For those keeping score at home, this is the 74th edition of Arlington Today. I think it might be the best one yet; however, I should probably note that one of my colleagues says I make that claim following every issue.
If I do that, I do that because, some six and a half years since we started celebrating the Arlington area, I still fervently believe in the cause. And I know the folks with whom I work take immense pride in knowing that we represent what is, for all practical purposes, the publication of record for a city and region that is as passionate and compassionate as any you’ll find. It’s easy to strive to be better with each step when your path is laden with fellow strivers, the likes of which occupy offices, practices and work sites from one end of the city limits to the other – in every direction.
As the calendar turns to introduce a new year – and, for that matter, a new decade – I’m eager to see where the collective resolve of this community’s residents takes this community in the coming years.
Our story about the resoundingly significant new development that soon will be in the works in the Entertainment District (see page 26) and my colleague Richard Greene’s analysis of its place in local history and its potential role in defining the future (see page 82) suggest that continued success is in the offing. It’s amazing what like-minded, forward-thinking people can accomplish when they walk arm in arm toward a goal. Those walking here have consistently shown the uncanny knack for turning “can do” into “done.”
And in the very near future, when someone asks what Arlington has done … well, they won’t have to ask. They can simply look at how the expanse of land that used to surround The Ballpark in Arlington has been filled with two more stadiums and a state-of-the-art entertainment venue and a pair of luxury hotels and business and residential meccas that will comprise a corporate testament to the kindred fervor that defines our fair burg.
Six and a half years and 73 issues ago, we began to chronicle the evolution of that definition. We commenced to sharing who moves and shakes, who grooves and bakes. We initiated a quest to share what lies at the heart of a city and region and how it manifests in business successes and in recreational endeavors and in academic achievements and in athletic victories and in the simplest acts of kindness.
And how, over time, those manifestations ceased to be isolated incidents, but, rather, became the very identity of Arlington and the area that surrounds it.
I’ll go ahead and ‘fess up: I probably do claim following every edition of this magazine that it’s better than any of its predecessors. I certainly want it to be, because I feel an obligation to live up to that proclamation every time I sit down to prepare for the next issue.
Happy New Year, Arlington. May it be your best one yet!
