How do I make my first friends in a new city forum?

[George85]

I just moved to a new city and joined this forum hoping to meet people, but I'm honestly not sure how to start. My intro post feels a bit awkward, like I'm just listing facts about myself without any real way to connect. How did you all make your first friends here?

[Ronald61]

I moved here last year and felt the same way. I posted a simple hello and then dragged myself to a local trivia night. It was awkward at first, but someone laughed at my terrible team name and we ended up swapping recommendations for cheap eats. That one night didn’t solve everything, but it gave me a few people to text when I’m bored on a Saturday.

[AbigailJ]

I tried replying to a thread about hiking and asked if anyone wanted to check out a trail with me. One person said yes, we met at the trailhead and talked the whole way. It wasn’t profound, but we’ve done a couple more hikes since. Still not a big friend group, but it’s something.

[Jason_M]

I used to think the problem was my intro, but maybe the city is just bigger and people stay in their circles. I’ve gone to events where I knew no one and left feeling more lonely than when I started, but at least I learned where the coffee spots are.

[Jack_S]

Last month I joined a weekend pottery class and met two people who live in my hood. We grab coffee after class and we don’t talk about the forum at all. Do you think the real thing is showing up to something and letting the rest happen?