New in Town - The Chicago Guide to Making Friends
by JessicaJoy - October 28, 2008
Rate Guide
(6)
.jpg)
So you're the new kid on the block and you're not sure how to go about meeting new people. Don't worry, I've got you covered. Making friends in Chi-town is fairly simple. Just follow one or more of these steps and you'll be schmoozing in no time.
#1 Friends of Friends
When I first moved to Chicago I didn’t know a single person here. I lived in a studio apartment by myself, and everyone at my internship was a lot older than me. It’s no fun to explore the city on your own, so I turned to my friends for help. Chicago is a big city and I would bet my pink polka dot pj’s that some of your friends know people living here. I called one of my best friends from college and she gave me names of three people that I could find on facebook and lived in Chi-town.
You have to be somewhat bold to get in touch with strangers and ask them for their hand in friendship… but you have no friends, right? So here’s your chance to make some. I sent each friend-recommended stranger a friend request and a short message letting them know that our mutual friend thought we should meet. All three of them replied and were happy to meet up and hang out. Two of the three are still good friends of mine a year later. Voila! Instant friendships with just a splash of awkward.
Facebook Friend Request Etiquette
#2 Meetup.com
Have you ever used this site? If not, you should definately check it out. The idea is to form/join groups of people with similar interests (cooking, hunting, wine-tasting, etc.) and have meetups that incorporate those interests. It is pretty big in Chicago and there are over 1,000 groups to choose from!
The Chicago Young + New in Town Meetup
This is the meetup group that I most highly recommend. There are nearly 1,800 members (i.e. 1,800 potential friends!) and usually one or two meetups each week. Activities include dinners out, bar nights, karaoke, beach days, and comedy clubs.
Chicago Girls Who Just Wanna Have Fun Meetup
This is a newer group, and exclusively for girls… but if you ARE a girl then you should check it out because it’s a great way to meet some new girlfriends in the city. The meetups range from pumpkin carving to pool parties.
Chicago Meetups
You KNOW you want to meet this guy. (The event was last year, but they’ll be plenty more fun events to sing about.)
#3 Volunteer
If you have some free time (and I’m sure you do since you have no friends) and you want karma points then look into volunteering. It is an excellent way to meet really great people and help out a cause at the same time. Since Chicago is such a huge city, there are a lot of volunteer opportunities. Here are some links to get you started.
Big Brother Big Sisters of Metropolitan Chicago
560 W Lake St Fl 5, Chicago, IL 60661
Website
This is a guaranteed way to make a friend! They may not be able to hit up the bars with you, but you’ll have a lot of fun with your little and hopefully do some good in their lives. It’s a really great experience!
Website
This is a guaranteed way to make a friend! They may not be able to hit up the bars with you, but you’ll have a lot of fun with your little and hopefully do some good in their lives. It’s a really great experience!
#4 Sports bars
Sports bars aren’t a bad place to make friends if you go to watch a sporting event that you actually care about. And no one will think you are weird for being there by yourself. Just show up in your team jersey and sit at the bar. Make small talk with the people sitting around you during commercials. If you are successful making a friend or two, you’ll have someone to watch the game with next week! Then refer to #1, and make friends with their friends!
Duffy's Tavern
4201 W Diversey Ave Chicago, IL 60639
At Duffy’s you will always find the University of Michigan games on several of their 30+ big screens. There are tons of tables, great food, and lots of sports. Give them a call for more information about current specials. (773) 549-9090
McGees Tavern and Grill
950 W Webster Ave, Chicago, IL 60614
Known as “the neighborhood sports bar” of Lincoln Park, you will always be able to find your favorite Chicago teams playing at this local hot spot. Check out their website for news and events.
Known as “the neighborhood sports bar” of Lincoln Park, you will always be able to find your favorite Chicago teams playing at this local hot spot. Check out their website for news and events.
Juniors Sports Lounge Inc
724 W Maxwell St, Chicago, IL 60607
With more high-def flatscreens than you’ve ever seen in a sports bar, Junior’s makes a great place to watch your favorite game. It’s usually crowded, but they have good happy hour specials to keep you happy.
With more high-def flatscreens than you’ve ever seen in a sports bar, Junior’s makes a great place to watch your favorite game. It’s usually crowded, but they have good happy hour specials to keep you happy.
Pint
1547 N Milwaukee Ave, Chicago, IL 60622
At this Irish Pub meets sports bar, you can definately count on a laid back environment. A great place to go in Wicker Park area if you’re looking for beer, food, and sports.
At this Irish Pub meets sports bar, you can definately count on a laid back environment. A great place to go in Wicker Park area if you’re looking for beer, food, and sports.
#5 Church Groups
If you are even semi-religious, this is a great and super easy way to meet people in the area. You can probably find a church group for nearly every denomination that is made up of a twenty something crowd. These groups generally plan activities outside of the weekly meeting so there are lots of opportunities to get involved.
The Young Adult Ministry of Chicago
If you’re Catholic, check out this site. It will hook you up with churches and groups in your neighborhood. They’re mission is to connect people in their 20s and 30s.
The Church of Wrigleyville
1242 West Addison Chicago, IL 60613
Website
If you live in the Lakeview/Lincoln Park/Wrigleyville area, check out this church. It is non-denominational and has a more modern approach to worship. Plus there is a lot of young people just waiting to meet you!
First Unitarian Church in Hyde Park
5650 S. Woodlawn Ave Chicago, IL 60637
Website
If you live in or near Hyde Park, this church might be a good place to start. They get a lot of University of Chicago students at their Young Adult Ministry.
#6 Take Classes!
No, I’m not saying you have to go back to school. (Although its not a bad idea.) I’m talking about fun classes that have to do with your old or new interests… cooking, karate, dance, pottery, writing… just to name a few. Work out classes at gyms are also great, but a little harder to meet people at. Find something that you would enjoy doing regardless of who else will be taking the class so that it isn’t a waste of your time if you end up not making any friends. (But you probably will!)
Authentic Mideast Belly Dance Jasmin Jahal School of Dance
4037 N Milwaukee Ave, Chicago, IL 60641
Learn to belly dance!
Learn to belly dance!
Cooking classes at Whole Foods Market
Check out the website to find the nearest store and information about their events and classes.
Chicago Wine School
1942 South Halsted Street Chicago, IL 60608
Learn about wine AND drink in class? Sign me up!
Check out their website for class schedules, prices, and products.
#7 Be MY friend!
I love making new friends AND I live in Chicago. So if you haven’t already, join Guidespot and give me a shout out! You can also follow me on Twitter if you have it. My Twitter name is jesswrites.
Cheers to not being all alone in the world!
Map out your new friends
Here is a handy little map to all the places I talked about in this guide. For even more suggestions, give me a shout out and I’ll try to point you to some other great places to check out.
Childhood Blankies, Stuffed Animals and Imaginary Friends
Just in case you STILL can’t make any friends…
.jpg "What's Your Favorite Chick Flick??")
.jpg "Why I Heart Being Married")
.jpg "What song do you think is the most ROMANTIC???")
.jpg "Why Chelsea SHOULDN'T have a boyfriend")
- |
- |
- |
- |
- share this
.jpg "EveryyDayy")
-
I love these ideas!! They are good for any city really, for the most part a few adjustments and you’re good to go.Wine school, I’m so jealous!! I wish we had something like that here. I loved Chicago when I went there a few years ago. I only stayed 4 days but I fell in love for sure. Maybe one day I’ll go back and we can get coffee or take a wine class. Who knows.
.jpg "jamielovely")
-
Good suggestions. Plus we already have tentative plans to hangout so you’re halfway there!
.jpg "ElGuapo")
-
Hey good guide for peeps in a new city.
.jpg "JessicaJoy")
.jpg "Guide to being a Gold Digger")
.jpg "The Awesome World of Cuddling")
.jpg "The Chicago Guide to Dating - Romantic Winter Dates")
.jpg "Awkward Family Portraits will make you say \"WTF?\"")
.jpg "Love Carrots...And Other Oddball Fruits and Vegetables")
.jpg "Food is SO SEXY, I want to TAT my body with it!")
.jpg "Funniest TV Commercials in the History of the World")
.jpg "Non mind-numbing reality tv. (Yes, it's possible.) What do YOU watch?")
.jpg "The Old Man Is Snoring: Your Favorite Rainy Day Activities")
.jpg "What Are You Reading Right Now?")
.jpg "Hipster Douchebag Must Haves")
Add Our Widget To Your Site
.jpg)
Discussions