Bethesda Actually

I thought that this was an interesting, and encouraging, indication of the local economy here in Bethesda. The Bethesda Court Hotel is slated to become a high end Westin hotel under new plans that the county needs to sign off on. This is the money quote for me:

Stephanie Coppula, a spokeswoman for the Bethesda Urban Partnership, a nonprofit that handles landscaping, maintenance and marketing of downtown. “It seems to be exactly what’s needed,” Hartman said. “The fact that they have a signed hotel is such a good sign for the economy and such a good sign for Bethesda.” County planners are seeing more projects in Bethesda, Krasnow said. “We are definitely seeing a flurry of activity right now,” she said. “Developers see a lot of opportunity for hotel and apartments.”

The whole article is certainly worth a read!

Friends,

Just saw that there is a very nice “Summer Ale” event being held at Rock Bottom Brewery tomorrow. Geoff, the brewer, describes the ale this way — should be a fun event:

Summer Ale is light amber in color with a light body.  It has a pound and a half of hops per barrel.  All the hops are loaded in the back end: toward the end of boil, post boil, and post fermentation.  Bright citrus and floral hop notes dominate the aroma and flavor.  You’ll be expecting that mouth puckering bitterness to follow, but, it doesn’t.  It finishes with light caramel malt sweetness with just a little bitterness to balance.  It is a unique and interesting.  I hope you enjoy this first of the summer time beers.

Just wanted to remind you that on Oct 5th 2001 Bethesda Green will be holding their Second Annual Gala recognizing Bethesda Magazine‘s Green Award Winners. The event will be at the Round House Theatre in Bethesda!

 From our friends at Bethesda Green:

Celebrate Cinco De Mayo with Bethesda Green

Join us at Caddies on Cordell May 5, 5-8 pm, 4922 Cordell Avenue in Bethesda for casual conversation and social networking. We’ll be on the second floor.

Learn about upcoming events and activities, including our May 7 Fields of Green Internship Fair and Greening Condos workshop series.

You’ll also have a chance to meet and hear from event sponsors Electric Advisors.

Caddies is offering:
Half-price discounts on selected appetizers
$5 rail drinks from 4-7
$2.50 non premium drafts
$9 non premium pitchers
$14/$17 buckets of bottled beer all night long.

Caddies will also contribute 15 percent of sales to Bethesda Green.

Learn more

Friends, don’t forget that Crosby and Nash are performing at the Strathmore Music Center this evening.

Of course, news of such a cool event reminds me of how wonderful it will be for the residents of Symphony Park to stroll to such concerts in the future and to take advantage of the special relationship with Strathmore.

Key details for this evening: Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda. Tickets are $35 to $125. Call 301-581-5100 or visit strathmore.org.

Friends,

We are going to try something new on the real estate side of the site. Each week we will showcase one Open House that you may want to visit. Please feel free to email us with suggestions over the course of the week!

First up is an Open House that I will be holding in the Brookmont neighborhood this Sunday (April 17th) from 1-4pm.

The house itself is wonderful — it is a traditional home with a contempory addition. It has 5 bedrooms, 4 full bathrooms, slate and wood floors and the most wonderful views of High Island, the Potomac and the C&O canal.

As for the community itself, well Brookmont is fabulous and is a bit of a hidden gem in the Bethesda area. The WP ran a nice feature on it some years ago (see here) that started with this wonderful line: 

“Living in the Brookmont neighborhood of Bethesda and not kayaking, Bill Guerry often says, is like living in Aspen, Colo., and not knowing how to ski.”

And this portion of the article will give you a flavor of the area:

While front and back yards are small, the public space is vast. Because the neighborhood has only a single way to enter and leave, the streets are free from traffic. They are taken over instead by dog-walkers, cyclists, parents or nannies with children.

Along with the nearby C&O Canal towpath and Crescent biking trail, the neighborhood has its own playground and open field at one end, which is run by Montgomery County. A tree-lined grassy median runs the length of Broad Street, serving as front yard for the houses on that street and as a greenway for children to run from one end of the neighborhood to the other. The “Village Green” is also where many neighborhood-wide events are staged.

So if you have a little time free on Sunday to come and look at a delighful property in a super part of Bethesda, or if you or a friend or family member is looking for a new place to call home, please visit me at my Open House and please mention you saw this invite on Bethesda Actually! 

PS And do not hesitate to be in contact if I can help you with any real estate matters!

Cheers, Raj (2404863921 or rajlaw@yahoo.com)

Raj Purohit Weichert Realtors Bethesda

7200 Wisconsin Ave Bethesda MD 20814

(301)656-2500 (main)

(240)486-3921 (direct/cell)

Equal Housing Opportunity

We just received this invite and info:

Flying V, a new ensemble based production company, is presenting our second ever show, SCIENCE FICTION DOUBLE FEATURE, at The Writer’s Center in Bethesda, MD for one weekend only April 29 – 30, 2011.

As a new face in the DC theater scene, we’re looking to get the word out about our new play development. At the moment we’re made up of about 15 actors, writers, theatre-lovers, and directors committed to productions of engaging, high-impact theatricality and fearless content.

I hope you’ll consider joining us April 29-30 for SCIENCE FICTION DOUBLE FEATURE. A press release for the event can be found here.

Hurrah for Spring Resturant Week!! Things kick off on Monday. Places to go range from favorites like Assaggi and Raku to Jaleo and Mon Ami Gabi. Prices are: 1. Two-course lunch for $15/ 2. Three-course dinner for $30.

Which one will you be visiting this week?

Information on the event:

THURSDAY MARCH 24th, 4-5:30pm at Uptown Deli 7905 Norfolk Ave Bethesda MD 20814
Please note the actual ribbon cutting is from 4:45 to 5:00.  This will need to be slightly adjusted given the arrival of the invited officials.  To date we are expecting Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett, Councilmember Roger Berliner, District 1, and a representative from Congressman Van Hollin’s office.

Details on the next one:

Join us Thursday, April 7, 5 – 8 pm for casual conversation and social networking at the Lebanese Taverna, 7141 Arlington Road, Bethesda, MD 20814.  Event highlights include:

• Meeting some of the folks leading the way to protect the local watershed — Cabin John, Little Falls and Rock Creek.
• Learning about a number of volunteer opportunities Saturday April 9 — for example, It’s Time to Take Out the Trash and Clean Creek, Clean Potomac — to help watershed clean-up efforts throughout the area.
• Enjoying complimentary appetizers from Lebanese Taverna, as well as discount beer, wine and mixed drink prices.  

RSVP through Meetup