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Old 01-05-2014, 12:17 PM
 
1,922 posts, read 3,970,059 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by marothisu View Post
Meetups are always good especially when you want to find common interests outside of drinking, music, etc (though they are good for more centered music interests). Good to meet up with people who share what you're going through, but in the end if you want a diverse group of friends, it's good to do those things with groups for other random things too.

When I first moved to the city, I knew nobody except my coworkers. I didn't like their "scene" so I stopped hanging out with them after a month. The next 5-6 months were really lonely for me, but I knew the city had a ton to offer and I just explored it and kept going. Luckily I fell in with a group of friends who are great, still to this day and a few who live around me in Gold Coast. I know how you feel especially if you've only been here for a little bit and you don't know many people or haven't found a crowd yet.
Me to a "tee". I've been here since June and it's been exactly like this for me. Thanks for your suggestions. I actually would prefer a more diverse group of friends. I'm thinking I'll probably try to do one meetup a week.
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Old 01-05-2014, 12:33 PM
 
Location: Upper West Side, Manhattan, NYC
15,331 posts, read 23,771,714 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by nj21 View Post
Me to a "tee". I've been here since June and it's been exactly like this for me. Thanks for your suggestions. I actually would prefer a more diverse group of friends. I'm thinking I'll probably try to do one meetup a week.
Yep, I know how you feel. When you move to an area where you don't know anybody, it can be hard to meet people at first. I think only a very small percentage of people can go into that environment and make friends right away. In college it was a lot easier as the experience is different. Trust me, I know how you feel and it sucks.


It's good you prefer a more diverse group of friends. There is some diversity in the Gold Coast, but more of it is near Chicago Avenue. This is due Loyola University having a small campus near there (mainly grad students) and students and residents for Northwestern Medical not far away living around here too. The building I live in is actually definitely under 50% white. A number of people not from the US too. North of Division St is very white and not very racially diverse, though I know a few people who live north of there who are non white.

If you are looking for a place in the neighborhood to hang out at, try the 2nd floor bar/lounge area of Le Colonial (French Vietnamese) or Drawing Room in the basement next door. Now, I'm not going to tell you it's always diverse, but both are relaxing, cool spots (Le Colonial is dark, candlelit, with tropical trees and dark wood all around, while Drawing Room is newer and trendier on the surface) and sometimes some cool and diverse people hang out there. Some good music played there too sometimes - Le Colonial is where I discovered Thievery Corporation. These places are like polar opposites of places like Lux Bar, Dublin, Gibson's, etc.
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Old 01-07-2014, 08:44 AM
 
50 posts, read 65,543 times
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That insight and I am sure you will be successful, they are mostly in nightclubs near the loop and places like that.
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Old 01-07-2014, 12:22 PM
 
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Square One on 14th/Michigan is a black professional hot spot. I don't know if there are events per se, but whenever I'm there it's noticeably diverse, leaning towards black a bit.
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Old 01-15-2014, 01:42 AM
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by nj21 View Post
How's it going? Have you attended any outings and events? I feel the same way.

I'm a professional single black woman living in the gold coast and do not have any interaction with other black professionals. Except maybe a few in the office. I'd like to make more friends. This is a bit depressing. I'm even considering moving back to the NJ/NYC tri-state area.
Hey I have been going to meetups and this is helping me go to different places and meet new people. Hopefully as I attend more I can develop more of a social life lol! I think things will pick up in the summer too! Maybe it would be easier if "we" lived in a more "diverse" neighborhood. Don't give up so soon!
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Old 01-15-2014, 01:49 AM
 
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Originally Posted by treemoni View Post
They socialize...just in the same groups they've always socialized with LOL. I am not on the scene so I can't really talk about it but I was going to suggest the South Loop. I hate having that as the default suggestion, but the fact of the matter is, the south loop is where you're likely to find black transplants AND professional natives. Since Chicago is segregated and "stick to your own group", people are more apt to maintain lifelong bonds. I don't think that's a bad thing. I know that with my own peer group, we were not hostile to outsiders...we just didn't seek them out because we already had friends. I went to school in-state and looking back I wish I didn't, because I would've liked to expanded my circle. Though it's never too late, I feel like I missed out on meeting new friends during college, and now people just don't have (or make) the time.

When I was preparing to move here I considered living in a neighborhood that offered more diversity, but none of them were convenient for me to get to work. At the time that was more important and still is However maybe I would have a more fulfilling experience in a more diverse neighborhood.
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Old 01-15-2014, 08:50 AM
 
4,633 posts, read 3,432,267 times
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It really depends on your definition of "diverse". Just because a Chicago neighborhood has people with more than one racial/ethnic group, doesn't mean those people will be warm and welcoming to you.

I think people should keep that in mind when they're thinking about "diversity", and also expand their definition of diversity [in this city]. It might behoove people to think in terms of socioeconomic diversity, because IMO, you will garner better results.
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Old 01-15-2014, 10:17 AM
 
1,637 posts, read 2,618,276 times
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You should have moved to DC or Atlanta instead if you are looking for that
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