Advice on what to do if you live in McLean, but also would like to try to meet new people who live closer to Arlnigton? (Arlington: buy)

[Knight2009]

Hello,

I moved to McLean about 3 years ago and love the area (I'm generally more of a "suburban" guy myself anyway, lol), but as a 31 year old single guy, there are really not a lot of people my own age here to try to meet to get to know better. I know from faithfully reading C-D that most people in their late-20s or early 30s tend to be in places like Ballston / Clarendon / Rosslyn, etc.

Does anyone have any advice on what is the best way to try to meet new people in somewhere near Arlington, if you live in suburbia? For example, other than bars, are there are any specific places you would recommend visiting to try to meet new people, around the Arlington area? (Particularly if you're going out alone / solo, since I really don't have any local friends here in NOVA that I could go out with...my closest friend lives in Philly?)

Also: how do you get people from Arlington, etc., to come visit you in McLean, when you meet people? I have a younger sibling who's in the same situation as me, but when she tried to get her local same-age friends in Arlington to come visit her in McLean, it was like pulling teeth to get them to actually come to her?

Thanks!

[Caladium]

It's exactly the same advice that we gave you in the other thread. Join a club, or a meet-up group, or a volunteer group. Pick a group that advertises it draws members from a wide area. Or, pick a group that meets halfway between McLean and Arlington. I belong to a meetup group that regularly does activities in a number of different areas, I'm sure you can find one that has activities in both McLean and Arlington.

[Knight2009]

Many thanks for the advice Caladium!

I remember the earlier advice provided, which was also very helpful. I guess in this thread I may have been thinking more in terms of "smaller" groups than might typically be found on a site like meetup.com (I may admittedly be wrong, but I had kinda always pictured those groups as significantly larger?) The reason I mention just b/c I have always been much more comfortable socially in "smaller" groups.

Thx again.

Originally Posted by Caladium

It's exactly the same advice that we gave you in the other thread. Join a club, or a meet-up group, or a volunteer group. Pick a group that advertises it draws members from a wide area. Or, pick a group that meets halfway between McLean and Arlington. I belong to a meetup group that regularly does activities in a number of different areas, I'm sure you can find one that has activities in both McLean and Arlington.

[claremarie]

Forget about bars and buy a bike, then join Potomac Pedalers. About PPTC | Potomac Pedalers Touring Club (http://www.bikepptc.org/About_page - broken link)

They have lots of scheduled rides for all levels of riders that tend to attract many people in your age group. Many of the rides begin closer to McLean than to Arlington, so it is also a way to lure the Ballston corridor folks out to your neck of the woods.

[Knight2009]

Thanks claremarie! That sounds like an excellent idea I think I'll also recommend it to my sibling, since she is an avid bike fan.

Originally Posted by claremarie

Forget about bars and buy a bike, then join Potomac Pedalers. About PPTC | Potomac Pedalers Touring Club (http://www.bikepptc.org/About_page - broken link)

They have lots of scheduled rides for all levels of riders that tend to attract many people in your age group. Many of the rides begin closer to McLean than to Arlington, so it is also a way to lure the Ballston corridor folks out to your neck of the woods.

[Tone509]

Simple: go hang out to Arlington ...using the social options already suggested as a base. Since Arlington and McLean are next door to each other, it isn't (or shouldn't) be too much of a stretch for people to visit you in kind unless they are devoted to - or dependent on - the Orange Line Metro and its urbanish amenities.