Beer

It’s the day to celebrate America’s favorite food. National Pizza Day is the the biggest single day food holiday in the pizza industry. Alfreda is a popular pizzeria in Washington, D.C.'s Dupont Circle neighborhood, known for its handcrafted sourdough pizzas, fresh salads, and craft cocktails, with a focus on quality ingredients and a simple, sophisticated dining experience. It's praised for its crispy, flavorful crust and is considered a top pizza spot in the city, [Alfreda](https://www.alfredadc.com) pizza in Dupont Circle offers a $25 off coupon for $75 or more spent. i picked one up to share. Hope to see you there on this national holiday for citizens of the pizza state of mind.

Hello again! After a long hiatus, the Monday meet up at Nanny O’Briens is back! We’ll have some games to play, but feel free to bring your favorites as well. Stop by for a game and a drink, and say hello! We’ll be in the back room. Other info: Nanny O'Brien's is allowing us to use their back room for some board game socializing. Please reciprocate their generosity by purchasing food and drinks. Free street parking starts at 6:30 in most areas (make sure to read the signs). If you're taking the metro, take the red line to Cleveland Park and walk two blocks southwest on Connecticut (we are located next to CVS).

Mondays just got delicious! Join us at **Divino** for **Wine Mondays: 50% off our entire wine list**—all day, every Monday. From crisp Italian whites to bold Barolos, it’s the perfect excuse to explore something new or revisit a favorite. **Less Monday stress...More Wine!** FREE PARKING

[Profs and Pints DC](https://www.profsandpints.com/washingtondc) presents: **“Venezuela’s Future—and Ours,”** an analysis of how the Trump administration’s intervention in Venezuela will affect that nation, the U.S., and the rest of the world, with Ernesto Castañeda, Director of the Center for Latin American and Latino Studies and the Immigration Lab at American University. [Advance tickets: $13.50 plus sales tax and processing fees. Available at [https://www.ticketleap.events/tickets/profsandpints/dc-venezuela-future](https://www.ticketleap.events/tickets/profsandpints/dc-venezuela-future) .] On January 3rd, after a long military buildup, the United States used special forces to seize Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, from their residence in Caracas, Venezuela to stand trial here on criminal charges. The development marked a major turning point in our relationship with Venezuela and the rest of Latin America and raised a host of complex questions, not just for Venezuelans living inside and outside that country but for American citizens and other nations of the world. Coming to the stage to break down what all of this means is Ernesto Castañeda, a scholar of Latin America who has given several excellent Profs and Pints talks on immigration policy and has given dozens of interviews to media outlets around the world in the wake of the U.S. raid. In a talk offering informed perspective on the latest news developments, Professor Castañeda will discuss various theories about why the U.S. conducted the operation to get Maduro out of Venezuela. He’s put our nation’s current plans for Venezuela into context by touching on previous U.S. military interventions in Latin America and beyond. Professor Castañeda will look at the implications of recent events for U.S. politics and U.S. citizens and what such developments tell us about the balance of power in the United States. He’ll examine the distance between decisions made by the White House and public priorities, touching on how it all relates to our immigration policies and our views about peaceful protest and democracy. He’ll consider how the Venezuela raid and our actions since have altered relations between the U.S. and other nations and provide scenarios about what the future might hold. (Door: $17, or $15 with a student ID. Listed time is for doors. The talk starts 30 minutes later.) Image by Canva.

No sign\-ups required \| All levels welcome \| 21\+ If you're looking for a casual game of chess in a fun atmosphere, this event is for you! Members range from beginner to master level, and games are played both with and without time controls. This event is held at a bar, the Board Room, in Washington, DC, and is intended for 21+ players. We meet upstairs, on the mezzanine. Upon arrival, fill out a name tag and indicate your relative skill, to facilitate match-ups. Chess sets and boards are provided. We don't have club clocks, but most people use the Chess Clock app from Chess.com to play timed games.

This our weekly game night event! We start at 6pm so that we can get dinner from Aslin Taproom. Come join us and maybe meet some new friends as we play games ranging from Fluxx to Ricochet Robots to Ticket to Ride to Saboteur to Cards Against Humanity (and many others). Bring your games or try the games that our regulars bring! That pesky covid thing is still around. Feel free to wear a mask. I have extra masks if you don't feel comfortable without one.

What does love really look like—not in theory, but in lived experience? For this gathering of **Taproom Theology**, we’re doing something intentionally different. Rather than a single speaker or teaching, **individuals and couples have been invited to share their own stories**; stories of romantic love, deep friendship, commitment, loss, singleness, and the relationships that have shaped who they are. Love is often simplified or sentimentalized, yet most of us know it’s far more complex. As Taylor Swift puts it simply and honestly, **“The best people in life are free.”** This evening invites us to explore how love grows across its many forms: * *Agape* — self‑giving love that chooses presence over perfection * *Philia* — the love of friendship, loyalty, and shared life * And the evolving ways love shows up in partnerships, seasons of singleness, and chosen communities in the 21st century Some stories will come marriages or committed relationships. Others from friendships and yet others from the courage to be single without being alone. As C.S. Lewis reminds us, **“Friendship is born at the moment when one person says to another, ‘What! You too?’”** This gathering is not about offering advice, fixing relationships, or presenting “ideal” stories. It’s about **witnessing real love** as it actually unfolds: flawed, faithful, hopeful, and human. Leo Buscaglia once wrote, **“Love is life. And if you miss love, you miss life.”** Whether you come with a partner, a friend, or on your own, you belong here. Because love isn’t something we master, it’s something we practice, in relationship and in community. Love is a journey. And tonight, we’ll travel it together.

Join us for Galentines Day/ pre Lunar New Year get together at one of DCs hottest new restaurants! We’ll be convening in their bar area known as the ‘lucky bar’ (just look for Chrystalle). And they’re extending their happy hour for our group until 8pm. AND the first dozen attendees will get a special Lunar New Year treat. 😏 They boast an elevated Chinese American menu, the only public Mahjong bar in DC, and have recently been receiving some well deserved flowers from publications like EaterDC & The Washingtonian. Their beer menu may be smaller, but it is *nothing* to sneeze at either (thoughtfully curated by our friend Alyssa). Closest metro stop is Archives- Navy Memorial, just a block away. We really hope you can join us for this one because it’s gonna be a good one! 🍻 Hope to see ya!

**NEW GAME LOCATION at The Board Room** Let's play board games. Not the ones your ancestors played but the really cool ones of the new millennium. We play everything from fun, social games to light to heavy strategy games. Don't know how to play? Not a problem - we're happy to teach. It's a great chance to learn new games or play your favorites with non-competitive people who like to laugh. You can build a railroad, eradicate a plague, or explore the far reaches of the galaxy in one evening. While many will bring their own games, you can show up gameless and still play. We play at the Board Room in Clarendon on Wednesday from 6:30-10:00. It's within walking distance from the Clarendon metro. **Find us in the far left by the fermentation tanks.** If that area is reserved for a private event, look for us in the middle. Look for a group that has containers and carrying bags with multiple games. We're very fortunate to have this great venue for our game nights and they take care of us for 3-1/2 hours, so please spend a minimum of $10 on food or drink and tip generously (at the very least $2, even if 20% of your bill would be $1). Thanks!

We'll check out Emissary - Dupont Circle. Address: 2032 P St NW, Washington, DC 20036 After the coffee meetup, we will check out Pizzeria Paradiso for some sour and wild beers. Please have a picture profile so we can recognize you in the meetup. Please only sign up if you're sure about attending this meetup, and please update your RSVP as soon as possible if you need to cancel, thank you!

Please join DMV Wine Explorers on Thursday February 12th at Total Wine Ballston at 6:30PM for a wine and chocolate pairing class. \*\* Tickets are $20 and can be purchased [here](https://www.totalwine.com/class/wine-and-chocolate-a-perfect-pair/ballston/virginia/e/ec714779) \*\* Some things really are better together. Wine and chocolate! Pairing the right wine with the right chocolate creates new and unexpected tastes to delight the senses. Featuring premiere chocolate from a world-famous maker, this is a delish class for wine lovers with a sweet tooth!

Your Friday night just got better! Join us at select [#MarketDistrict](https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/marketdistrict?__eep__=6&__cft__%5B0%5D=AZXglupYTNnuPXhU3gU2DI9GInOg8OWWSvEJTry0VDGnMwh3tC6LxAkyc13s7j-hzoCa7zpemBLJbwdOAIfL-4l-h-eX3x7UFBl6CgHm1ijsL9C9hR_jWvIa_CNOjxBCQzMpVcaRfKr1LrRukr4nY0KHoqN2w3gXLadSqHBf6hPcBx13ltDk2suI8GhnjfjDOUs&__tn__=*NK-R) (we are meeting at Grandview Yard) locations for Flights & Bites on the third Friday of the month from 5-8pm. We'll meet about 5:30pm til 7:00pm. Feel free to join us anytime before 6:45pm. **Cost: $15.00 per person *(covers 4 wine or beer samples paired with gourmet appetizers)*** **Meet**: The staff will set aside tables for our group, just behind the bar. Feel free to brings cards if you want to play after your tasting. Sometimes, we head to a venue to hear live music afterwards.

Early-bird coffee and conversation at [Cup O Joe Coffee House](https://www.cupojoe.com/)!

We'll play board games at the [Land-Grant Brewing Company](https://landgrantbrewing.com/). They have multiple [food trucks](https://landgrantbrewing.com/food/) on Sundays. Ray Ray's also has coffee, and the brewery has free water (and Jeni's ice cream). You can come late or leave early. Please just sign up so I know to expect you. **Notes on Parking** * You'll (probably) have to park on the street, but street parking is free on Sundays. * There are [parking garages](https://landgrantbrewing.com/parking/) a little farther away if you want. These are obviously not free, though. * There is a [lot next door](https://www.google.com/maps/place/39%C2%B057'26.0%22N+83%C2%B000'40.9%22W/@39.957211,-83.0119921,19z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m12!1m7!3m6!1s0x88388f3efd89238b:0xc139207386232411!2sLand-Grant+Brewing+Company!8m2!3d39.9577613!4d-83.011426!16s%2Fg%2F1pzt7t9df!3m3!8m2!3d39.957211!4d-83.011347?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI2MDEyMS4wIKXMDSoKLDEwMDc5MjA3MUgBUAM%3D) to the brewery that you're allowed to park in, but it is not free. I've never parked there, so I don't know anything about rates. (I'm told though that if you eat at Milo's Deli next door to this lot that Milo's will stamp your parking so it's free.) * You're going to see odd signs on [Lucas St](https://www.google.com/maps/place/39%C2%B057'26.1%22N+83%C2%B000'40.3%22W/@39.957256,-83.0124134,19z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m10!1m5!3m4!2zMznCsDU3JzI4LjgiTiA4M8KwMDAnNDEuNSJX!8m2!3d39.957993!4d-83.011536!3m3!8m2!3d39.957256!4d-83.011197?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI2MDEyMS4wIKXMDSoKLDEwMDc5MjA3MUgBUAM%3D) (saying it's a "private street") that will lead you to believe you're not allowed to park there, but you actually are. * Columbus parking cops literally do not work on Sundays. This means that, even if you're driving a non-EV, you can park in the EV spots near the brewery. **Games** I do bring many games, but please bring some of your own as well.

Join fellow Queer birders on February 22nd for birding at Pickerington Ponds Metropark. No expertise required!