Vacations

Come out and celebrate the Christmas Holiday Season at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens Regional Park in nearby Vienna, Virginia. Our two mile hike on asphalt and natural surface trails showcases flowers, shrubs, ponds, and a Korean Bell Garden that are decorated for the holidays. Bring a daypack, comfortable hiking shoes, cold weather clothing, trail snacks, and a quart of water. Price of admission: Adults under 60 $8 and over 60 $4. Although not connected directly to the Sierra Club PRO hike, Meadowlark Botanical Gardens offers the Winter Walk of Lights after dark. Reservations required at novaparks.com. Meet at 11AM at the Meadowlark Botanical Gardens Regional Park off of Beulah Road in Vienna, Virginia. Leader: Glenn Gillis 571-217-4477

NEW MEETING PLACE!! We will start at the bathroom temple on 15th st- Due east (towards capital) from Washington monument. WASHINGTON LODGE. We will visit some of the lesser known spots as well as the usual highlights. This is an easy, though fast, walk around the mall. Route varies, but walk may include Washington monument, Lincoln and Jefferson memorials, MLK memorial, tidal basin, Signers memorial, and my favorite, the Roosevelt memorial. Many people feel that the mall is at its most beautiful at night with the monuments lit. We walk fast, this is not a stroll. This is a walk- not a sightseeing tour. We stop very briefly, if at all, at the monuments, then move on. Where to Meet: bathroom temple on 15th st- Due east (towards capital) from Washington monument. We leave 6:15 sharp. Please be a few minutes early. Difficulty: Easy, although we do walk fast. If you can’t stay with the group I assume you can find your way back on your own. Distance: 5-6 miles Duration: 1.5 hr Scenery: National monuments, tourists, geese, pigeons. Trail surface: Some gravel, paving, some mud. Facilities: There are rest room facilities at various spots, we will stop as needed. Park Fees: none Elevation Gain: 4 feet Dogs: No Metro: Smithsonian stop. Blue, Silver, Orange lines. There tends to be metered parking on Jefferson drive that opens up right at 6. Bringing a flashlight can be helpful. National Guard and other visitors to our capital are welcome.

Who's available on Tuesday morning for another walk in Rock Creek Park? We'll meet at 9:30 at the Rock Creek Park Nature Center and Planetarium, 5200 Glover Road Northwest Washington, DC. According to the park website, "if the parking there is full you can park at either Picnic Grove #13 (located at the split for Ridge and Glover roads near Military Rd) or in the parking area for the Maintenance Yard located at 5000 Glover Road NW." Metrobus C81 also goes there. We'll follow the Boulder Bridge Trail loop, which is described online as 3, 3.2 or 4 miles long depending on the source. Here's a description: [https://www.nps.gov/thingstodo/boulder-bridge-hike.htm](https://www.nps.gov/thingstodo/boulder-bridge-hike.htm) The hike is classified as easy, and it should take us 60-90 minutes to complete. I need to get back afterward for a meeting but some might want to have lunch together, TBD. Please include your cell number so we can be sure to meet up. Hope to see you! Please also join us for FFF>50 on the Mighty Networks platform, for even more in-person events (every member can easily create them), a walled playground for just us, and no pressure to pay or upgrade. [Join the national network (5000 women) here](https://community.fff50.org/share/dbWb9iJu5XwSN2TR?utm_source=manual) and then join our Washington DC area chapter, looking forward to seeing you there!

This will be our first ever New Years Eve Gala. We are excited to be hosting this event. We've invited the DC Trans Ladies group to join us at the Marriott for this evening. Our Gala will take place in the lounge and restaurant of the Marriott in Fair Oaks Va. We'll be having party favors, dressing up classy and having a champagne toast at midnight. For those new to our Galas, and the Marriott. We gather in the Lounge and socialize and also have their 703 Restaurant, for us to enjoy dinner in and also a nice place to gather. The Hotel Management and staff go out of their way to make us feel comfortable and we are enjoying ourselves all evening. We will have a block of rooms set aside at a discounted price for our event. We encourage everyone to use this discount and consider staying the night. The link for the rooms is posted below. Parking is free and there is no cost to attend the Gala. We hope you will be able to attend our FIRST EVER New Years Eve Gala. Please be sure to RSVP. This will ensure the Marriott has enough staff on hand to accommodate our group. Here is the link to our block of rooms we have available to everyone. https://www.marriott.com/event-reservations/reservation-link.mi?id=1762449265993&key=GRP&app=resvlink&_branch_match_id=1515500833846617811&_branch_referrer=H4sIAAAAAAAAA8soKSkottLXTywo0MtNLCrKzC8p0UvOz9UvSi3OyczLtgdK2ALZZSCOWmaKraG5mZGJiaWRmamlpbFadmqlrXtQgFpdUWpaKlB3Xnp8UlF%2BeXFqka1zRlF%2BbioAm4mSgGAAAAA%3D If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact one of the hosts of this event.

Come all adventurers for a night of fantasy and adventure at Lost Barrel Brewing. A new one-shot Dungeons and Dragons 5e (2024) adventure every week hosted by Geistcatcher Games. Characters and other supplies will be provided. Delve into lost crypts, climb forsaken mountains, do battle with ancient evils, all while enjoying some fine libations.

Our sister group, D.C. Transgender Ladies Social and Events (DCATS), is excited to announce that they will be hosting their ***first ever*** New Years Eve Gala. All members of the DC Trans Ladies group have been invited to join DCATS at the Marriott for this evening. This NYE Gala will take place in the lounge and restaurant of the Marriott in Fair Oaks Mall, Fairfax Va. The event will include party favors and a champagne toast at midnight. The expectation is that all ladies will be dressing classy for this celebration. Use the link below to obtain more details regarding the hotel and location of Gala activities within the hotel: [New Year's Eve Gala at the Marriott with guests DC Regional Trans Ladies group. , Wed, Dec 31, 2025, 6:00 PM | Meetup](https://www.meetup.com/washington-transgender-meetup/events/311849214/?isFirstPublish=true) DCATS has arranged to have a block of rooms set aside at a discounted price for the NYE event. The group encourages everyone to use this discount and consider staying the night. The link for the rooms is posted below. https://www.marriott.com/event-reservations/reservation-link.mi?id=1762449265993&key=GRP&app=resvlink&_branch_match_id=1515500833846617811&_branch_referrer=H4sIAAAAAAAAA8soKSkottLXTywo0MtNLCrKzC8p0UvOz9UvSi3OyczLtgdK2ALZZSCOWmaKraG5mZGJiaWRmamlpbFadmqlrXtQgFpdUWpaKlB3Xnp8UlF%2BeXFqka1zRlF%2BbioAm4mSgGAAAAA%3D Parking is free and there is no cost to attend the Gala. Please be sure to RSVP for the DCATS NYE Gala. You can sign up on either group's page. The total attendee count will be tallied from both groups. An accurate RSVP count is needed to ensure that the Fair Oaks Marriott has enough staff on hand to accommodate both groups. If you need additional information, contact Melodee Scarlet.

[https://ridewithgps.com/routes/45928389](https://ridewithgps.com/routes/45928389) 20.3 miles. Join us for a short and pleasant e-bike ride in and around the center of Washington, DC, on New Year's Day. Note the starting time is 12:30 PM. NOTE: New starting point is Haines Point as the roads are blocked off for a 5K race. The total tour distance is some 20 miles but you can cut it short if needed. 94% of the ride is on paved bike paths and flat terrain. At the halfway point, we will provide snacks, hot tea, and cider. You can even bring your own picnic. Various monuments can be seen during this route (the Capitol, the municipal Fish Market, the White House, the Lincoln Memorial, the Nationals ballpark stadium, the Titanic memorial, and the new Frederick Douglas bridge). DISCLAIMER LIMITATION OF LIABILITY: TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMISSIBLE PURSUANT TO APPLICABLE LAW, NEITHER GREGORY MAASSEN, TRIP COORDINATORS, THEIR AFFILIATES, FAMILY AND FORMER AND CURRENT EMPLOYERS NOR ANY OTHER PARTY INVOLVED IN CREATING, PRODUCING, OR DELIVERING E-BIKE LOVERS GUIDES, OUR MEETUP EVENTS, AND THE GPS E-TRAILS IS LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, INDIRECT, EXEMPLARY, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF A USER’S ACCESS TO, OR USE OF THE E-BIKE LOVERS GUIDES, OUR MEETUP EVENTS, AND THE GPS E-TRAILS. See for the full disclaimer: https://ebikelovers.com/disclaimer

Salsamante Dance Academy will be at Swerve to share the Rhythm & Energy of Bachata & Salsa. These are Beginner Level lessons to get you comfortable and understand the two dances. Spread the Good News to all. Swerve Dance & Fitness Complex 640 Lakeview Plaza Blvd A, Worthington, OH 43085 Bachata 7pm-8pm Salsa 8pm-9pm $15 - One Lesson $20 - Both Lessons

Bring your Raspberry Pi, Arduino, microcontroller, or any other electronic project and join fellow electronics makers for a night of creativity and collaboration! This session is open forum to share your current projects—whether complete or in progress, it’s all interesting! Whether you’re deep into embedded systems, exploring new ideas, or just getting started, you’ll find a welcoming space to collaborate, share, and get inspired. I've been hardware hacking a See N Say to make it say whatever I want - while the project is in progress still, it should be working by this meetup! I'll bring it for demo. [See N Say Project](https://github.com/cdeever/esp32-see-n-say) While we continue to pursue a more permanent venue for this Meetup, we’ll be using public library facilities based on availability. This session will be at the Worthington Park Library in the Olentangy Meeting Room.

Early-bird coffee and conversation at [5 Bean Coffee](https://5beancoffee.com/)!