Please come celebrate the placing of two bronze stumbling stone plaques (like the one shown here) honoring Orville and Jackson, enslaved by Bushrod Hunter on his Brookdale Estate, a part of which is modern day Lyon Park. On Saturday, November 15, the dedication begins at 10:00 a.m. at the corner of North Garfield and 4th Street North, and will be followed by an outdoor reception. All are welcome!
“The Board of Governors of the Lyon Park Community Center applauds the “Memorializing Enslaved in Arlington” initiative, a project sponsored by the Arlington Historical Society and the Black Heritage Museum of Arlington, and the marking with bronze plaques of locations where enslavement occurred, described as “stumbling stones,” placed in public rights of way. The Board is honored to recognize the placement of two stumbling stones at the southwest corner of our park, at the intersection of N. Garfield and 4th Street North.”
Last month I wrote about ArNAC — the Arlington Neighborhoods Advisory Committee — and the types of projects it has funded for the Lyon Park neighborhood and others around Arlington. There have been great examples of beautification and pedestrian safety improvements all across the County. As your neighborhood representative, it’s my job to support project ideas from Lyon Park, see them grow from ideas into plans, and shepherd them through the process of review and selection by ArNAC. But where do those project ideas come from in the first place? That’s where you come in!
We, the members of the Lyon Park community, get to decide what projects we want to pursue for the good of the neighborhood. That’s one of the best things about the ArNAC program — it’s neighborhood-driven. But it also puts the burden of responsibility on us. If we want to make use of this program and its funding, we have to put forward ideas and be willing to do the follow-up work to turn them into plans. ArNAC has County staff standing ready to help us, but the work begins with us.
Fortunately, several of our wonderful neighbors have begun a fair amount of this work already. The Lyon Park Neighborhood Plan, filed with ArNAC in 2019, lays out a 10-year plan for the community, describing the neighborhood we want to create and maintain over this period. It highlights goals, preferences, and areas for improvement, based on significant surveying done at the time. ArNAC prioritizes funding for projects that align with a neighborhood’s plan — this is a great place to start.
ArNAC follows a specific rules and pointing system to weight project ideas across the various neighborhoods, so we’ve adopted a similar set of criteria to help us prioritize ideas for Lyon Park:
Size, scope, and cost of the project — priority to ideas with less effort required
Level of impact — priority to ideas benefitting the highest number of neighbors
Proposed champion — priority to ideas with a “block champion,” a neighbor ready to lead the charge and champion the project with me
Neighbor support — priority to ideas that already have significant support or goodwill from the neighbors most directly impacted
Additional funding sources — priority to ideas that can tap into multiple funding sources
Sidewalk or park project — priority to ideas for pedestrian safety or County park improvement. (Note that Lyon Park and our community center are owned by us, the neighborhood; that is not a County-owned or maintained park.)
These criteria are guidelines, not limits. They will help us prioritize our time and energy to be efficient within the ArNAC system. But all ideas are welcome!
Are you ready to get started? Reach out to me at tabitharicketts@gmail.com with your thoughts on how we can better our neighborhood, and let’s turn our dreams into actions!
Many people are familiar with Sushi JIP because of its prominent location at the busy intersection at the corner of Washington Boulevard and 10th Street. They’ve seen the sign as they’ve walked past, or the lovely outdoor seating area, but maybe never been inside the spacious dining room. Still others are familiar with the Japanese restaurant that occupied this spot before its current incarnation as Sushi JIP.
In September 2024, a local Virginia family took over the management. Their new website proclaims, “Our story begins with a profound love for authentic flavors and a vision to redefine sushi dining.” That new definition includes some unusual Signature Rolls (like the Too Too Funky (with mozzarella cheese, cream cheese, crab, avocado, bacon bits, sour cream and cinnamon honey)) and what my neighbor, who joined me there for lunch last week called, their “flair.” Beautifully decorated dishes arrive adorned with rocks, branches, flowers, and, in the case of my sashimi platter, flashing lights.
At lunch on a Wednesday, my neighbor and I, at first, had the large indoor space (about 50 seats) to ourselves, though more people trickled in as we ate. Weekdays are not busy here, we were told, but weekends, especially for dinner, are more crowded and a reservation is a good idea.
Tables are set with cute chopstick holders and a buzzer that can be used to summon wait staff when you are ready to order or need something. Though, even without the buzzer, staff was very attentive and food was delivered quickly.
The menu for rolls, sushi, sashimi, poke, and combination platters is extensive – almost overwhelming. And if raw fish isn’t your thing, you can order from the Kitchen/Noodles, Hibachi (food grilled over an open flame), or Vegetable Roll sections of the menu. We tried Shrimp Shumai as an appetizer, Bulgogi Fried Rice, and one of their Signature Rolls, the Double Salmon (The aforementioned flashing sashimi dish was from a prior visit). There was a special lunch menu because we happened to be there during Restaurant Week, but there aren’t usually the more traditional Japanese lunch options, like a bento box.
The fish was definitely the standout, even if, as my companion pointed out, there is no elegant way to eat some of the towering rolls (so maybe not the best place for a first date). Portions are large and the fish fresh and delicious. The manager explained that they are committed to keeping the fish fresh by only ordering a certain amount daily and having it delivered by a local trading distributor.
It’s on the expensive side, but that seems par for the course for this cuisine. They also provide catering and host private parties. If you are a sushi lover, Sushi JIP will not disappoint.
Sushi JIP (3000 Washington Blvd): Hours of operation are 11:30 a.m.–9:30 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday; 11:30 a.m.–10:00 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 11:30 a.m.–9:00 p.m. Sunday. Phone number is 703-243-7799. Visit the website: https://sushijip.com/ for more information.
The LPCC Board of Governors has created a new Grounds Committee to oversee the natural environment of the park exclusive of the playground areas and the community center. The committee is currently composed of Bill Anhut, Deborah Barber, Ann Bodine, and myself, but we are looking for others within the community who would wish to join and help us maintain the park. Please let me know (miscsteve@comcast.net) if you would like to be a part of this committee.
The Grounds Committee performs various functions:
We apply mulch to the trees every spring, supervise a professional arborist to check the health of the trees, conduct tree pruning when necessary, provide for emerald ash borer treatment of the two Arlington County Champion White Ash trees located in the center of the park, and oversee the mowing of the lawn.
Deborah is doing a fantastic job in creating and maintaining the extensive gardens surrounding the community center, maintaining the rain garden located to the south of the community center, and preparing plants for the annual Lyon Park Plant Sale. She currently is looking for volunteers to help with these tasks. Please contact Deborah (deborah.barber@gmail.com) if you wish to help keep the gardens looking great.
lyonpark.org 