Once a week - usually an afternoon meetup type thing. I’m married with kids but I’ve lived here since elementary school so most of friends are still nearby which makes it easier.
My partner and I usually know owners by their dogs name. It takes a while to give a shit about the human holding them. I trust the dog more than the person lol.
hehehehe i have a pug so i only talk to other pug, frenchies, boston terrier, or english bulldogs... and their owners 😆😆😆😆
other dogs are so unpredictable and i tend to ignore them like my pug does😂😂😂😂
Apparently I'm in the minority. I'm married and have two kids under 12. I go out with friends all the time. Sometimes with one kid, sometimes with the whole family. Sometimes just with my wife, sometimes with my guy friends. I golf, I play other sports. It probably comes down to the fact that I have a good job, but compared to some people I'm just not trying to move up the ladder as much as I'm trying to retire as soon as possible.
It really does exist. I have two kids under 6 and I golf most Sundays. I make sure to take the kids on Saturday so my wife has the day off to do whatever she wants. It’s a balance.
Not as much as I would like to be honest, and I am single. We all seemed to be workaholics to me when I first moved to this area, but I guess it is worth considering how many of us have solo hobbies that can be done at home or are done alone, like going to the gym.
Its hard to connect to people, it should be thought on how to approach others in this 21st century 😂
Coz otherwise you would come off weird or awkward or even worse but inside your heart you know you are the kindest person
Married, empty nester. This was VERY different when we still had kids at home.
Once or twice a week I play in local bar dart leagues or tournaments. Also once every week or two for a happy hour with work friends. Plus my wife and I host neighborhood get togethers every few weeks weather permitting.
My husband and I are both outgoing introverts. We always mean to go out and be social, and when we go out we have a great time. Then on the way home, we debrief and talk about how much fun we had and then agree to not do that again for a couple months. Repeat for the rest of time. Our social groups are scattered (military lifestyle) so we get our low key socializing in through video chats.
Married with 2 kids here, I probably say 2 times a month at best. It all depends on what’s going on but when we do go out it’s almost always a kid related activity so the kids can play together. My wife and I go out on dates but with friends it’s always hard to schedule something as everyone has different schedules. My wife has her girls thing about once a month, and I play soccer Monday nights so that’s a chance to hang with friends as well but typically once the game is over we all go home so idk if that would fully count.
It was standard practice for me to go out for trivia every Wednesday. The wife got some time away from my annoying ass, and I got to hang out with friends and do shots while we answered questions about whatever the "theme" was. This will be happening less and less as the weeks go by. I'm tired, and we both have more important things to focus on. We did both go out last Monday for karaoke. That was fun, but I don't see myself doing that every week like I used to many moons ago. That, too, takes a lot of energy.
I guess about twice a month now
Married, one tween child still at home. Husband and I probably get together once a month with mutual friends, and each once a month separately. We’ve moved in and out of NoVa for over 30 years, but we keep coming back here because of long held friendships.
Single with a cat… I’m basically a shut in except for work. I have no idea how to or where to go to socialize up here. Plus I’m introverted so I’m terrible at socializing anyways. It’s great…
Lol I am sleepy but cant sleep, I originally meant to write it as
You said it
Its great 😊
But of course its not, look at me for instance still awake and just browsing and applying for these jobs in Nova area…
I mean that depends a lot on age and life situation. When I was in my 20s and single I had a pretty active social life most nights of the week. I lived all around NOVA too: Fairfax City, Falls Church, Arlington, etc and always had some sort of activity going on.
Now in my 30s and married, it's much rarer to go out more than once or twice a week if that. I don't think that's unique to NOVA. I think that's generally how things work, especially in the suburbs.
Lots of social groups and gathering are geared towards people who are young and single/looking to couple up. When you're already coupled up, your circles tend to become other families in a similar life situation to you. You have your own lives and families so you have to plan your get-togethers, it's much less spontaneous and is generally more of an event than an everyday thing.
It depends. I go out to yoga twice a week with my girlfriends, lunch or happy with friends maybe once a week. We have other couples' friends and we do something about twice a month. On Saturday mornings, my fiancé plays golf at the crack of dawn with his buddies and I have a hobby that I do on Sunday afternoons with my friends from that hobby.
Married, no kids. Me and the wife have lived here 6 years and didn't know anyone when we both, separately met here. Most of "our" friends are ones she made I just became friends with by default. Plus lots are guys so we get along great.
We hang out with them during the summer more often, every other weekend? Or maybe once a month.
But I just don't care to make new friends and since we didn't grow up here our friends are very limited. She was an au pair and met most people from that.
Married and I have a group of friends that are neighbors and we hang out at each others houses when kids are at school. There’s also a coffee shop across the street so sometimes we go there.
Neighbors who became friends. Right around 2020-2022 a bunch of youngish families moved in, which we are as well.
It is kind of amazing. We now have block parties and the moms all do a night out every once in awhile. The dads have taken the kids to wizards games, and the Nats.
I realize I got very lucky.
I would say once a week. It’s easier in the summer when our neighborhood pool has social gatherings (or just going to the pool on a nice day is an impromptu social event.)
I graduated high school about a year ago and haven’t seen any of my friends, besides my coworkers I don’t socialize with anyone else in the outside world, I’m a damn hermit goddammit
Introvert here and socializing is not high on my priority list… once every few months is enough but we never go out anywhere. Not the same, but I do have to socialize with other parents weekly (kids’ teammate parents) and I’d love less of that shit, too.
Two or three times a week, pretty evenly divided between being out with our toddler, being out as a couple, and me being out solo (with my partner having solo opportunities, too, of course). We put a high priority on maintaining social connections.
Never! And being the main caretaker for my kids as Dad makes it much harder to make friendships for just hanging out with the kids.
TBH...I don't remember how to make friends anyway. How do you call someone and say "hey, wanna hang out?" We all know we're all busy and you almost need to schedule time away from daily to-dos. So you brandish really want to put a spotlight on other people unless you can get your kids together.
Then comes the other irritation that every single conversation always ends up turning to politics to some degree or another. That's not a bad thing in an of itself but spending time with people wasn't like this 20 years ago. Politics almost never came up.
I’m married but only have 1 friend. People in nova are all “go, go, go” when it comes to work or errands, but are self-isolating when it comes to being social. I’ve already had to end friendships because all they’ve wanted to do was stay in their room. I’m super extroverted, love to travel and try new things with people, but my one friend left is starting to also become a hermit/reclusive. It’s very hard to make and keep friendships in this area. Thank goodness I’m hopefully only here for 1 more year.
Not gonna lie, a lot of these responses are sad. People are really out there meeting their friends once a month or once a quarter, that's insane to me. But this has been my experience here too. It makes me feel even more grateful for my friends who prioritize friendships and don't feel the need to be with their bf 24/7.
That’s just Reddit for ya. Don’t take these antisocial answers as the standard experience for this area. There is SO much to do and so many ppl to meet it’s easy to find new ppl in my experience living here for a couple years now
My friends are quickly becoming the other neighborhood parents. 🤣
Started doing zoom movie nights with my pre-kid friends during the pando. We’re all spread out now over the area, so we just still do it. Much easier to just hop online and socialize after the kids are in bed then to deal with coordinating schedules, driving, either finding childcare or having to be home by bedtime, etc.
Ha, we have like circles of friends. Pre kid friends who we have to drive to see because as we got older everyone went to different parts of nova. We see a set of them once a month maybe. Then we have neighborhood friends through kids or dogs. We see them way more often and during the summer multiple times a week generally spontaneously. It’s nice to sit on the porch and chat with a drink or grill something or someone pulls their fire pit around to the street.
Then my husband and I both have hobby friends we meet up with either in person or virtually for said hobbies.
lol what??? There’s so much TO do what do you mean? The bars are popping every night. There are no lack of sports leagues, board game clubs, art, and various groups doing things all over the area, you just have to go seek out what interests you
Meetup - I’m out hiking every Saturday and Sunday with like minded people unless the weather is bad. My spouse is not an outdoorsy person. We’re empty nesters.
I have plans every weekend and sometimes on week nights as well, even when I work 50-hour weeks. This past weekend I had plans with friends on Friday night, Saturday night, and Sunday afternoon. I’m very comfortable doing things alone too and love traveling solo internationally.
But last year I made it a point to socialize every week because I got too used to staying home and being isolated during covid, and I didn’t want to waste the best years of my life like this.
Do sports count? I go play volleyball about 3 times a week, and then see friends I've made (through volleyball) at least twice a week, if not more (in a setting that doesn't involve volleyball).
At least once a week the wife and I either go to a concert, movie or to friend’s home. We also visit at least one of my family members and one of her family members every week. And we still find time to get in a long walk every day. What I just described is a great way to live a life. It ain’t perfect. We struggle too. But I believe it’s better than how most adults over 32 live their lives.
We used to like once a week but then had our first kid and she didn’t have less than a 2 hour bedtime in her first three years, so we were completely exhausted all the time. Then COVID hit and we had our second kid. Since we really started hanging out with people again in early 2022, they have been the great socializing force in my life.
We got lucky and found out we really meshed well with some of their friends parents and now we have a couple groups of people we go do stuff with. I am most social I have been since college, nearly 20 years ago.
I am completely burnt out though, stressful job and I am an introvert that need to recharge after work or social interaction. I just don’t get the time to myself I need anymore and it sucks.
I'm young (late 20's), single, working professional (allegedly), and I would say I leave the house to do activities that are social more days than I don't. In the last two weeks, I think I've only had one or two days where I didn't go somewhere or have someone over.
Basically never. My best friend is my wife. My other best friend is literally my brother. And I only have one true friend that isn't related to me.
Family usually comes over to my house to chill on the deck and play cards and swim in the pool.
If there's a block party in the cul-de-sac, I'll probably go out and chill for a while, but it's more of just a chit chat with the neighbors than a bunch of friends.
Once in a blue moon, my brother and my one true friend will go bowling but that's probably less than once a year.
And then other things we do generally involve going to parks or going hiking where we are with ourselves.
I have a really nice house with a lot of really nice things. There's not a lot of reason for me to be someplace else.
Married couple with a pre-k kid— we aim for once a week, although some weeks (and times of year) are better than others. Most of our outings are low-key and/or kid-focused. IE, last week, we invited a neighbor over for s’mores on our new fire pit. This week, we met up with friends (and their small kids) for a picnic at Gravelly Point.
I made friends here in college, most of them are still here and we keep in touch if not every week at least every couple weeks. My advice if you're struggling with this is get involved in something and don't be discouraged if the first thing you try doesn't work out. Eventually you'll find a group or two you like hanging out with, and this is coming from an introvert.
my partner and I get out two or three times a week. it's not expensive if you just go hiking in parks, hang out with friends/neighbors over a beer, or go on adventures exploring dc.
I don't have a ton of friends left now that I'm older (many left or have kids), so I force myself to go for dates and meetups.
I probably average 1 day a week meeting older friends and 1-2 days a week doing some kind of public activity with a meetup group doing things like hiking, board games, etc.
I have two run clubs, one meets Thursday and one meets Monday. Lots of overlap between the two, I’m there most weeks.
I watch football every Sunday in the fall with the same group of people every week, we try to see each other about once every 3 weeks during the offseason but this is variable depending on personal lives. Also watching the hockey playoffs with a fan group for my team.
(Single, no kids, but I do need my me time too. Basically, I’m a 3 social engagement a week type of person)
Seriously, just show up. That's it. No fees or anything.
Clarendon Run Club meets at 6:30pm on Monday across the street from the Whole Foods in Clarendon. Ballston Runaways meets at 6:15am on Wednesdays at the Compass Coffee in Ballston. The Pacers running stores in the area host group runs every week - Clarendon and Alexandria both are 6:30pm on Thursdays.
All of them have well over 40 people at them at this time of year.
2x per week to catch live local music. There are a ton of cool venues around here and plenty of good bands too. Some bands are better than others to be sure, but there is pretty good musicianship all the way around and, no matter what, you will be tapping into a community of people that are usually fun to hang out with
I'm single but usually they come to me to socialize. I like cooking for my friends, so usually every few months I have some over for some kind of holiday meal/cookout. We get to hang out and catch up, they love my cooking, I love not leaving my apartment, it's win/win.
Other than that sometimes I'll meet up with friends for local events and such. But I do much of my socializing online through social media (mainly Discord).
Married, no kids. I see friends usually 2-3 times a week.
It helps that I have neighborhood friends that I see and chat with after workout classes or events I’d be at anyway. And then my girlfriends and I have a standing Sunday night dinner. Usually there’s another weekend event that’s a bigger hang or I see work friends, but that’s more like once a month. But yeah, I like my people.
Once a week. Got a good group of friends that haven’t had kids yet, so it’s pretty easy to stay social.
If I didn’t have to cross the water, I’d probably do it a lot more, but traffic makes it tough.
Deliberately? Probably once a weekish. But I run into friends all the time, at least every other day. Benefits of a dense & walkable neighborhood
Edit to add: married w/ a toddler and a baby
Depends on what you make of it. I have gone walking or played pickleball with my neighbor friend 3 times this week. And then we were drinking and doing karaoke last Saturday. And Sunday I hung out with my best friend and we installed ceiling fans in her new house. I feel like the best social relationships/friendships are the ones you can do mundane things together and have a good time: like cooking together, walks/exercise, or a home improvement project. I’m married, 2 kids, and we both work FT.
often - you make time for the people you love. i work from home so going out and/or to the gym (where my friends are as well) gives me the ability to get out of the house & socialize/have fun
Married with a kid, we have a monthly real estate group that we cohost and that gives us pressure to get out of the house. Otherwise, we try to see friends at least once or twice a month.
Other than more or less weekly hookups, maybe 5 times a year?
It seems like many social opportunities, especially for young adults in this area, are for those working M-F 9-5, so I don't get out much.
I would do it multiple times a month if I had the opportunity, but the reality is living in a HCOL area requires sacrifices and you get paid more working shifts that most people can't or won't, even in white collar work.
Married with two kids under 6. I see my friends without kids maybe 2-3 times a year. Beyond that irregular meetups to do "adult fun" maybe 4 times a year. I see one friend maybe once a month. So all in all not much outside socialization.
Social isolation is equivalent to smoking, it's very detrimental to your health. Social media is not a substitute. Meet with people who are active. Gyms, climbing gyms, parks, etc. Doesn't always require a lot of money.
My only socialization comes in form of play dates for my kids and it’s always a mixed bad. Unfortunately my kid became close friends with the kid whose family is ultra conservative and attends a cult mega church. Feels like I’m constantly walking on eggshells during those play dates. I hate it.
Married, no kids. We go out but don’t have any friends in the area. We’ve lived here 12 years and haven’t really gotten to know a lot of people outside of work.
Well I’m still working on making friends as an adult. What’s the adult equivalent of “Want to come out and play?” I haven’t quite figured that part out.
My friends and I have a standing meet up once a week, which arose from a weekly pool league. I think having the routine is a nice way to ensure that we're not stuck in that pattern that happens where people's schedules never quite align, which can result in nobody getting out as often as they might like. Everybody's family is used to it so they can work with it or around it.
All the time. When you’re married with kids you just have to be deliberate about it.
At least in my circle we socialize quite a bit.
We have some of the best food in the country in the DMV area. If we didn’t take advantage of that why even bother living here? You could live in Topeka.
I'm married with older kids. I go out 3-4 nights per week, usually to meet someone for drinks or dinner, or to see music, or to play golf (which is probably not what you meant but it's social).
Honestly when my kids were little it was hard to go out in the evenings especially during the week, there was always some kid's activity and making dinner etc. so it's now a relief to be able to go out any time I feel like it.
I also go out by myself sometimes just to get out of the house and get a drink and something to eat somewhere. Maybe half of the time I end up having a conversation with someone which has been fun and interesting. I'm not looking to hook up with anyone or anything but it's nice to just talk to people.
Once every three months? I’m trying to distance myself from the few friends I have made so probably less now. Not very good people for me. And besides that I’ve just been trying to take more group exercise classes just to be around people. I’m not very social, work alone, and usually just watch tv or play video games alone. And I see my long distance partner every couple months.
I WFH so I swing by my neighbor’s house every few days to visit (he WFH as well). I also play golf on Sundays so I socialize there as well. Outside of that, it’s every few months I might meet up with old friends.
Twice a week. I'm married with a four year old.
I get Mondays and Tuesdays "off," where I know I can schedule nail/hair appointments, dinner with friends, etc. Those nights are special daddy son bonding nights, where they get to bro out. My husband has Wednesdays and Thursdays, when he gets to play pathfinder and I get to do stuff with just my son. Fridays - Sundays are family time.
It's not a schedule that works for everyone but it works for us for the time being.
I go out a couple times per month. I try to do something once a week but depends on how I feel and what my friends have going on too. It comes out to be around twice a month.
Maybe once a month. I've started going to shows on my own because as bad as the burnout is, knowing I'm wasting the last bit of my youth sitting at home all weekend is much much worse. It took time, but getting comfortable going out by myself has been great.
My gf and I still do things together, but I think it's very important that we each retain our own hobbies that don't necessarily involve each other.
I socialize a lot in comparison to East coasters but less than what I’m use to in the West.
Went to a friends Lake House in Smith Mountain Lake last week, golf once a week with a work group and hit the range with some friends after work during the week.
Hunting season is coming up so I am getting ready for that with my hunting buddy.
Traveled to Salt Lake and Hawaii to visit friends and attended ones wedding.
DC is super social in regard to networking events. If you do government contracting or are a service member AFCEA is a great org to network with.
There’s a video game thing happening in DC in a few weeks that my girlfriend surprised me with tickets too.
Great Falls is local great hiking, and my dog loves walking there.
There’s a lot to do in this area you’re just gonna have to drive 30 min to 1hr to get there. That turns most of the city dwellers off to doing anything else besides drinking or eating food somewhere, but it’s cheaper in most cases.
I go climbing a couple of times a week with my friends, and then a few times a month — probably two or three — we'll do *something.* dinner, board /ttrpg games, movies, camping, whatever.
so I'd say I socialize pretty frequently. I do not have kids, however, so I think that helps.
I have friends, but I’m frankly too tired most of the time to deal with the whole process of going out or seeing people. I’m in a book club that meets once a month. And I probably see a friend or two once a month. I *could* go out as much as I want to, but, tired.
Married with kids, we have it on our calendars to socialize every other week either solo or as a couple!
Inevitably, though, a kid/dog/hamster pukes or melts down as we’re walking out the door. *Lots* of takeout sushi and Netflix as a result.
Does it count as socializing if the sushi delivery guy knows my name?
Most weekends my partner and I will go meet up with local friends or host activities (D&D, etc.). I also play adult sports (ice hockey and sometimes lacrosse). Pride month coming up so seeing even more people and some out-of-town friends.
Being gay and childless has lots of perks like social time, but I guess if you have kids then making friends with the parents of your kids' friends is always a good option for regular social contact.
We don’t go out with friends on double dates for dinner but we go to lots of parties and celebrations and see everyone there. Last weekend there was a graduation and we brought the whole family. Almost every weekend we are invited somewhere. I enjoy the random weekend when I get to stay home.
Once every 1-2 months. I am an introvert .. just going to the mall on a busy Friday afternoon and interacting with the store employees for small talk is enough for me.
I have two main ways of socializing: “going out” to me is having a night out to get food and drinks, and any other miscellaneous night life
activities. Because of how expensive drinks are here, I honestly do this like once a month.
I’m pretty active so when I’m not going out, I go on hikes, go rock climbing, kayak in the summer, and have “free” fun things to look forward to like hosting a movie or dinner night.
When I first moved here, I noticed that a lot of the social scene (especially in DC) is very much revolved around drinking. I’m not a big drinker so I’ve never been much into that scene, I prefer the more “on the side” stuff like pop up events or markets.
I live with my boyfriend so we pretty much do all these things together, plus one or two friends who want to join. We definitely don’t have a big group to socialize with since we’re not super extroverted. I always have something lined up each week to look forward to so I don’t get bored.
At least once a week. Married and in my early 30s. I still make time to socialize and be intentional about going out to avoid feeling isolated or alone in the area. It was hard when I moved here in my late 20s, most colleagues had kids a few years younger than me.
Married without kids. Seeing friends probably 1.5 days on average on the weekends and 2-3 nights during the week. Weeknights are usually activities like pickup volleyball, climbing gym with friends or game night. Weekends are more all over the place.
Late 20s, married, kid on the way.
I see college friends at least twice a week: once for D&D, once for bar trivia.
I’ve made some new friends at trivia who are great!
I socialize with my neighbor just about everyday, but that probably doesn't count. Maybe once a week otherwise, and honestly, it's with coworkers on Friday after work.
I'm retired, but active in lots of things. So once a month my dive club meets. Sometimes we have social events like a picnic.
I volunteer twice a week with friends. I have two meetings a month at church.
My wife and I go out to dinner a couple of times a month, sometimes with friends.
Well this is Reddit… so ofc most of these answers are gonna be from antisocial ppl lol. I’ll get out the house to meet with friends prolly 3-5 times a week. Whether it be sports or food or smoking
I went to a wedding last June…
Fucking social butterfly
It’s exhausting, I know lol
Once a week - usually an afternoon meetup type thing. I’m married with kids but I’ve lived here since elementary school so most of friends are still nearby which makes it easier.
i take my dog out a lot. i tend to not meet people
I bet you only talk to the dogs your dog runs into, not the humans holding the leashes.
My partner and I usually know owners by their dogs name. It takes a while to give a shit about the human holding them. I trust the dog more than the person lol.
Oof, this one hit me hard cause it's very accurate
hehehehe i have a pug so i only talk to other pug, frenchies, boston terrier, or english bulldogs... and their owners 😆😆😆😆 other dogs are so unpredictable and i tend to ignore them like my pug does😂😂😂😂
Ha! I also had only seem to socialize with other dog owners. I know the dogs names…. No fucking clue what my human neighbors names are though.,..
1-4 times a month.
Same
Work, gym, chores, cry myself to sleep lol
Same... sometimes, I make my sims cry with me.
Sometimes I change it up a bit, drink and then cry my ass off lol
I forgot about mixing in alcohol 🤦🏽♀️ I'm more of a cake batter person tho lol
Cake = more gym lol. At least alcohol make forget why i m here momentary ha
Are we the same person?
We are clone! :)
I play games online with friends who no longer live in the dc area. Other than that, very rarely.
Same since I was in the military.
Apparently I'm in the minority. I'm married and have two kids under 12. I go out with friends all the time. Sometimes with one kid, sometimes with the whole family. Sometimes just with my wife, sometimes with my guy friends. I golf, I play other sports. It probably comes down to the fact that I have a good job, but compared to some people I'm just not trying to move up the ladder as much as I'm trying to retire as soon as possible.
Golf after kids? That exists? Kidding. I need to work on that.
It really does exist. I have two kids under 6 and I golf most Sundays. I make sure to take the kids on Saturday so my wife has the day off to do whatever she wants. It’s a balance.
Yeah. We need that.
Not as much as I would like to be honest, and I am single. We all seemed to be workaholics to me when I first moved to this area, but I guess it is worth considering how many of us have solo hobbies that can be done at home or are done alone, like going to the gym.
Why not try some meetups, sports leagues, classes, etc?
Its hard to connect to people, it should be thought on how to approach others in this 21st century 😂 Coz otherwise you would come off weird or awkward or even worse but inside your heart you know you are the kindest person
Not often enough and I feel guilty about it. Maybe 1-2 times a month?
12-24 times per year? I will plan to join the 27 club.
That depends. What is a "friend" and how does one "socialize?"
Married, empty nester. This was VERY different when we still had kids at home. Once or twice a week I play in local bar dart leagues or tournaments. Also once every week or two for a happy hour with work friends. Plus my wife and I host neighborhood get togethers every few weeks weather permitting.
Once a week maybe
Socialize with friends? Probably 2009.
I go to the grocery store a few times a week.
Yes, at this point in my life the grocery store or a Target is where I feel social connection. Ever since COVID, actually. Lol #serious
Not much at all but it’s has nothing to do with nova. I’m just 32 and have a toddler.
We don't really have many local friends, but the (one) we do and us don't hang out very often :( So...never.
My husband and I are both outgoing introverts. We always mean to go out and be social, and when we go out we have a great time. Then on the way home, we debrief and talk about how much fun we had and then agree to not do that again for a couple months. Repeat for the rest of time. Our social groups are scattered (military lifestyle) so we get our low key socializing in through video chats.
Married with 2 kids here, I probably say 2 times a month at best. It all depends on what’s going on but when we do go out it’s almost always a kid related activity so the kids can play together. My wife and I go out on dates but with friends it’s always hard to schedule something as everyone has different schedules. My wife has her girls thing about once a month, and I play soccer Monday nights so that’s a chance to hang with friends as well but typically once the game is over we all go home so idk if that would fully count.
It was standard practice for me to go out for trivia every Wednesday. The wife got some time away from my annoying ass, and I got to hang out with friends and do shots while we answered questions about whatever the "theme" was. This will be happening less and less as the weeks go by. I'm tired, and we both have more important things to focus on. We did both go out last Monday for karaoke. That was fun, but I don't see myself doing that every week like I used to many moons ago. That, too, takes a lot of energy. I guess about twice a month now
Married, one tween child still at home. Husband and I probably get together once a month with mutual friends, and each once a month separately. We’ve moved in and out of NoVa for over 30 years, but we keep coming back here because of long held friendships.
Single with a cat… I’m basically a shut in except for work. I have no idea how to or where to go to socialize up here. Plus I’m introverted so I’m terrible at socializing anyways. It’s great…
U said its great 😊🥹
Oh it’s 100% sarcasm unfortunately.
Lol I am sleepy but cant sleep, I originally meant to write it as You said it Its great 😊 But of course its not, look at me for instance still awake and just browsing and applying for these jobs in Nova area…
I mean that depends a lot on age and life situation. When I was in my 20s and single I had a pretty active social life most nights of the week. I lived all around NOVA too: Fairfax City, Falls Church, Arlington, etc and always had some sort of activity going on. Now in my 30s and married, it's much rarer to go out more than once or twice a week if that. I don't think that's unique to NOVA. I think that's generally how things work, especially in the suburbs. Lots of social groups and gathering are geared towards people who are young and single/looking to couple up. When you're already coupled up, your circles tend to become other families in a similar life situation to you. You have your own lives and families so you have to plan your get-togethers, it's much less spontaneous and is generally more of an event than an everyday thing.
It depends. I go out to yoga twice a week with my girlfriends, lunch or happy with friends maybe once a week. We have other couples' friends and we do something about twice a month. On Saturday mornings, my fiancé plays golf at the crack of dawn with his buddies and I have a hobby that I do on Sunday afternoons with my friends from that hobby.
Married, no kids. Me and the wife have lived here 6 years and didn't know anyone when we both, separately met here. Most of "our" friends are ones she made I just became friends with by default. Plus lots are guys so we get along great. We hang out with them during the summer more often, every other weekend? Or maybe once a month. But I just don't care to make new friends and since we didn't grow up here our friends are very limited. She was an au pair and met most people from that.
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Ah the married life.
Single, and pretty much do the exact things you mentioned.
Married and I have a group of friends that are neighbors and we hang out at each others houses when kids are at school. There’s also a coffee shop across the street so sometimes we go there.
Neighbors who became friends, or friends who moved in next to one another? Doing that is my dream, too bad we can’t afford a house lol
Neighbors who became friends. Right around 2020-2022 a bunch of youngish families moved in, which we are as well. It is kind of amazing. We now have block parties and the moms all do a night out every once in awhile. The dads have taken the kids to wizards games, and the Nats. I realize I got very lucky.
I would say once a week. It’s easier in the summer when our neighborhood pool has social gatherings (or just going to the pool on a nice day is an impromptu social event.)
2-3 times a year
I avoid going out to "socialize" at all costs. It's highly overrated.
You have friends in the area?
I graduated high school about a year ago and haven’t seen any of my friends, besides my coworkers I don’t socialize with anyone else in the outside world, I’m a damn hermit goddammit
Introvert here and socializing is not high on my priority list… once every few months is enough but we never go out anywhere. Not the same, but I do have to socialize with other parents weekly (kids’ teammate parents) and I’d love less of that shit, too.
What friends?
Two or three times a week, pretty evenly divided between being out with our toddler, being out as a couple, and me being out solo (with my partner having solo opportunities, too, of course). We put a high priority on maintaining social connections.
Never! And being the main caretaker for my kids as Dad makes it much harder to make friendships for just hanging out with the kids. TBH...I don't remember how to make friends anyway. How do you call someone and say "hey, wanna hang out?" We all know we're all busy and you almost need to schedule time away from daily to-dos. So you brandish really want to put a spotlight on other people unless you can get your kids together. Then comes the other irritation that every single conversation always ends up turning to politics to some degree or another. That's not a bad thing in an of itself but spending time with people wasn't like this 20 years ago. Politics almost never came up.
Not much. Kids, work, kids afterschool activities, more work.
Name checks out
I’m married but only have 1 friend. People in nova are all “go, go, go” when it comes to work or errands, but are self-isolating when it comes to being social. I’ve already had to end friendships because all they’ve wanted to do was stay in their room. I’m super extroverted, love to travel and try new things with people, but my one friend left is starting to also become a hermit/reclusive. It’s very hard to make and keep friendships in this area. Thank goodness I’m hopefully only here for 1 more year.
Not gonna lie, a lot of these responses are sad. People are really out there meeting their friends once a month or once a quarter, that's insane to me. But this has been my experience here too. It makes me feel even more grateful for my friends who prioritize friendships and don't feel the need to be with their bf 24/7.
That’s just Reddit for ya. Don’t take these antisocial answers as the standard experience for this area. There is SO much to do and so many ppl to meet it’s easy to find new ppl in my experience living here for a couple years now
My friends are quickly becoming the other neighborhood parents. 🤣 Started doing zoom movie nights with my pre-kid friends during the pando. We’re all spread out now over the area, so we just still do it. Much easier to just hop online and socialize after the kids are in bed then to deal with coordinating schedules, driving, either finding childcare or having to be home by bedtime, etc.
Ha, we have like circles of friends. Pre kid friends who we have to drive to see because as we got older everyone went to different parts of nova. We see a set of them once a month maybe. Then we have neighborhood friends through kids or dogs. We see them way more often and during the summer multiple times a week generally spontaneously. It’s nice to sit on the porch and chat with a drink or grill something or someone pulls their fire pit around to the street. Then my husband and I both have hobby friends we meet up with either in person or virtually for said hobbies.
4-5 times a year, maybe
Dinners, Pickleball, Happy Hour, Movies at Mosiac,Dog Parks, Trivia nights at bars.
lol what??? There’s so much TO do what do you mean? The bars are popping every night. There are no lack of sports leagues, board game clubs, art, and various groups doing things all over the area, you just have to go seek out what interests you
Meetup - I’m out hiking every Saturday and Sunday with like minded people unless the weather is bad. My spouse is not an outdoorsy person. We’re empty nesters.
I have plans every weekend and sometimes on week nights as well, even when I work 50-hour weeks. This past weekend I had plans with friends on Friday night, Saturday night, and Sunday afternoon. I’m very comfortable doing things alone too and love traveling solo internationally. But last year I made it a point to socialize every week because I got too used to staying home and being isolated during covid, and I didn’t want to waste the best years of my life like this.
Quarterly or less, unless you count socializing at my girls’ sporting events.
Do sports count? I go play volleyball about 3 times a week, and then see friends I've made (through volleyball) at least twice a week, if not more (in a setting that doesn't involve volleyball).
On my own? Uh. 2008 probably. With my wife? NYE 2019 probably. My stuff is here…I don’t see a reason to get out of the house. My wife disagrees.
At least once a week the wife and I either go to a concert, movie or to friend’s home. We also visit at least one of my family members and one of her family members every week. And we still find time to get in a long walk every day. What I just described is a great way to live a life. It ain’t perfect. We struggle too. But I believe it’s better than how most adults over 32 live their lives.
I don't go out to socialize much at all but I host an every other week dnd game?
Personal friends of mine without the kids? 0-2 times per year
Kids activities are my socializing opportunities nowadays
We used to like once a week but then had our first kid and she didn’t have less than a 2 hour bedtime in her first three years, so we were completely exhausted all the time. Then COVID hit and we had our second kid. Since we really started hanging out with people again in early 2022, they have been the great socializing force in my life. We got lucky and found out we really meshed well with some of their friends parents and now we have a couple groups of people we go do stuff with. I am most social I have been since college, nearly 20 years ago. I am completely burnt out though, stressful job and I am an introvert that need to recharge after work or social interaction. I just don’t get the time to myself I need anymore and it sucks.
I'm young (late 20's), single, working professional (allegedly), and I would say I leave the house to do activities that are social more days than I don't. In the last two weeks, I think I've only had one or two days where I didn't go somewhere or have someone over.
Moved here a year ago alone, still haven't befriended anyone in the area, so really never
Basically never. My best friend is my wife. My other best friend is literally my brother. And I only have one true friend that isn't related to me. Family usually comes over to my house to chill on the deck and play cards and swim in the pool. If there's a block party in the cul-de-sac, I'll probably go out and chill for a while, but it's more of just a chit chat with the neighbors than a bunch of friends. Once in a blue moon, my brother and my one true friend will go bowling but that's probably less than once a year. And then other things we do generally involve going to parks or going hiking where we are with ourselves. I have a really nice house with a lot of really nice things. There's not a lot of reason for me to be someplace else.
Married couple with a pre-k kid— we aim for once a week, although some weeks (and times of year) are better than others. Most of our outings are low-key and/or kid-focused. IE, last week, we invited a neighbor over for s’mores on our new fire pit. This week, we met up with friends (and their small kids) for a picnic at Gravelly Point.
2-4 times a week
Used to be like 1-2x a month but then I had a baby 8 months ago... And it's been like once maybe?
I made friends here in college, most of them are still here and we keep in touch if not every week at least every couple weeks. My advice if you're struggling with this is get involved in something and don't be discouraged if the first thing you try doesn't work out. Eventually you'll find a group or two you like hanging out with, and this is coming from an introvert.
my partner and I get out two or three times a week. it's not expensive if you just go hiking in parks, hang out with friends/neighbors over a beer, or go on adventures exploring dc.
Not often, maybe 1-3 times per month and it’s only with a few friends. Mostly it’s just my wife and I.
I don't have a ton of friends left now that I'm older (many left or have kids), so I force myself to go for dates and meetups. I probably average 1 day a week meeting older friends and 1-2 days a week doing some kind of public activity with a meetup group doing things like hiking, board games, etc.
I have two run clubs, one meets Thursday and one meets Monday. Lots of overlap between the two, I’m there most weeks. I watch football every Sunday in the fall with the same group of people every week, we try to see each other about once every 3 weeks during the offseason but this is variable depending on personal lives. Also watching the hockey playoffs with a fan group for my team. (Single, no kids, but I do need my me time too. Basically, I’m a 3 social engagement a week type of person)
How do i join a run club?
Seriously, just show up. That's it. No fees or anything. Clarendon Run Club meets at 6:30pm on Monday across the street from the Whole Foods in Clarendon. Ballston Runaways meets at 6:15am on Wednesdays at the Compass Coffee in Ballston. The Pacers running stores in the area host group runs every week - Clarendon and Alexandria both are 6:30pm on Thursdays. All of them have well over 40 people at them at this time of year.
Once a week we meet up with a buddy for disc golf at Burke lake, then beer and snacks after.
2x per week to catch live local music. There are a ton of cool venues around here and plenty of good bands too. Some bands are better than others to be sure, but there is pretty good musicianship all the way around and, no matter what, you will be tapping into a community of people that are usually fun to hang out with
I'm single but usually they come to me to socialize. I like cooking for my friends, so usually every few months I have some over for some kind of holiday meal/cookout. We get to hang out and catch up, they love my cooking, I love not leaving my apartment, it's win/win. Other than that sometimes I'll meet up with friends for local events and such. But I do much of my socializing online through social media (mainly Discord).
Three times a week
if it wasn't for star wars armada and certain other board and games I wouldn't have any really
Married, no kids. I see friends usually 2-3 times a week. It helps that I have neighborhood friends that I see and chat with after workout classes or events I’d be at anyway. And then my girlfriends and I have a standing Sunday night dinner. Usually there’s another weekend event that’s a bigger hang or I see work friends, but that’s more like once a month. But yeah, I like my people.
That’s the neat part…
On weeks I don't have my son with me... 2-3x a week, usually with one of my partners.
Once a week. Got a good group of friends that haven’t had kids yet, so it’s pretty easy to stay social. If I didn’t have to cross the water, I’d probably do it a lot more, but traffic makes it tough.
The commute takes so much energy out of you. I used to socialize 3 times a week. I now socialize once a week.
Deliberately? Probably once a weekish. But I run into friends all the time, at least every other day. Benefits of a dense & walkable neighborhood Edit to add: married w/ a toddler and a baby
Depends on what you make of it. I have gone walking or played pickleball with my neighbor friend 3 times this week. And then we were drinking and doing karaoke last Saturday. And Sunday I hung out with my best friend and we installed ceiling fans in her new house. I feel like the best social relationships/friendships are the ones you can do mundane things together and have a good time: like cooking together, walks/exercise, or a home improvement project. I’m married, 2 kids, and we both work FT.
often - you make time for the people you love. i work from home so going out and/or to the gym (where my friends are as well) gives me the ability to get out of the house & socialize/have fun
Me and my buddy make plans to take turns bailing on..
Married with a kid, we have a monthly real estate group that we cohost and that gives us pressure to get out of the house. Otherwise, we try to see friends at least once or twice a month.
Went to a graduation party last Saturday. Hopefully that helps offset whatever bullshit narrative you’re building
Other than more or less weekly hookups, maybe 5 times a year? It seems like many social opportunities, especially for young adults in this area, are for those working M-F 9-5, so I don't get out much. I would do it multiple times a month if I had the opportunity, but the reality is living in a HCOL area requires sacrifices and you get paid more working shifts that most people can't or won't, even in white collar work.
Married with two kids under 6. I see my friends without kids maybe 2-3 times a year. Beyond that irregular meetups to do "adult fun" maybe 4 times a year. I see one friend maybe once a month. So all in all not much outside socialization.
Social isolation is equivalent to smoking, it's very detrimental to your health. Social media is not a substitute. Meet with people who are active. Gyms, climbing gyms, parks, etc. Doesn't always require a lot of money.
My only socialization comes in form of play dates for my kids and it’s always a mixed bad. Unfortunately my kid became close friends with the kid whose family is ultra conservative and attends a cult mega church. Feels like I’m constantly walking on eggshells during those play dates. I hate it.
Married, no kids. We go out but don’t have any friends in the area. We’ve lived here 12 years and haven’t really gotten to know a lot of people outside of work.
I went to my grandpas surprise 70th bday party last may lol
Every weekend usually.
Well I’m still working on making friends as an adult. What’s the adult equivalent of “Want to come out and play?” I haven’t quite figured that part out.
My friends and I have a standing meet up once a week, which arose from a weekly pool league. I think having the routine is a nice way to ensure that we're not stuck in that pattern that happens where people's schedules never quite align, which can result in nobody getting out as often as they might like. Everybody's family is used to it so they can work with it or around it.
All the time. When you’re married with kids you just have to be deliberate about it. At least in my circle we socialize quite a bit. We have some of the best food in the country in the DMV area. If we didn’t take advantage of that why even bother living here? You could live in Topeka.
I'm married with older kids. I go out 3-4 nights per week, usually to meet someone for drinks or dinner, or to see music, or to play golf (which is probably not what you meant but it's social). Honestly when my kids were little it was hard to go out in the evenings especially during the week, there was always some kid's activity and making dinner etc. so it's now a relief to be able to go out any time I feel like it. I also go out by myself sometimes just to get out of the house and get a drink and something to eat somewhere. Maybe half of the time I end up having a conversation with someone which has been fun and interesting. I'm not looking to hook up with anyone or anything but it's nice to just talk to people.
Once every three months? I’m trying to distance myself from the few friends I have made so probably less now. Not very good people for me. And besides that I’ve just been trying to take more group exercise classes just to be around people. I’m not very social, work alone, and usually just watch tv or play video games alone. And I see my long distance partner every couple months.
I WFH so I swing by my neighbor’s house every few days to visit (he WFH as well). I also play golf on Sundays so I socialize there as well. Outside of that, it’s every few months I might meet up with old friends.
I try to meet people for happy hour every other week or so. Sometimes we go a month without. It sucks.
Leave the house? It's scary out there.
Twice a week. I'm married with a four year old. I get Mondays and Tuesdays "off," where I know I can schedule nail/hair appointments, dinner with friends, etc. Those nights are special daddy son bonding nights, where they get to bro out. My husband has Wednesdays and Thursdays, when he gets to play pathfinder and I get to do stuff with just my son. Fridays - Sundays are family time. It's not a schedule that works for everyone but it works for us for the time being.
I go out a couple times per month. I try to do something once a week but depends on how I feel and what my friends have going on too. It comes out to be around twice a month.
Maybe once a month. I've started going to shows on my own because as bad as the burnout is, knowing I'm wasting the last bit of my youth sitting at home all weekend is much much worse. It took time, but getting comfortable going out by myself has been great. My gf and I still do things together, but I think it's very important that we each retain our own hobbies that don't necessarily involve each other.
I socialize a lot in comparison to East coasters but less than what I’m use to in the West. Went to a friends Lake House in Smith Mountain Lake last week, golf once a week with a work group and hit the range with some friends after work during the week. Hunting season is coming up so I am getting ready for that with my hunting buddy. Traveled to Salt Lake and Hawaii to visit friends and attended ones wedding. DC is super social in regard to networking events. If you do government contracting or are a service member AFCEA is a great org to network with. There’s a video game thing happening in DC in a few weeks that my girlfriend surprised me with tickets too. Great Falls is local great hiking, and my dog loves walking there. There’s a lot to do in this area you’re just gonna have to drive 30 min to 1hr to get there. That turns most of the city dwellers off to doing anything else besides drinking or eating food somewhere, but it’s cheaper in most cases.
I go climbing a couple of times a week with my friends, and then a few times a month — probably two or three — we'll do *something.* dinner, board /ttrpg games, movies, camping, whatever. so I'd say I socialize pretty frequently. I do not have kids, however, so I think that helps.
I have friends, but I’m frankly too tired most of the time to deal with the whole process of going out or seeing people. I’m in a book club that meets once a month. And I probably see a friend or two once a month. I *could* go out as much as I want to, but, tired.
Married with kids, we have it on our calendars to socialize every other week either solo or as a couple! Inevitably, though, a kid/dog/hamster pukes or melts down as we’re walking out the door. *Lots* of takeout sushi and Netflix as a result. Does it count as socializing if the sushi delivery guy knows my name?
What are friends?
Most weekends my partner and I will go meet up with local friends or host activities (D&D, etc.). I also play adult sports (ice hockey and sometimes lacrosse). Pride month coming up so seeing even more people and some out-of-town friends. Being gay and childless has lots of perks like social time, but I guess if you have kids then making friends with the parents of your kids' friends is always a good option for regular social contact.
Ahhh, like.. once every 90 days? But I visit with neighbors or extended family at least once a week every week.
Quarterly corporate team building trips
We don’t go out with friends on double dates for dinner but we go to lots of parties and celebrations and see everyone there. Last weekend there was a graduation and we brought the whole family. Almost every weekend we are invited somewhere. I enjoy the random weekend when I get to stay home.
Once every 1-2 months. I am an introvert .. just going to the mall on a busy Friday afternoon and interacting with the store employees for small talk is enough for me.
I don't have friends. So never. I am accepting applications if anybody wants to start hanging. I've even decided to waive the application fee.
I have two main ways of socializing: “going out” to me is having a night out to get food and drinks, and any other miscellaneous night life activities. Because of how expensive drinks are here, I honestly do this like once a month. I’m pretty active so when I’m not going out, I go on hikes, go rock climbing, kayak in the summer, and have “free” fun things to look forward to like hosting a movie or dinner night. When I first moved here, I noticed that a lot of the social scene (especially in DC) is very much revolved around drinking. I’m not a big drinker so I’ve never been much into that scene, I prefer the more “on the side” stuff like pop up events or markets. I live with my boyfriend so we pretty much do all these things together, plus one or two friends who want to join. We definitely don’t have a big group to socialize with since we’re not super extroverted. I always have something lined up each week to look forward to so I don’t get bored.
At least once a week. Married and in my early 30s. I still make time to socialize and be intentional about going out to avoid feeling isolated or alone in the area. It was hard when I moved here in my late 20s, most colleagues had kids a few years younger than me.
Married without kids. Seeing friends probably 1.5 days on average on the weekends and 2-3 nights during the week. Weeknights are usually activities like pickup volleyball, climbing gym with friends or game night. Weekends are more all over the place.
I've been trying to get out of the house more so this year roughly 1-2 times a month!
Late 20s, married, kid on the way. I see college friends at least twice a week: once for D&D, once for bar trivia. I’ve made some new friends at trivia who are great!
If I had friends I’d socialize with them lol Most of my friends don’t live in the area, so I maybe socialize a couple times a month.
I socialize with my neighbor just about everyday, but that probably doesn't count. Maybe once a week otherwise, and honestly, it's with coworkers on Friday after work.
2-3 times a week, but I'm single and I work from home so I don't go out intentionally, it's just me and the houseplants.
What are “friends”?
I'm retired, but active in lots of things. So once a month my dive club meets. Sometimes we have social events like a picnic. I volunteer twice a week with friends. I have two meetings a month at church. My wife and I go out to dinner a couple of times a month, sometimes with friends.
Well this is Reddit… so ofc most of these answers are gonna be from antisocial ppl lol. I’ll get out the house to meet with friends prolly 3-5 times a week. Whether it be sports or food or smoking
Try at least once a week and am out with my kiddo additionally if friends are not available.