On Thursday I met Kevin, one of the Democrats Abroad in Ireland, and he let me know about Drinking Liberally in DC (http://www.dcdl.org) that evening. I'd heard of the group, but being the shy introvert that I am, I've never been brave enough to attend one of the groups alone. Thursday would be different because there is safety in numbers and I twisted the arms of my friends Melissa and Carol into going along.
There are two Drinking Liberally groups in Our Nation's Capitol and they're building a progressive community in the District of Columbia. We went to the weekly Thursday night group that meets from 6:30 to 8:30 at Timerlake's, 1726 Connecticut Avenue NW (2 1/2 blocks north of Dupont Circle Metro). After taking refuge from the cold in Timberlake's, we walked back past the bar into a room with tables where we were warmly welcomed into the group of about 25 or so people.
This was a pleasant change from the usual business meetings that we activists seem to attend. A nice evening where we could talk politics, network with new individuals, and not have to worry about making any decisions or taking actions. If you're interested in learning more about the DC group you can e-mail dcthu@drinkingliberally.org. If your looking for a Drinking Liberally group in your area, you can visit http://DrinkingLiberally.org.
I noticed that there are four groups in the San Francisco and East Bay area. I'll be attending one of their next get togethers. If you've attended one in the East Bay area, let me know which group I should visit first.