dippa-California ding dong (bass noises)
Today, reviews are instantaneous, and anyone can become a critic. In the age of the Internet, they also have the power to sway public opinion, and in some cases, ruin an artist’s career in the process. Thus was the case for Northern Virginia native Travis Morrison and his only solo album, 2004’s Travistan.
A little background first.
Born in 1972, Morrison grew up in the Washington, D.C., suburb of Fairfax. Morrison went to Lake Braddock Secondary School in Burke before leaving the area to go off to college at William and Mary. A promising music career filled in beyond that. It was at Lake Braddock that he met future bandmates Eric Axelson and Steve Cummings, who along with Morrison eventually became the influential dance punk band The Dismemberment Plan, or “The D-Plan,” to their throngs of sad, sweater and corduroy pant wearing emo boys — just like me!
“Hey bro, have you heard the new Mountain Goats?” (c. 2003)
As much as I enjoyed the grunge of the mid-1990s, by the time I got to the end of middle school and into high school, punk, post punk and emo/indie interested me more. The Dismemberment Plan stood at the crux of all three genres, with the syncopated drum tracks and odd vocal inflections coming together to draw on influences ranging from Gang of Four to the Talking Heads and even jazz and hip hop.
Travis Morrison famously devoted much of the lyrical content in his band’s music to Washington, D.C. Emergency & I, released in 1999, is littered with references to D.C. (For instance, “Spider in the Snow” references K Street and “The City” is entirely about Washington itself). I adored Emergency & I (and still do), with our without critical review backing my decision.
As much as he talked about D.C. in the songs he wrote for Dismemberment Plan, there certainly was no love lost for Morrison and the area south of Washington, D.C. He had this to say about Northern Virginia in a 2013 Spin interview:
Have you ever been to Virginia? Virginia is a very strange state, and it’s where we all grew up. It’s kind of the fuzzy line of the South. When I grew up, the line was right south of D.C., which is where three of us went to high school. Now that line has moved southward, so it’s somewhere north of Richmond. I know that blurry zone, that fog between the North and South, really well, because I had to go back to work there. I worked at the Huffington Post when it got bought by AOL. I found myself back deep in Virginia, and “White Collar, White Trash” came from being from Washington, but having to stay in a hotel 45 miles outside of Washington in an industrial park near the airport, near these huge, wide-open rural highways and mansions. It was horrible.
D-Day: Travis Morrison Dissects the Dismemberment Plan’s Return (Spin, October 11, 2013)
Yikes. At least we still have all the great tunes, right?
It was clear that Morrison had better things looming on the horizon and needed to branch out beyond the District. In 2004, Morrison moved to Seattle to start working on solo music after The Dismemberment played their first final show (there have been several in the years since) at Washington’s Fort Reno Park. He moved back to D.C. and recorded Travistan, a 14-song solo album that included Morrison and producer/Death Cab for Cutie member Chris Walla playing the lion’s share of instruments. I remember (ahem ahem) “downloading” the album from the comfort of my college apartment at James Madison University. I especially liked the tracks “Born in ’72” and “Get Me Off This Coin A.” The music has a similar feel to The Dismemberment Plan without sounding like a copycat. There is experimentation in songs like “Song for the Orca” where the risk/reward is rather high, but worked. The album was generally well received by most critics (Spin, Alternative Press, A.V. Club).
Most critics.
Pitchfork, the budding music review conglomerate in its early stages back in 2004, famously gave the album a coveted 0.0 rating. Travistan joined the ranks of a small but growing list of albums that the reviewers at Pitchfork felt had no merit, like Liz Phair’s self-titled 2003 album and Sonic Youth’s NYC Ghosts & Flowers. None of these albums are bad, yet each of their 0.0 ratings did much to damage the reputation of the artists. Such was the case for Travis Morrison. This stands in sharp contrast to his previous projects, which were extremely well received (Ironically, a reissue of Emergency & I received a 10.0 perfect rating years later on the same site).
In the September 2004 review of the album, now-freelance writer Chris Dahlen had very little to say that was good about Travistan. In fact, in his estimation, nothing was good. There’s very little critique here, unfortunately, and it mostly sounds like the writer had a particular bone to pick that one of his favorite bands isn’t playing anymore.
Travistan fails so bizarrely that it’s hard to guess what Morrison wanted to accomplish in the first place; the guy who led sing-alongs to sold-out crowds can’t find the words on his own album.
He went on to say that he never heard an album that was “more angry, frustrated, and even defensive about its own weaknesses.” Ouch. Double ouch. One blogger who wrote a 10-year retrospective on the historic review referred to it as a “dick punch.” The response was fairly immediate at a time when the Internet was still in its toddler phase. As a result of the review, many of his shows were cancelled and stores didn’t stock the album. The event has come up in news stories over the years. Essentially, Morrison does not want to talk about it. And why should He continued to play music, albeit in a limited capacity, and is now enjoying life with his family in Durham, NC. As late as July of this year, he posted a single picture of a guitar and practice amp on his Instagram, ending the caption with “time to play some damn shows.” Let’s hope so. The world needs you now more than ever, T-Mo.
There have been other 0.0 reviews from Pitchfork since 2004. Jet’s 2006 album Shine On particularly comes to mind. That doesn’t mean they always stay that way. Pitchfork is famous for rolling back on their reviews of albums that have been certified classics in their own time. Their recent review of Jimmy Eat World’s perfect record Clarity is a perfect example. In that same vein, the site recently released an article re-scoring some of the albums they felt they would change if they could. “These adjustments are born out of conversations we have all the time here on staff, much like the conversations you, our dear opinionated reader, have as well,” they wrote in the introduction to the list of 19 albums that got another chance (for better or worse). Included in that list is Liz Phair’s 2003 eponymous release. The new score, a 6.0, did a modest amount of damage control on the arguably “condescending and cringe” review. I would agree with the score. In a world where indie pop is very much a thing, artists like Phoebe Bridgers and Carly Rae Jepson owe their triumphant walks to the crawling of Liz Phair.
Travistan was absent from that list. When I first saw the list, I was almost certain it was going to be on there. Unfortunately, the review has remained unchanged for nearly twenty years.
In the end, I think we put too much merit on reviews without seeing it for ourselves. I had to purchase One Hit Minute to know it sucked. If I only read reviews, I would think the album was solid, instead of listening to lyrics like “Meet me at the coffee shop/we can dance like Iggy Pop.” Ugh.
Travistan deserves a second listen, especially when others of a similar ilk received better. But maybe I should follow my advice and just give my own silent credit to Morrison’s only solo debut. It’s not a fantastic record, but compared to The Dismemberment Plan, what is?
I think there is also an allegory here for Northern Virginia. As much as we write about the cool, fun, and interesting of this area, it’s hard to get beyond a review of the area as a traffic-soaked suburban dumping zone to the nation’s capitol. There’s clearly more here, just like with Travistan.
So in all seriousness, don’t take my advice. You have to form your own opinion about both. But when I scratched beneath the surface of each of these, I was pleasantly surprised with what I found.
Except for The Red Hot Chili Peppers. They still suck. You need more than just a clever name.
Memories are tricky. They can evoke past moments, which have the power to elicit smiles and triumph, or grief and sadness. Often these memories are tied to people and places. But what happens when the people and the memories have faded, but the places still remain?
Here are our current top 10 unusual and macabre locations around Northern Virginia.
1. Franklin and Armfield Slave Office (Alexandria, VA)
Franklin and Armfield Office (Wikimedia Commons)
Some buildings are left standing to remind us of the darkest parts of American history. Located near the heart of Old Town Alexandria, the former Franklin and Armfield Slave Office is a prime example of the importance of understanding our scarred and painful past.
Interior of Slave Pens, Civil War-era (My Genealogy Hound)
The building was the headquarters of the largest domestic slave trading firm in the United States, Franklin and Armfield. Isaac Franklin and John Armfield became the largest traders of enslaved African Americans between 1828 and 1836, selling between 1,000-2,000 people each year. Slaves from the Chesapeake Bay were sold in the southern states to markets in places like Natchez, Mississippi, and New Orleans in what many called the “Second Middle Passage.” Slave traders owned the property until the Union Army occupied the city in 1861. The building included horrific slave pens, which were later torn down after the end of the Civil War.
The building, now a National Historic Landmark, currently operates as the Freedom House under the National Park Service. The Freedom House educates visitors of the harsh realities of the American slave trade and Alexandria’s role in it through first-person accounts of enslaved men and women and the surviving details of Franklin and Armfield’s business.
If you go: The building and its historical marker are located at 1315 Duke Street, Alexandria, VA. Currently, the museum is closed due to COVID-19, but virtual tours are available online.
Source: NPS, Franklin and Armfield Office, LINK. Historic Alexandria, Freedom House, LINK. My Geneaology Hound, Vintage Photos of Franklin and Armfield Slave Pen, LINK.
2. Lorena Bobbitt 7-ELEVEN (Manassas, VA)
7-Eleven where John Bobbitt’s penis was not part of a combo meal (Offbeat NOVA)
On June 23, 1993, Lorena Bobbitt, an Ecuadorian nail stylist, cut the penis off of her husband and ex-Marine John Bobbitt with an 8-inch carving knife. He remained in bed, too drunk to realize what had happened while she left in her car. She threw the penis in a hook shot arch into a grassy field next to a 7-Eleven while driving down the road in Manassas, VA. When the police finally found John Bobbit’s missing appendage, they ran to 7-Eleven convenience store and placed it into a hot dog container on ice, where it was transported to the hospital and reattached on John. The rest is history.
I’ve said this before, but I’ll say it again: do you know what its like to eat a hot dog at the same place where mortified policeman put a severed penis on ice? Well, here’s your chance. Bon Appétit.
If you go: The 7-11 is down the street from the Bobbitts’ former residence at 8174 Maplewood Drive in Manassas. The hot dog stand is there, but it’s currently self-serve due to COVID-19.
Source: Offbeat NOVA, “Lorena Bobbitt Revisited: Examining NOVA Dark Tourism in Manassas,” LINK.
3. Bunny Man Bridge (Clifton, VA)
Bunny Man Bridge (Offbeat NOVA)
If you read list of haunted or creepy locations in Virginia, the Bunny Man Bridge is almost guaranteed to be on it. Located in Clifton, VA, the bridge’s legend stems from a variety of incidents in legend and lore dating back to the early 1970s. Both involve a crazed maniac wearing a white bunny suit and attacking unsuspecting travelers with a hatchet. Most of these incidents occurred in or around the bridge. The bunny suit-clad individual is oddly enough best known for appearing on several occurrences off Guinea Road in Burke, nearly seven miles away on Colchester Road.
It is also one of the few roads that I have seen that Google Maps did not record. Check Google Maps. You can’t see it—in fact, you can’t go beyond the yellow sign that reads “Dead End.”
The bridge in question is actually known as the Colchester Overpass, which was built in 1906 near the site of a former station of the Orange and Alexandria Railroad. The spot is a frequent destination for ghost hunters and general fans of the weird and macabre, especially around Halloween.
If you go: The road is incredibly narrow at the bridge point in Clifton, VA, and surrounds several private (wealthy) residences. There is no place to park, so you will need to drive through it or get out and take pictures quickly, as it is known to be patrolled by local authorities, especially during the Halloween time period.
Read our listen to our cross-post with the Uncanny America podcast HERE.
Source: Offbeat NOVA, “I am Rabbit. I can be anywhere: The Legend of the Bunny Man in Northern Virginia,” LINK.
4. Fort Hunt (Alexandria, VA)
Memorial to P. O. Box 1142 at Fort Hunt Park (Wikimedia Commons)
Located 11 miles south of the Washington, D.C., Fort Hunt began as a way to defend fortifications around the capitol sometime around the late 19th century. Today, its an open air park where you can play with family and friends and have a relaxing barbeque. If you look deeper, though, a more sinister history exists in plain sight.
During the Second World War, it was the location of a top secret intelligence station known simply as “P.O. Box 1142.” At this location, members of the American Military Intelligence Service interrogated prisoners of war, over 4,000 of which came in and out of the camp for the duration of the war. One notable prisoner, German U-Boat commander Werner Henke, was shot when he tried to climb a fence at the complex. The camp was found in violation of the Geneva Convention due to the failure of the Red Cross to be notified of the location of the prisoners. Veterans of the camp insist that no torture was used.
If you go: Fort Hunt Park is located off George Washington Parkway a few miles up from Mt. Vernon. Go to the NPS website to plan your visit.
Source: Washington Post, “Fort Hunt’s Quiet Men Break Silence on WWII,” LINK.
5. Congressional Baseball Game Practice Field Shooting (Alexandria, VA)
Simpson Field (Photo Credit: Louise Krafft)
On the morning of June 14, 2017, twenty-four Republican congressman gathered at Eugene Simpson Stadium Park in the Del Ray neighborhood of Alexandria, VA to practice for the upcoming annual Congressional Baseball Game for Charity. While they practiced, a man approached them and asked them if they were Republicans or Democrats. After they informed the man of their political persuasion, the individual left. That person was likely James Hodgkinson, who proceeded to open fire with a SKS semi-automatic rifle and 9mm Smith & Wesson handgun on the politicians and Capitol police officers playing on the field.
The ten-minute firefight left several individuals injured, including U.S. House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, who was at second base when the shooting began. He was shot in the hip and he tried to drag himself off the field in the dirt while the shooting raged overhead. Although critical, Scalise survived after several surgeries. Without the quick thinking of the police on hand, it could have been a bloodbath, according to Senator Rand Paul.
The kids playing baseball there probably have no idea that a mass shooting and assassination attempt was made in such a quiet upscale neighborhood as Del Ray.
If you go: The baseball field is located on 426 East Monroe Avenue in the Del Ray neighborhood of Alexandria.
6. George Lincoln Rockwell Death Spot (Arlington, VA)
George Lincoln Rockwell Death Spot (Offbeat NOVA)
It’s hard to think of Arlington, Virginia, one of the wealthiest and most expensive cities to live in the United States, as a hotbed of hate. For a time in the 1960s, however, it was the epicenter of the Neo-Nazi/white power movement in the United States. The man leading it was George Lincoln Rockwell, a former World War II naval aviator who build a hermit kingdom of bigotry and hate at the top of Upton Hill Regional Park in a large house he affectionately called “Hatemongers Hill.”
Rockwell was assassinated by a disgruntled former member of the American Nazi Party, John Patler, in the Dominion Hills Shopping Center on August 25, 1967. Rockwell was planning to do his laundry at the EconoWash laundromat when Patler shot him from he roof of the building while he sat in his 1958 Chevrolet. The car was parked in front of a barber shop.
Today, very little evidence of the assassination exists and the facade of the buildings in the Dominion Hills center have completely changed. However, as late as 2017, a small group of supporters gathered at the site of his death to offer the requisite “sieg heil” salute in his honor.
If you go: The location is at 6035 Wilson Blvd in Arlington, VA. Upton Hill Regional Park is just down the street. The former building was built near where a gazebo is located today.
Source: Offbeat NOVA, “All You Fascists Bound to Lose: The Assassination of George Lincoln Rockwell, LINK.
7. Amy Baker Exit Cold Case (Springfield, VA)
Location of Amy Baker Murder off Exit 166 (Google Maps)
On the night of March 29, 1989, an 18-year old was driving south on Interstate 95 when her car started experiencing trouble. She pulled off from the road, abandoned her 1970 Volkswagen Bug, and began walking up the exit ramp to Backlick Road and the nearby Exxon Station at what is now Exit 166 today. It was then that an attacker forced her into the woods near the exit ramp, where she was sexually assaulted and strangled. Her body was later found two days later covered by leaves.
Amy Baker (Inside NOVA)
This has remained one of the top cold cases in Northern Virginia. Over three decades later, the case remains unsolved, even with DNA available from the case.
If you go: The wooded area is located within the loop of Exit 166 on Interstate 95. It is not advised to pull off the road.
Source: Fairfax Underground, “1989 Homicide of Amy Baker,” LINK.
8. Weems-Botts Museum Haunted House (Dumfries, VA)
Weems-Botts Museum (Wikimedia Commons)
The Weems-Botts house began as a vestry for the nearby Quantico Church. It is named after two individuals who lived in the house, Mason Locke “Parson” Weems and Benjamin Botts.
Weems, the first owner of the home, was a clergyman who wrote George Washington’s first biography—which also contained the famous cherry-tree tale. Botts, who bought the home in 1802, was an attorney who defended Aaron Burr during his treason and conspiracy trial. He later died in the 1811 Richmond Theater fire, which killed over seventy people. The house is now within the Historic Dumfries collection of museums and historic places.
The home went into various phases of disrepair and restoration in its long history. According to lore, spirits have entertained the household since the colonial period. There have been dozens of recorded sightings in recent years. One director of the museum said in an interview that guests heard the sound of horses during one particular ghost walk. Others smell an “overwhelming scent of a violet-type incense.” The site is a hotbed for local and national paranormal investigative groups. The house was also featured on a Biography Channel show “My Ghost Story” in 2021.
If you go: The museum is located at the corner of Duke Street and Cameron Street in historic Dumfries, VA. Visit their website for information on hours and availability.
Source: Potomac Local News, “A Dumfries House Full of History, and Chilling Experiences, LINK.
9. Stoney Lonesome Cemetery (Lorton, VA)
Stoney Lonesome Cemetery (Atlas Obscura)
A small cemetery was built in 1910 across from the former Lorton workhouse prison complex for the burial of male and female inmates that died while imprisoned there. The spaces were reserved for those who had no friends or family to claim them or provide a proper burial. The earliest graves included men and women who died from fatal injuries and diseases like the 1918 Spanish flu epidemic.
According to the Fairfax County Library website, the cemetery is situation within a 100-foot by 30-foot stand of trees along the south side of an access road to a fishing pond. The rows all have grave depressions with approximately 50-100 total burials there. The depressions in the ground are chillingly eerie. There are no grave markers to designate who is buried there. The only thing there within the gated cemetery is a small sign that reads:
If you go: This land is on private property. Visit at your own discretion. The nearest address would be 9414 Ox Road on the other side of the street. The cemetery is just up from Workhouse Road and the current Workhouse Arts Center.
Charles Severance unsuccessfully ran for Mayor of Alexandria in 1996 and 2000 as an Independent. He also ran for Congress for the 8th district in 1996 to no avail. He was known to be “a bearded eccentric” at his campaign events, often becoming loud, outspoken, and violent. In a 1996 forum with Representative Jim Moran, Severance pointed the spiked finial of an American flag at him before running out of the building. In reality, he was an early outspoken predecessor to the unhinged paranoia that has taken hold of the followers of Qanon today.
Charles Severance (Northern Virginia Magazine)
After his political career was over, Severance focused on murder, killing three people in the span of 13 years: realtor Nancy Dunning in 2003, transportation planner Ron Kirby in 2013, and teacher Nancy Lodato in 2014. All of them were shot in broad daylight at their front doors after responding to a knock. Investigators later found writings of Severance that detailed his methods, which he called “Knock. Talk. Enter. Kill. Exit. Murder.”
His murders all took places within the same area of Del Ray, Alexandria, near his two-bedroom townhouse at 3452 Gunston Road. He called it “Gunston Manor.” The murder spree was likely caused by a lengthy and ugly custody battle of his child with his girlfriend, who lived with him at Gunston Manor.
Severance was sentenced to life in prison plus 48 years. The townhouse remains today as a poignant reminder of the unbridled rage that once festered inside its walls.
If you go: The townhome at 3452 Gunston Road is a private residence.
Americana Hotel, Arlington, VA. Photo by Matthew Eng/Offbeat NOVA.
By Angela H. Eng, Offbeat NOVA
I’ve always had an appreciation for all things retro and vintage, but as I grow older, the love deepens. To that end, I’ve always felt a stab of excitement any time I saw a vintage sign still standing. I love the sharp lines, the thoughtful color palettes, and the whimsy of a time gone by.
I knew there were several such signs still in Northern Virginia. One day, I decided to try and find as many as I could. My research yielded six signs. Matt and I took a driving tour one afternoon and photographed all of them, which are detailed below.
The Breezeway Motel | 10829 Fairfax Boulevard, Fairfax, VA The Breezeway Motel is a mid-century modern relic in Fairfax City. It was built in three separate phases between 1950 and 1960. It is still in operation as a budget motel, but the land it sits on is slated for redevelopment in the near future.
The Lee High Inn | 9864 Fairfax Boulevard, Fairfax, VA The Lee High Inn was formerly the Anchorage Motel, originally built in 1955. The motel’s nautical theme is still discernible in the motel’s sign and building structure. The Anchorage was sold sometime around 2015 and is still in operation as a budget motel.
The Majestic, Alexandria, VA. Photo by Matthew Eng/Offbeat NOVA
The Majestic | 911 King Street, Alexandria, VA The Majestic first opened in 1932, at 622 King Street in Old Town Alexandria. It moved to the current location at 911 King Street in 1949. The restaurant operated until 1978 and remained closed until April 2001. Though it has changed hands since then, it remains open. The signs on the front of the building are reproductions, but the sign in the window is original.
The Virginia Lodge Motel | 6027 Richmond Highway, Alexandria, VA The Virginia Lodge was built in 1952. It is a part of the Route 1 string of motels that had their heyday in the 1950s and 1960s and is one of the few that remain. It is currently still in operation as a budget motel.
The Americana Hotel | 1400 Richmond Highway, Arlington, VA The Americana Hotel opened in 1963 and was one of the first hotels in Crystal City. It appeared in the 2009 political thriller State of Play. it closed in December 2020 and is in talks to be demolished for new apartments or condos.
Dixie Pig BBQ | 1225 Powhatan Street, Alexandria, VA The original Dixie Pig BBQ opened in 1924 and was the first of several restaurants to open with that name. The restaurant with this sign opened at the intersection of Powhatan Street and Bashford Lane, Alexandria, in 1949. It was sold in 1984, but the sign remained. It is currently a Greek restaurant named Vaso’s Kitchen. The sign also appeared in the TV show The West Wing and the film Remember the Titans.
Did we miss any other vintage signs in Northern Virginia? Please let us know in the comments, and we will add them to this article!
Offbeat NOVA 