Six Places Online To Find Something To Do
Craigslist. The grand daddy of all websites to help you get out of the house. Classes? Check. Events? Check. Just friends? Check. More than friends? No problem. I use Craigslist all the time – my favorite sections to post are “strictly platonic” when I’m looking for tennis and hiking buddies, and in the “musicians” section when looking for fellow band mates. Whatever you’re looking for, Craigslist has you covered. I’ve even made friends with people after purchasing used tennis rackets and guitars, and some of my best friends have been random people I’ve met on Craigslist. I have friends in different cities through Craigslist to this day – some of whom I met as many as seven years ago! Meetup. Meetup is awesome – they have well organized events, you can see who is attending, and you will often see the same regulars at event after event so you can build a relationship. I’m involved in about a dozen Meetup groups, although I don’t attend many events – but I love being able to see what’s being planned and having the option of attending. Many cities have dedicated “New In Town” Meetup groups, and whenever I’ve attended I’ve found them to be welcoming – and a great place to meet people when I’ve first arrived. Twtvite. A relative newcomer, Twtvite uses Twitter to publicize events and RSVPs. You don’t even need a Twitter account to use it, you can just show up – but you’ll want to get on Twitter so you can keep in touch with all the cool people you meet. Just go to the site to see what’s being organized in your town and to see who’s attending. As I was writing this I went to check it out and found an event one of my friends was organizing, that 30 people are attending. Instant things to do, instant Twitter followers and instant new real life friends. Myspace Shows. I love discovering new music, so whenever I move to a new city, this is one of the first sites I pull up. Not only does it help me find local music, it also helps me meet people, because I can find people at the concerts that likely are similar to me. If nothing else, the people I meet have the same taste in music. It also gives me an excuse to check out bars I may not normally visit. One night when I was living in Maui, I had nothing to do so I found an acoustic musician playing a solo show in a tiny little bar in Kihei. I decided to check it out, and I was blown away. He was amazing, and since then we’ve remained good friends – and I’ve introduced many of my friends to his music. I also check out Ticketmaster since they tend to have lots of concerts listed as well, but generally not as many as Myspace Shows – and I also have a harder time meeting people at large concerts compared to smaller local shows. Metromix. A great source for club parties and local bar events, Metromix is slick and polished. They have lots of pictures and information about the venues, so you can make a decision about where to spend your evening. The downside is they tend to be focused on nightlife, so you may have a harder time finding daytime events. Facebook Events. This requires slightly more work which is why it’s last. Whenever a friend invites me to an event on Facebook, I take a look at who the organizer for the event is and check out their Facebook profile. Over time I’ve found about a dozen people – local DJs, bartenders, etc. – who constantly post new events to Facebook to get the word out. The result is that now on any given night, there are usually one or two events I can see going on on Facebook. Since I can see who is organizing events as well, I can often get on guest lists for free or reduced cover charge.
How about you? Are there any websites you like that help you find local events?
