MeetUp.com

While I may have mentioned Meet-Up previously, I have yet to dedicate an entire post to this website. It is awesome! I am so glad someone invented this idea. Humans are social animals, so it's normal that we want to be around other people a lot of the time. But, it can be tricky to meet new people, let alone find new friends who share your same interests. Enter Meet-Up. MeetUp.com has thousands of groups to choose from, and you can pick one (or several!) that fits in with your proximity, what you're into, what demographic you want to meet, etc. Some are very broad ("Let's Have Fun in DC!" group) to very specific ("Bethesda moms with French poodles"). I am part of a lot of groups (though I have yet to interact with them all), and they each serve their own purpose. The tennis Meet-Up I go to lets me practice my game; the "20's and 30's" social groups I joined let me simply socialize with people my own age over drinks; Bethesda groups allow me to make new friends without traveling far. And it's free to join! And while some activities do have a cost, the majority of them are free and just meant to get you out there. So try it! You might like it!