How do young people meet new friends when they move to the area? (Scranton: transplants, hotel)

[memoriesbre]

My daughter has moved up and is living with us. She needs to make some friends here. She is in her early 20's and works in a small office with only 5 people!! How the heck can we get her to meet new people her own age?

[SteelCityRising]

The Commish has been prowling around for a girl (hint, hint!) You're in a unique situation considering that Tunkhannock has a noticeable dearth of younger people in their early-20s (most in that age bracket high tail it out to go to college and never move back). She's probably going to have to get used to driving on a regular basis into the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre area (or at least to Dallas/Clarks Summit) to make some new friends. As a homegrown native around here I've found it actually rather difficult to make true "friends." Thanks to my rather outgoing personality I have no problem initiating small talk with people and bringing a smile to their faces, but when it comes down to it I probably have hundreds of "acquaintances" and only perhaps a dozen real "friends."

I'd suggest that she look into something that interests her and pursue it. I know Barnes & Noble in Wilkes-Barre (the one by the arena anyways), for example, hosts all sorts of monthly book clubs. The Barnes & Noble in Downtown Wilkes-Barre is replete with a younger crowd on weekend evenings when local bands play there. First Fridays in Scranton are also supposed to be fun if she likes the arts (I have yet to be off from work on one of these though!) Tunkhannock is an idyllic place to live, but if you're, per se, 23, there's really not much there for you.

[nkotb]

I wouldn't suggest she enter into the 20 something world in Tunkhannock !! She would have to fight through a haze of Marijuana smoke !!! That 'wonderful small town' is well known for its drug problems !! Take ScranBarre's advice and also church ! Good Luck to her

[ConfusingRotary]

I see you're in Tunkhannock, so I'll give you a rundown of where people end up hanging out. Mind you these are bars, so if she's not really into drinking.. well maybe Tunkhannock is not a good choice to meet people her age

Downtown Tunkhannock:
The Beagle - This is a spot that has a lot of "regulars." Around holidays it gets PACKED with people coming home from college or visiting their family. It's pretty much a dive bar, they don't put any money back into it. That said, the drinks are cheap and the people are pretty nice. I have seen a few fights break out there, but overall I'd say it's not a bad place to kill a night in town. There are 3 billiards tables (bad condition), 4 or 5 dart boards and a horrible shuffleboard table.

The Second Wind - Avoid this place. It's worse than the Beagle by FAR. The people that hang out here... well, unless your daughter is a biker who is into the trashier side of white, I'd steer clear.

The Prince Hotel - Mostly for older people. My wife's grandmother goes there on occasion. I heard that the owners of Twigs recently bought it, though, so it may get better.

Bogeys (Shadowbrook) - This isn't really "downtown", but it is a nice bar just on the outside of town (rt 6 E heading towards Clarks Summit/Scranton). They have 4 older large TVs behind the bar, a jukebox that occasionally lets out a country tune, and a nice mix of ages. Generally, the earlier you go, the more golfers/older gentlemen you get. As the night goes on, the age gets lower. They have really good boneless wings, too.

Around Tunkhannock -
McGrath's (Dalton) - This is a nicer bar, but a lot of Tunkhannockites venture there. Mostly Mill City/Lake Winola because of the proximity. They have bands play relatively often and 2 billiards tables (good condition). A lot of people that go here also go to the Beagle (or used to), so you get a sort of crossover crowd. There are also a lot of Lackawanna Trail and some Abington folks. I'd recommend this one, as it's the cleanest and the people are a little less .. rural.. than the Beagle.

Wellington's (Clarks Summit) - Nice bar with good food. 4 TVs around the bar for your sporting events. I usually go to this bar with my dad/brother after Xmas shopping. There are some people from T-Town that head down to Wellington's on occasion, and some general T-Town -> Abington transplants. 1 billiards table in decent condition (the felt is FAST) and a bunch of sit-down seats for folks who want to grab a bite. They also have live music pretty frequently.

Blue Pelican (Lake Winola) - This one's more of a hidden place, and unless you live around Lake Winola or have friends there, you probably haven't gone. To be fair, I haven't been to this place in well over a year now, so it may be different by now, but here is what I remember: Very blue lighting. They have a "tropical" type theme, and a small stage for bands to play, although I've only ever seen two people play there. They have a billiards table in the back in a room that is much too small for a billiards table (horrible angles to hit the ball), so if she's really into billiards, I would NOT recommend going there.

Creekside (Tunkhannock) - This one is a bigger dive than the Beagle, but I've heard good things about the food there. The people that go there are usually locals (East Lemon or near Deer Park Lumber).

Lake Carey Inn (Lake Carey.. obviously) - This place is hit or miss. It keeps changing management. When it hits, it really hits. Large place with 2 bars, really. A back room for billiards and bands (nice) and the front bar for chatting / sports (2 larger TVs and a projection). There are seats for the hungry with a view of the lake. Definitely a nicer bar for the T-Town area. Lots of locals unless it is open mic, then a bunch of Beaglites head up.

Minuteman (Lake Carey) - this one is on a side road leading to Lake Carey, but it has really good food. The bar itself is another local spot.. not really a huge hangout.

The Bog (Adams Ave, Scranton) - A "hipster" type place, so if she's into that, she should go here. Lots of college-aged kids and a recent smoking ban (recent being the last few years..). Decent bar, but really dark last I remember. The jukebox sucks.

Hops n Barleys (Luzerne) - AWESOME food. I go here to eat whenever I am in the WB area. I've never actually sat at the bar, but they have TVs and a good jukebox. The eating area is separated from the bar by a wall, so if you want to chat, it's all good. Definitely recommend at least going to eat here.

I can't think of anymore at the moment. I guess it depends where she wants to hang out. Tunkhannock has more "rural" types than the cities, obviously. You'd have to ask someone else for the bars in Scranton/WB.

[EnyaGirl]

I have made two good girlfriends since moving here, both I met online! One I met on meetup.com through the "young gourmet" group....and one on, believe it or not, Facebook!

[mathjak107]

i usually give everyone a dollar

[ki0eh]

New hiking club around there, the Endless Mountains Hiking Club that meets on a Yahoo group.

[SteelCityRising]

Originally Posted by EnyaGirl

I have made two good girlfriends since moving here, both I met online!

Bow-chick-a-wow-wow! Do tell!

[InfectedMushroom]

If she goes to shows check out Metro in w-b, but there's not much else outside of the bar scene for bands. The jazz cafe is nice as well with some good food. What else does she like to do?

[smalltowngirl12]

Originally Posted by nkotb

I wouldn't suggest she enter into the 20 something world in Tunkhannock !! She would have to fight through a haze of Marijuana smoke !!! That 'wonderful small town' is well known for its drug problems !! Take ScranBarre's advice and also church ! Good Luck to her

Oh ya, that's a good idea, send her to Wilkes-Barre - no drugs there!!

Tunkhannock is no where near as bad as Wilkes-Barre and there are a lot of nice people there, that do not smoke Marijuana. At least when you hang around Tunkhannock, you do not have to worry about getting shot at or mugged on the street.

I would suggest Shadow Brook, from what I hear, that is a mostly a young crowd.