Space Exploration

🎆❄️ **New Year’s Day Walk: Toronto Island** **Walk off the hangover. Start fresh. Do something different.** Let’s be real — January 1st can go one of two ways: You stay on the couch all day… **or** you step outside, breathe in fresh air, move your body, and actually start the year feeling good. Join us for a **New Year’s Day walk on Toronto Island** — the perfect way to **reset after the night before**, try something new, and maybe even make a few new friends while you’re at it. Yes, I will be hungover. That’s why we’re starting at **1:15 PM** 😏🍾 Being surrounded by water and nature can be surprisingly calming. The Islands offer a quiet place to slow down, clear your head, and start the year feeling grounded — no mystical claims, just fresh air and space to think. Whether you’re setting healthy intentions, shaking off the fog, or just refusing to let January win — this walk is for you. “There is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing.” So layer up, grab your warmest coat, and let’s make **January 1st** a *choice*, not a write-off ❄️💪 Miss this and your New Year officially starts on January 2nd. Just saying. *** 🌆 **THE WALK** • Approx. **7 km** • Flat, easy, and very walkable — no hills • One of the **best skyline views** of Toronto • Calm, scenic, and surprisingly magical in winter Perfect for beginners, casual walkers, and anyone trying to ease back into movement after the holidays. *** ⚠️ **IMPORTANT NOTES** • This walk happens in **any kind of weather** — snow, cold, crisp winter vibes • **Do not sign up** if you’re not ready to walk in winter • Event will only be cancelled if it reaches **-20°C** *** 🕓 **MEETUP DETAILS** 📍 **Meetup Location:** 📍 **IMPORTANT: MEETUP LOCATION (PLEASE READ CAREFULLY)** I will be meeting everyone **INSIDE the Ferry Docks** — **INSIDE means AFTER your ticket has been scanned** and you are **in the ferry waiting area**. 👉 **This is NOT:** • The bathrooms **outside** the terminal • The bathrooms **before** ticket scanning • The other side of the ferry terminal • Anywhere outside the building 👉 **This IS:** • **After** your ticket has been scanned • **Inside** the ferry waiting area • Beside the **bathrooms INSIDE the terminal** 👀 **How you’ll spot me:** I’ll be wearing my **MOOSE HAT** 🦌 ⏰ **Meetup Time:** **1:15 PM** 🚢 **Ferry Leaves:** **1:30 PM** — *please arrive early* ⏰ **Ferry Back to Toronto:** **4:45PM** (or sooner) ⚠️ **PLEASE BE ON TIME** Once we’re on the ferry, it will be very hard to catch up with us. *** 💲 **COSTS** • **Meetup Fee:** $5 – Cash in person **or** – E-transfer to **mathewmaclean@hotmail.com** • **Ferry Ticket:** **$9.70** – You **must purchase your ferry ticket before signing up** – 🎟️ **Ferry Ticket: [Click Here!](https://secure.toronto.ca/FerryTicketOnline/tickets2/index.jsp)** *** 🎒 **WHAT TO BRING** • Snack • Water • **Good boots** • Warm coat • Something warm to drink ☕ *** ⏳ **HOW LONG?** Approx. **3 hours**, including a small break. 🚪 **Can you leave early?** Anytime you like. 👀 **NOT SURE YOU CAN MAKE IT?** You can **just show up** or even decide on the day — New Year energy is flexible. *** 📱 **Don’t forget to join our WhatsApp group** – [CLICK HERE!](https://chat.whatsapp.com/H59mSCbsAi018gYANrKAnc?mode=ac_t) ⚠️ **NOTE:** Sometimes things happen and I may need to cancel — please keep an eye out for updates. *** ✨ Fresh air. Movement. Skyline views. Good people. ✨ A healthier start to the year — without pretending you’re perfect. **Organizer:** Mathew 📧 **torontomoviesandoutings@hotmail.com**

January 1st | Downtown Toronto — Don Valley Urban Hike + Movie & Café Start the new year with movement, fresh air, and good company. This is a relaxed New Year’s Day social that flows from a scenic urban hike through the Don Valley, into a movie downtown, and ends with a cozy café hangout. No pressure, no rush — just an intentional, feel-good way to begin the year. What we’ll do (in order) 1️⃣ Don Valley Urban Hike Meet at Broadview Station Hike through the Don Valley Trail, moving from city streets into nature and back toward downtown Distance: ~12 km total Pace: steady and conversational, with breaks as needed This is a beautiful winter urban hike — peaceful, grounding, and a great way to reset on January 1st. 2️⃣ Movie (optional) End the hike near Cineplex Yonge–Dundas Square Watch the new release: Avatar: Fire and Ash Think of this as your post-hike reward — totally optional, but fun if you stay. 3️⃣ Wind-down at Juju Café After the movie, we’ll head to Juju Café & Board Games $5 board game play fee Warm drinks, food, vegetarian-friendly options Board games optional — relaxing and chatting encouraged What to bring Comfortable walking shoes Weather-appropriate layers Water / light snacks An easygoing mindset You’re welcome to join for any part — just the hike, the movie, the café — or the full flow. Come as you are. Start the year moving forward, one step at a time.

Join TBTC Hike Leaders Michael Humpage and Janet McColeman to start off 2026 on the right foot with a hike at Toronto's Tommy Thompson Park. Tommy Thompson Park ( Leslie Spit) is located at the intersection of Leslie St and Unwin Ave in Toronto. It is winter and the start of the new year so please dress accordingly. As we will be hiking near the lake it might be a little colder so dress for it. ICERS are advisable. The trail might be covered in a sheet of ICE, ( if you have them bring them with you ). Bring a snack, a hot drink, Water and any other essentials you will need for this outing. We will walk up to the light house and back. We meet in the sheltered area by the washrooms in the parking lot. Parking is FREE. Please arrive by about 15 minutes prior to the departure time of 11:00 AM as we will be leaving on time. Please register on the Bruce Trail Conservancy Hike Schedule at [https://hikes.brucetrail.org/event/new-years-urban-walk-tommy-thompson-park-leslie-spit/2026-01-01/](https://hikes.brucetrail.org/event/new-years-urban-walk-tommy-thompson-park-leslie-spit/2026-01-01/) RSVP On Meetup does not complete your registration.

Tickets: www.codatoronto.com/events --- Table Reservations via email reservations@codatoronto.com - Doors: 4PM\-10PM \| 19\+ Government issued ID required CODA \| 794 Bathurst Street\, Toronto www\.codatoronto\.com \| @codatoronto

## Spanish Conversation & Coffee @ Cafe Panchita ☕ **¿Quieres practicar tu español en un ambiente relajado y con sabor latino?** Join us for our first Spanish Conversation Club session in the heart of Port Credit! Whether you are a beginner looking to build confidence or an advanced speaker wanting to keep your fluency sharp, this is the place for you. We believe the best way to learn a language is through real conversation, laughter, and a good cup of coffee. This week, we meet at **Cafe Panchita**, a beautiful artisanal bakery known for its cozy atmosphere and delicious Latin-inspired treats (perfect for a full cultural immersion!). ### 🗓 Details: * **When:** Sunday, January 4th * **Time:** 1:30 PM – 3:30 PM (2 hours of practice) * **Where:** Cafe Panchita (152 Lakeshore Rd E, Mississauga) * **Price:** $10 CAD per person (Cash only, please). * **Level:** All levels are welcome! * **WhatsApp group :** join here https://chat.whatsapp.com/CctREp712VE2XULn5upHMr ### 💡 What to expect: 1. **Relaxed Conversations:** We’ll have conversation starters and prompts to keep the flow going. 2. **Cultural Immersion:** Practice your Spanish while enjoying a *tortilla de patatas* or some *empanadas*. 3. **Small Groups:** We try to group people by level so everyone feels comfortable speaking. ### ⚠️ Important Notes: * **Support the Venue:** As the cafe is hosting us, we kindly ask every participant to purchase at least one drink or snack. * **RSVP:** Space is limited to ensure everyone gets a chance to speak. Please update your RSVP if you cannot make it. **¡Nos vemos el domingo para hablar, conocer gente nueva y disfrutar de un buen café!**

New Rules: Starting now, we are asking that each person contribute $2 towards maintaining this page. Without our space here on MeetUp, there is no group. So we ask that you bring a tooney when you come to keep us operational. Thank you very much! Thank you to everyone who has ordered something to eat or drink. It's very important that we each make a purchase, even just a tea or coffee, to maintain our welcome. Mil veces, gracias!

Our group will leave at the posted time, so please arrive early. Please cancel your RSVP if you can't make it. How fast, how far? Assume 4.5 km/h for a distance of ~7km. The path is a paved, but we might go on some trails as well, plus snow is likely so be prepared for anything. The route is flat. It's mostly in clear land, but we'll come across a few forested areas as well. The route is a "there and back again" so we will finish where we originally start from. Bring water, a snack, and hiking footwear for a distance walk. We're getting to the point in the year where icers are required. Although the forecast is clear, please have them on hand in case. Required reading for you and your guests before RSVP'ing to all events: 1. [Liability Waiver and Group Rules](https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vR0LFNJVYn5j1AYl8eR63HjAxKMkRwg5ifKXqL3rP6Xl7v_Wcsx4xR_kNFluE3eILpSmP-EJ0OouQvT/pub) (updated 05/30/22) 2. When asked at RSVP time, indicate **\*Yes\*** if you agree to the question provided. 3. See general information about [Tick Safety](https://www.ontario.ca/page/lyme-disease)

Note: You may be removed from the attendance list if you've participated in the previous week's event. This allows for more people to experience this Meetup. Avengers put your costumes on and let’s go and save the world!
Well we can’t save the world (yet), but we aim to try to play a small part in the lives of those experiencing homelessness by making their day a bit better!
Description: Before the event the organizer will post a list in the comment section of the attendees and what they are responsible to bring (food/drink, kitchen supplies, cleaning supplies). We normally ask each attending member to bring approximately $15-20 worth of ingredients/supplies to our event. We will use the items to prepare and serve food/drink at The Meeting Place.
Timeline: We will meet on location at 11:00 am, with lunch served between 12:30-1:00 pm.
Membership Dues: Membership dues are $2.00 for the calendar year. Membership dues go towards paying for food/supplies incurred by no-shows. Membership dues are due at the first meetup of the year that you attend.
No Shows/Late Un-RSVP: We’re relying on members who RSVP to bring key ingredients for recipes! Please try your best to show-up or alternatively change your RSVP early so another member may fill the empty spot.
\*\*\* If you are on the waitlist, keep checking as you may be moved into attendance to replace someone. We will try to message you to confirm your attendance in advance.
Donations will be assigned before the event.

NFT's are here to stay folks! This is a group for like minded people interested in understanding, leveraging, using, creating for, profiting from, trading too i suppose, NFT's.. everything around them, complexity, fear and exploits, best practices and more. **PLUS** This group will talk AI ART tools, techniques, artists, video, audio, prototypes and more in the AI assisted production space- ART specifically, but we can get into any aspect of some of the cooler things happening in AI in general.

While some are still meeting online, this is an in person event. Please note that we have attendees of all levels of speaking, including some native speakers. All are welcome! Also, as we meet at the same time and place each week, many don’t RSVP on the app, so we will likely have more attendees than noted here. Note: if you are asked to pay and upgrade the Meetup app, this is not necessary. You can ignore this and still attend our meetings.

Join us as we celebrate **National Spaghetti Day** with this hearty dish! Though the origins of spaghetti are disputed—whether it was Marco Polo bringing back culinary invention from the East or a home-grown Sicilian treat dating back to the 12th Century—we can all agree that a cold day with a big bowl of noodle-y, saucy goodness is balm for the soul. # Carfagnas Spaghetti and Sauce *Everybody's favorite!* Our handmade egg spaghetti topped with our homemade marinara and served with two of our famous meatballs. There are other classic spaghetti dishes on the menu, too. **Where:** We'll have tables in their beautiful upscale bar at Carfagna's Ristorante; and you need to check out everything Italian this place has to offer under one roof!! (shopping, pastry) ***Reservation for 12 under Michele Z starts at 2pm***. *Members Only. Space is limited so no guests, please.* I hope you'll join me at Carfagna's AMAZING complex on Gemini/Polaris. -Michele

Our January program is privileged to have Kristen Tregar as our speaker. Ms. Tregar is the co-author with John de Lancie (the actor who portrayed the character Q on Star Trek next generation) of a radio play depicting the events surrounding the Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District trial. The trial decided the issue of some of the Dover school district board members attempting to insert creationism disguised as "intelligent design" into the 9th grade biology curriculum. She will discuss the trial and the process of writing the play. (Bob Leonhard has seen the play and it is riveting and tense). Ms. Tregar's bio is below: Kristen Tregar is a dramaturg, director, playwright, and theatre teacher. She earned her Ph.D. in Drama and Theatre from the UC San Diego and UC Irvine joint program. In addition, she has a MS in Forensic Science from City University of New York- John Jay College of Criminal Justice and a MA in Educational Theatre from New York University- Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development. In 2013, in collaboration with Irish colleagues, she founded *The Ireland Project*, an intercontinental devised theatre work with high school students in New York and Tallaght, Ireland. Her original short story "Far From Here" was recently published in *Stay Awhile Longer: More Scenes From Temecula Valley*. She has two rescued dogs (Kira and Harry) and she rides, competes, and foxhunts with her horses, Andromache and Baker Street Irregular. Food and drinks will be provided at the event. Feel free to show up a little bit early to hang out and talk. Going forward our meetings will be hybrid. You can meet us in-person or attend online Join Zoom Meeting [https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87836564953?pwd=4Mi57ElZkDIFlb1fnlNwOJ0NiOK4tP.1](https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87836564953?pwd=4Mi57ElZkDIFlb1fnlNwOJ0NiOK4tP.1) Meeting ID: 878 3656 4953 Passcode: 760812 One tap mobile +19292056099,,87836564953#,,,,\*760812# US (New York) +13017158592,,87836564953#,,,,\*760812# US (Washington DC) The formal presentation will start at noon

At Unity of Columbus, our Youth and Family Ministry nurtures the spiritual growth of children and families through love, joy, and practical spiritual teachings. Each Sunday, children explore timeless spiritual principles through stories, creative activities, music, and group sharing in a safe and welcoming environment. Our program encourages children to discover their own inner light, express kindness, and develop a personal connection with God. Together, we celebrate diversity, cultivate understanding, and inspire each child to live with purpose and compassion. Parents and families are invited to join in this uplifting journey of learning, laughter, and spiritual connection.

Let’s meet for dinner at the Rossi, In the short north. The plan is to have dinner and then head over to Good Night John Boy around 9 pm for drinks and dancing. Please only RSVP if you are having dinner so that I have a head count for the restaurant. If you want to only join us for John Night John Boy, you don’t have to RSVP, you can write a comment under the event. This is the menu for the restaurant: https://rossikitchenandbar.com/dinner