I address the crowd at our happy hour at Kaldi's Social House in Silver Spring. Image by Aaron Landry used with permission.

Thanks to everyone who came to our last happy hour on Tuesday! As many of you know, it was a special happy hour for me, as we also celebrated the eleventh anniversary of my blog about Silver Spring and eastern Montgomery County, Just Up The Pike.

Over a hundred people packed the rooftop at Kaldi's Social House in downtown Silver Spring for a special joint happy hour. On top of that, I received a proclamation from the Montgomery County Council for my work. At-large County Councilmembers George Leventhal and Roger Berliner, and District 5 Councilmember Tom Hucker were there to present it. (Councilmember Hans RIemer first proposed the proclamation, but he was on vacation and couldn’t attend.)

All three talked about something I’ve tried to do since I started Just Up The Pike in 2006: to help craft a vision for Silver Spring and East County in a way that is both positive and constructive.

“Most people who get involved in civic activism want to stop things,” said Councilmember Leventhal. “Dan wanted to get things done & done better.” Councilmember Hucker, who represents East County, talked about my ongoing focus on social justice issues. “Dan’s blog is the one-two punch of land use and socioeconomic analysis, and has been an advocate for his home all his life,” he said.”

I got a proclamation!

The transformation I’ve written about in Silver Spring is just a microcosm of what we’ve seen across the DC area, and what Greater Greater Washington has chronicled for the past eight years. Now more than ever, I’m proud to be a part of this community.

Celebrating with friends old and new. See the full photo album here! Photos by Sarah Guidi. Image by Sarah Guidi.

It was great to see so many Greater Greater Washington and Just Up The Pike readers, as well as my friends and neighbors, enjoying the warm weather and the views of downtown Silver Spring from the rooftop. I can’t tell you how much it meant to see all of you there.

Keep an eye out for our next happy hour next month, when we head to Park View for the first time!

Dan Reed (they/them) is Greater Greater Washington’s regional policy director, focused on housing and land use policy in Maryland and Northern Virginia. For a decade prior, Dan was a transportation planner working with communities all over North America to make their streets safer, enjoyable, and equitable. Their writing has appeared in publications including Washingtonian, CityLab, and Shelterforce, as well as Just Up The Pike, a neighborhood blog founded in 2006. Dan lives in Silver Spring with Drizzy, the goodest boy ever.