In 2007, I moved from Boston for a job at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) headquartered at L’Enfant Plaza. Crystal City had direct Metro links to DC and convenience (I didn’t own a car). Despite the “cookie cutter” concrete canyons (if stubbier), there was a different vibe — the Crystal City Underground.
At first, it was just passageways from Crystal Towers, through the Marriott Gateway, to the Crystal City Metro. Making this journey twice a day at least five times a week, and start paying attention, I realized a unique culture within those tunnels.
There were offices, stores, restaurants, and retail. In theory, one could live, work, and eat without ever “surfacing”! After enough time, I figured such dwellers would evolve into having light-sensitive eyes and translucent skin — like the Morlocks in the 1960 movie “The Time Machine”.
I regularly ate at the sushi restaurant (Sushi Garden), dropped clothes off at Crystal Cleaners. and my picture framing at Crystal City Framers. I would grab a drink and meal at San Antonio Bar and Grill or King Street Blues. The shop owners were friendly and remembered your name. However, times were changing. The food court lost several places including a Burger King, the “gourmet market” closed, and Walgreens closed and moved to Pentagon City. (I arrived after the Safeway and the Burger Hamlet.)
I had nothing but admiration for how others moved in selling puppets, suits, and shoes. Others tried to capture artistic Arlington with artists’ studios and galleries. Some even captured the military presence (including secretive “national security” offices) with Anchors Aweigh military souvenirs and others with a ready supply of eagles, presidents playing poker, and military prints.
There were always rumors of the underground closing, making us appreciate how much it was part of Crystal City life. Us residents fought off an earlier attempt to “daylight” Crystal City forcing us to the surface (qv “Morlocks”).
I became friends with Jack Levonian of Metro Camera the only original business from the 1976 opening. These were not national brands (save the Dunkin Donuts but the employees were characters) but small businesses making a go of it in a changing, challenging retail environment. Expensive too.
I am sad about the pending closures because the 50 years of Crystal City Underground is a David and Goliath story, but Goliath wins.
(Let’s not forget this unique part of Arlington’s history!)
