Welcome to your new Camden Apartment! Oh, it doesn’t feel like home yet? Well, have I got the cure for that! Nothing makes your new apartment feel more like home than having good friends over for a social gathering. Haven’t made any friends yet in your new city, huh? I’ve got you covered! Here is a list of a few places you could try to go to make some acquaintances that could turn into friends!

Work

Unless you win the lottery or were born with a silver spoon in your mouth, you have to work. If you work from home and never go into an office that makes this one a bit tougher for you but if you go into an office every day, whether there’s 5 or 5000 of you, you can make a friend. Maybe the first time you meet a coworker you don’t say much other than “hello”, but as the days go on you make it to multiple conversations. After a while and you’re feeling comfortable around them ask them to grab a drink and watch the game after work, or to start simply, lunch during work!

Photo Courtesy of Camden Manor Park

Gym/Running

Runners make friends. Lots of them. My friends that run seem to have new people to introduce me to endlessly. Whenever I ask how they met them, they always just say “running”. Next time you’re at your Camden gym during a busy hour, look around; you’ll see plenty of people talking. Most likely, they only met at the gym. Whether you’re running or at your Camden gym, if you’re around the same people every day you’re eventually going to recognize each other. The same tactic as at work, it starts with simple small talk and then moves on to real conversations. From there it’s up to you if you want to invite them to do something outside of the gym.

Place of Worship

A tried-and-true way to meet people. Whether it’s donuts after service, a Facebook page for a local religious meet-up group you want to join, or one of many social activities that religious associations are known for, this provides nearly endless opportunities to meet people in your new city.

Photo Courtesy of Camden Asbury Village

Community Pool

Now that you’re all moved into your new apartment you’re probably ready to relax, might I suggest your Camden community pool? Unfortunately during the winter, this might not work as a great way to meet people but during the summer it seems like everybody goes to the pool! Head down there a little early and make sure you’re in a prime spot. Once more people gather around you it will be easy to start talking to them. Make sure to offer your sunscreen if they forgot theirs! Automatic in.

Breweries

I specifically wrote down breweries for a reason, not bars or restaurants. While you can meet people at those other places, there is just something about a brewery. People at breweries tend to be more open. Any night of the week is a good night to go! If it’s slow, you can sit at the bar and talk to the bartender, and if it’s busy, there are plenty of people to try talking to. Grab a beer and go strike up a conversation! If you want to ease into it go sit close, but not too close, to somebody you’d like to talk to and after a bit of working up the courage (or drinking it), say something!

Sports

Whether it’s going to watch the game in person or at a sports bar, if you’re cheering for the same team as the guy next to you, it’s easy to strike up a conversation. You have an automatic in; you know you can talk about the team. If you want them to like you, offer to buy the next round. Also, a lot of teams have associated clubs. Look into if your favorite local team has one near you. Many Camden communities have a theater room that you can reserve. After you’ve met a few people figure out when the next big game is, reserve the room, and have them over! Don’t forget the chips and dip!

Dog Parks

If you don’t have a dog this one might not be for you. Pretty much any time of day, you’re going to find people taking their dog to a dog park. Most likely, there are several dog parks around the city that you can try out to see what you, and your dog, like so if one doesn’t seem like a good place to meet people, head to the next! One dog park that is almost guaranteed to have friendly faces is the one at your Camden community! Take your furry friend and let them run loose through the dog park while you get to know your neighbors a bit better and learn about all that you have in common!

Resident Events

First off, congratulations on finding that awesome new Camden apartment you just moved into. Second, Camden does social events like having food trucks visit the community. Check with your Camden leasing office staff to learn about events in your community! MyCamden.com is also a great site to organize a meet-up for people in your community with similar interests.

Might I say, you picked a beautiful Camden apartment to make your home! If I were you, I would want to spend a lot of time there as well. But, this isn’t college where if you leave your dorm door open, people will stop by and you’ll become best friends. You have to actually leave your apartment. Whether you’re going to one of the places I suggested above or going to any other countless possible places that are where you need to go to make your next friend…and then the one after that.

Follow the SimplyCamden blog (hit that Subscribe button!) for the follow-up to this post! How to make friends in a new city: part 2 will give even more details on how to go about introducing yourself to people and more!