how to meet young professionals in Cleveland? (Lakewood, Ada: transplants, neighborhoods)

[wolf64]

Hi there,

I'm new to Cleveland and I'm wondering how do you meet other young, twenty-something professionals in this city?

I worked in DC and that was a great city for young professionals. It was really easy to meet people there. I didn't even have to make an effort.

Here, however, it has been a different experience.

[costello_musicman]

Welcome to Cleveland! I am a young professional myself.

I would recommend a few things:

1) Get involved. There are numerous interesting groups. For example:

- Cleveland 20-30 Club: Cleveland 2030
- Cleveland Plays: Cleveland Plays: Co-Ed Sports Leagues in Cleveland: Volleyball, Football, Basketball, Softball, Soccer, and many other team sports.
- Volunteer

2) Join a gym (and especially take classes)

- Titan's Gym Downtown Cleveland: Cleveland, Ohio Gym and Fitness, Open 24 Hours, Areas Largest GYM
- Cleveland State University Rec Center: CSU Campus Recreation

3) Attend events:

- Cleveland Critical Mass (once a month): Cleveland Critical Mass
- RTA Bar Crawl: http://clevelandcityliving.blogspot.com/2011/08/rta-bar-crawl.html
- FREE Yoga Downtown: Free yoga classes offered each Saturday in downtown Cleveland
- Science Cafe Cleveland @ Great Lakes Brewery http://www.case.edu/affil/sigmaxi/
- Keep an eye out for my events listings...I'll try and post them more often. For example: //www.city-data.com/forum/cleve...ts-2011-a.html

4) Neighborhoods for Social Life:
- E.4th Street
- Tremont
- Ohio City
- W. 6th
- University Circle/ Little Italy
- Coventry
- Detroit-Shoreway
- Lakewood

Where in Cleveland do you live?

[Boffo]

I'm a member of the United Way Young Leaders and it would be an excellent group to join. It's just a group of young professionals who get together for both volunteer events and social events. Young Leaders - United Way of Greater Cleveland

[wolf64]

Thanks so much for your ideas. I have actually tried a few of the ideas you suggested and I have encountered some challenges

Originally Posted by costello_musicman

Welcome to Cleveland! I am a young professional myself.

I would recommend a few things:

1) Get involved. There are numerous interesting groups. For example:

- Cleveland 20-30 Club: Cleveland 2030
- Cleveland Plays: Cleveland Plays: Co-Ed Sports Leagues in Cleveland: Volleyball, Football, Basketball, Softball, Soccer, and many other team sports.
- Volunteer

I have not tried Cleveland plays yet. Most of cleveland 2030's events are on the weekdays when I am unable to make it. I will definitely go to any events on the weekend though.

Originally Posted by costello_musicman

2) Join a gym (and especially take classes)

- Titan's Gym Downtown Cleveland: Cleveland, Ohio Gym and Fitness, Open 24 Hours, Areas Largest GYM
- Cleveland State University Rec Center: CSU Campus Recreation

It's hard striking up a casual conversation with a complete stranger at a gym. Especially with women. It's got to be an icebreaker like asking for a spot or something like that.

Originally Posted by costello_musicman

3) Attend events:

- Cleveland Critical Mass (once a month): Cleveland Critical Mass
- RTA Bar Crawl: http://clevelandcityliving.blogspot.com/2011/08/rta-bar-crawl.html
- FREE Yoga Downtown: Free yoga classes offered each Saturday in downtown Cleveland
- Science Cafe Cleveland @ Great Lakes Brewery CASE Chapter, Sigma Xi
- Keep an eye out for my events listings...I'll try and post them more often. For example: //www.city-data.com/forum/cleve...ts-2011-a.html

I have gone to several events in Cleveland but always by myself. On a few occasions, I have struck up conversations with other people at these events but they either a) give me the cold shoulder or b) don't seem interested in meeting new people. When you go to an event alone, you usually leave the event alone.

Originally Posted by costello_musicman

4) Neighborhoods for Social Life:
- E.4th Street
- Tremont
- Ohio City
- W. 6th
- University Circle/ Little Italy
- Coventry
- Detroit-Shoreway
- Lakewood

I have been to several of these places but again by myself. What would be better is some type of structured event where a bunch of Cleveland newcomers could meet each other like a speed-dating event or a social mixer.

One of my co-workers said it best. "Cleveland is not a city used to transplants and out-of-staters. The locals here already have their own social circles and cliques."

Here is my suggestion
5) If you are from Cleveland or the surrounding area, invite a young professional who is new to Cleveland to hang out with you and your circle of friends.

[gofuzzy]

Hi,
Well, it appears that you've met a couple of us online! That's a start, but I know that you're looking for people to hang out with.

For me, I made most of my friends through my job. We had an exceptionally great team of people and even though I moved to another job, I'm still friends with many of them.

If that doesn't work for you, maybe we can give you some more ideas. What are you in to? Do you like concerts, sports, or just hanging out? There is a lot of stuff going on in Cleveland and maybe we could suggest a club or group. For example, I like bikes and I've found a group called Crank-Set Rides. Every now and then, they organize big groups of people to do bike rides through the city and it's a lot of fun. Most of the people are our age and we all have something in common.

[Adamo]

I am moving to Lakewood in Ohio for a job I have in Cleveland. I am new to the city and know absolutely no one within a 60-mile radius. I am the youngest person where I work. Most coworkers already have families. I am a 27-year-old male, couple of degrees, great job, financially stable. I am now at the stage where I would like to find a nice girl and settle down. But, where do you meet someone in Lakewood? I like to play baseball, golf, basketball, and volleyball. Are there any places that have adult co-ed sporting type leagues? I am also an avid reader. Any mom & pop or second-hand book stores in Lakewood with seating and coffee conducive to meeting people? Is there a place where people hang out to have coffee? Are there any singles clubs, speed dating, or something else different that would force a shyer guy to talk to people? I am essentially starting over. I need to find some groups to belong to. Where I am coming from, I was in a summer sand volleyball league. Anything similar in Lakewood? I like going to all the Cleveland pro sports games, but need find someone to go with.

[cherry777]

I am a girl and I am having the same problem. i am not the partier/bar-hopping type and I feel like that severely limits me in this area. Did I mention I'm actually from Northeast Ohio? I have been doing a lot of traveling lately and it is night and day in other cities. Chicago, DC, & Boston I meet guys everywhere; in San Francisco, after just half a day around town I had a date for every night that weekend. It's so hard to meet young professionals here in Cleveland though. I hate it. I've tried college alumni events and everyone is too old.. Let me know if you find good singles hang outs, Adamo

[SouthWacker]

1. try meetup.com - a variety of interest groups of choice. Caution: it can be a huge hit or miss (because it's random strangers, and like most events - people sign up but all don't show up) but it's a great resource....and serves its purpose. meeting people is easy but building rltshps can be tough. and, if there isn't one of interest or that fits your demographic, create a group yourself (e.g., 'Cleveland Young Professionals' or '20 somethings', etc.). i think you'd be surprised at how many people would join the group (may not be active members but they'd at least join); so many people are mobile and move from city to city...a lot of people are looking to connect in some way.

2. for dating, i think you'd need to occassionally be active on an online dating site -- just to make yourself 'more available'. imo, it's a necessary evil in this day & age. a lot of people are not super social types (not reclusive per se but don't feel like going to bars or don't want to join a club) but they're on dating sites.

[bjimmy24]

cherry777- To be fair, while you're traveling, other places always seem better. People take extra interest in you because you are from out of town and want you to have a positive experience. Also, while traveling, people tend to be more adventurous and have less inhibitions, since there is no routine to fall back on. The trick is to take this and make it happen at home. But I do think that's easier said than done.

I am also in my 20s and had some difficulties with the same thing when I came back to Cleveland. For me, it's all about going out and doing things that you wouldn't normally do, act kind of like a tourist in your own city, and accepting invitations more than declining them. I'm not a partier either really, but I used to go out to bars a lot, but I never made any friends that way, so I think you're actually on the right track. I don't know what kinds of things you're into, but I've met some cool people going to all the different cultural festivals, volunteering a few hours on weekends, and randomly going to different special events. Granted, this is all trial and error type stuff and it can take a while to find good friends. But I think the key is to just keep moving and exposing yourself to lots of different people. I'm really not sure about internet stuff- I joined meetup, but have never gone to anything, and I've never done online dating. So maybe they actually would be helpful, but I think there are other ways too.