Kidically Arlandria: Kidical Mass Alexandria joins the party!

**March 2020 Edit: crossing Route 1 takes extra care and kids who listen (both crossings are at lights**

 It's time to explore and expand and to welcome Kidical Mass Alexandria to the family biking party! Our next ride with be joint with our neighbors to the South, on their inaugural ride.

**Two notes for the start of the ride: 1) the Four Mile Run Farmers & Artisans Market, which is a nice, mile long ride from our start, has invited us to stop by before the ride.  Come by around 10:30am. There will be a special a raffle for kids on bikes.
2) The playground where we're meeting is officially called "South Park" and there's a sign for it from Potomac Avenue. You can get to it by going through the shops above the Harris Teeter (Massage Envy, Yvonne's, Paisano's Pizza, etc).  It's the blue playground, furthest west (not the green playground just east of it, which is locked).**

When: Sunday, July 20, 2014 11:00am (roll out 11:15am - come early to play!)

Meet: Playground behind the Harris Teeter at the Eclipse, Potomac Yard, Arlington (the blue playground) -- near South Glebe Road and Potomac Avenue, Arlington

Parking: At the Eclipse, off of South Glebe Road between Jefferson Davis Hwy/Rte 1 and Potomac Ave

Lunch (optional): We the Pizza -- 2100 Crystal Drive, Arlington

Route: http://ridewithgps.com/routes/5134414 - through Alexandria!

We start off in Arlington, at the playground behind the Eclipse, Potomac Yards (it's the building with the Harris Teeter at Route 1 and South Glebe Road). We'll meet at 11am (we roll out about 15 minutes late, to give kids some time to play, put on sunscreen, etc) and roll down through the exploding retail of Potomac Yards, then around the leafy neighborhoods of Del Ray. After passing some great parks and exploring some fun trails, we'll roll back into Arlington and back to the playground. Those who want to continue on can join us in Crystal City for some yummy We the Pizza (we should get there around noon, in case you'd like to have others meet us there).

All are welcome. This route will be about 4 miles, and flat as a pancake.

It's always exciting when a family grows, and we are so happy to welcome Kidical Mass Alexandria to the extended family! 

Tour de Kidical 2014 SUNDAY JULY 6TH

Happy 4th of July! Perfect time to watch a French bike race taking place in England at an Irish pub. Let's take advantage of the more-beautiful-than-average July weather and bike over to Ireland's Four Courts to watch the end of the second stage of this year's Tour (York to Sheffield, England).

And not only is the end of our ride going to be AWESOME, we're going to start at one of Arlington's newest and most exciting parks: Rocky Run. Haven't been to Rocky Run yet? It's amazing: HUGE climbing structure with lots of different ways up and a GIANT slide down. A great toddler area, with sand, water, and just the right size slide and climbing structure. Lots of shade. Tons of fun.  Come early and enjoy running around, climbing, sliding, digging and bouncing all over this beautiful park. NOTE: the bathrooms at Rocky Run aren't open yet (afaik), so plan accordingly.

When: Sunday, July 6, 2014 10:15am (roll out 10:30am - come early to enjoy the park!)

Meet: Rocky Run Park -- North Barton Street & N Fairfax Drive, Arlington
Parking: On the surrounding residential streets.
Metro: Courthouse (the start is about half mile away, the end is across the street)

End: Ireland's Four Courts-- N Wilson Blvd and North Courthouse Road (an easy 1/2 mile from the start via this route)

Route: http://ridewithgps.com/routes/5212930

This route is shorter than normal - only 2.2 miles. It starts with a bit of a climb (3% for a couple hundred feet), but then is smooth sailing. We'll be on familiar neighborhood streets in Lyon Park and Lyon Village, and will explore a short new (to Kidical Mass) trail. Ending at Ireland's Four Courts around 11am, everyone is welcome to come in, have a bite to eat, and watch a the end of Stage 2 of the Tour de France. 

All are welcome - with or without kids.

Father's Day: MORE ICE CREAM! 6/15 5:45pm Hayes Park

Wow. The last ride to ice cream was so much fun, we've got to do it again. Soon. Like next Sunday. So in honor of father's everywhere, we're going to RIDE TO MORE ICE CREAM! This time, North Arlington style: meet at Hayes Park, ride through Ashton Heights and Lyon Village and finish at Larry's Homemade Ice Cream in Clarendon.

**To sweeten this incredibly sweet deal, Larry's is offering us HALF OFF ice cream. Hooray for Larry's!**

When: Sunday, June 15, 2014 5:45pm (roll out 6:00pm - come early with a picnic!)

Meet: Hayes Park -- North Lincoln Street & 15th St N, Arlington
Parking: On the surrounding residential streets.
Metro: the start is about a half mile from Virginia Square, the end is at Clarendon

End: Larry's Homemade in Clarendon -- Wilson Blvd and North Highland Street. (an easy mile from the start via this route)

Route: http://ridewithgps.com/routes/4927969

There are so many great things about this ride. To begin at the beginning, we're meeting at Hayes Park, which has a SPRAYGROUND (on until 8pm on Sundays), great playground equipment for the toddler-preschooler set, swings, tennis courts and even bathrooms. It's also only blocks from Rocklands BBQ (and lots of other places), if you were thinking of eating out for Father's Day dinner. We'll will ride through the lovely, bike friendly neighborhoods of Ashton Heights, Lyon Park and Lyon Village. You can discover great bike connections to so many places near this route: the Central Library, Arlington Arts Center, Clay Park Trader Joe's, Whole Foods and all those yummy restaurants in Clarendon. We'll park at the Clarendon Metro station, then walk across the street to Larry's and enjoy our treats by the bikes in the little park. And did I mention 50% off ICE CREAM? Sure to please kids and parents.

Whether you are a Dad, you're bringing a Dad, you're giving Dad the night off, whether you're kids or not, come out for what's sure to be a fabulous evening on bikes.

June 1: Kidically Spring (with Frozen Yogurt!)

It is completely unforgivable, I know. Kidical Mass Arlington has gone on over a year without a ride to ice cream. UNFORGIVABLE! So next for our June 1, 2014 ride, we will take the plunge, give in to our inner Honest Toddler, and ride the ride of our dreams - to Menchie's! (Ok, yes, it's frozen yogurt, but it's delicious).


When: Sunday, June 1, 2014 5:45pm (roll out 6:00pm - come early with a picnic!)

Meet: Penrose Park -- 6th Street South & South Wayne Street, Arlington
Parking: On the surrounding residential streets.

End: Menchies in Penrose Square -- 9th Street South and South Barton Street. (about 4 blocks from the start)

Route:http://ridewithgps.com/routes/4832154

We're changing things up a bit -- this will be an EVENING ride.  For those that want to come early, we're planning on bringing a picnic to the park (around, say 5-5:15pm), then we'll hang out and play until our 6pm roll out.  The ride will be short and sweet around one of the most lovely neighborhoods in South Arlington. It will feature tree lined streets, bike boulevards and a new (to KM-Arl) trail. We'll end at Penrose Square, and head to Menchie's. Anyone who wants can meet up for the short spin back to the park. That area is also home to a grocery store, drugstore, and a bunch of yummy restaurants, if anyone needs to stop in for Sunday-night errands or after-Menchie's dinner (because what's better than a bike ride, then ice cream, then dinner, right?).

Hope to see you there!

May 18, 2014: Taste of Kidical!

*Update: The wonderful people at Taste of Arlington are giving each of our riders a ticket for their delicious goodies! Let us know how many you're bringing along to for the ride to make sure we get enough tickets: comment below or RSVP to our facebook event.

Can you believe it's been a year?  Our very first Kidical Mass Arlington ride was just about a year ago.  We had an awesome time riding around Lubber Run and on the Bluemont Trail and ending up at the Taste of Arlington. 


This year, we're headed back to the Bluemont Trail and Taste of Arlington, but we're trying a new park to start, we're going to stop for a short playdate with a caboose and we'll ride through a section of Arlington Kidical Mass hasn't visited yet (with the requirement for flat rides, we're going to run out of these soon).  It promises to be amazing and fun, and quite taste-y.

When: Sunday, May 18, 2014 11:00am (roll out 11:15am)

Meet: Lacey Woods Park - at the play structure (near the restrooms on the map)
Parking: On the surrounding residential streets - I've heard Edison is a good bet.

End: Taste of Ballston -- Wilson Blvd & Glebe Road. 

Route: http://ridewithgps.com/routes/4667252

Bonus stop: Bluemont Junction Park - we'll stop for a quick (5-10 minute) look at the Caboose and group picture 

Note: The end is about a mile from the beginning.  The best route between the two, is here. Parking near the end in Ballston isn't the easiest, so I'd recommend parking at the start, and biking back at the end.  If folks want to pick a time to meet and head back, I'll be happy to lead that mini-ride.

Hope to see you there!

2014 Schedule!

2014 Schedule!

It's shaping up to be an exciting year: Taste of Arlington, Father's Day, Tour de France, Arlington County Fair, Clarendon Day and joint rides with Kidical Mass DC and the newly formed Kidical Mass Alexandria!

It's Spring! Let's Go Ride a Bike!

For the 2014 Spring-Summer-Fall season, we're generally riding on the third Sunday of the month, with some bonus rides thrown in, and some adjustments for some special events. Here's the plan, with the usual caveat that things happen, and you should check the website for details and confirmation.

Sunday, May 18 – Taste of Kidical (a ride to the Taste of Arlington)
Sunday, June 1 – Kidically Spring
Sunday, June 15 – Daddy Kidical (Father’s Day Ride)
Sunday, July 6 – Tour de Kidical (Ride to watch the Tour de France)
Sunday, July 20 – Kidically Arlandria – Joint ride with the newly formed Kidical Mass Alexandria
Saturday, August 10 – Fairly Kidical (a ride to the Arlington Fair)
Sunday, September 14 – Kidical Meetup - DC
Saturday, September 27 – Kidically Clarendon (a ride to Clarendon Day)
Saturday, October 4 – Arlington Fun Ride Family Ride

Don't forget to double check the website right before the ride to confirm details.

Please print and post our flyer:

This Sunday, B is for...

The next Kidical Mass Arlington ride is brought to you by the letter B:
We'll meet in Buzz Bakery in Ballston and ride to the Bike Show & Tell by Arlington Public Schools (at Washington-Lee High School).

When: THIS SUNDAY (4/6/14) 11:15am (roll out 11:30am)
Meet: Buzz Bakery, Arlington 818 N Quincy St (note that the entrance is on Wilson)
End: Washington-Lee High School for the APS Bike Show & Tell
Route: Around Ashton Heights/Lyon Park - about 3 miles and nearly pancake flat!
Parking: free and easy at Arlington Central Library -- just a few blocks from both Buzz and W-L.


We'll meet up at Buzz Bakery in Arlington, which has delicious coffee and treats (in case you want to fuel up pre-ride).  From there, we'll roll around some familiar, safe neighborhood streets in Ashton Heights and Lyon Park, passing some amazing parks.  We'll roll by the Central Library and up to Washington-Lee High School, where everyone is encouraged to enjoy the Bike Show & Tell presented by Arlington Public Schools.