Making new friends in NYC is the name of the game for these groups

Making new friends in NYC is the name of the game for these groups

There’s an old children’s song that goes, “make new friends, but keep the old; one is silver and the other gold.” When we were kids, it was a lot easier to deliver on the former, from simply offering to share your Lunchables with the new kid or meeting a classmate while playing Four Square during recess. As adults, making new friends can be a lot trickier, especially in a frenetic place like New York City.

But don’t worry. There are three new ways to make friends in NYC, and we’ve got the scoop. So read on and go find your new bestie.

RECOMMENDED: The 10 friends you make in New York City

A group of five women pose for a photo in Central Park.
Photograph: Courtesy of Wowza Hangout

‘Meet new people and do fun things’ with Wowza Hangout

Meng Liu knows firsthand how tough it can be to move to a new place and make friends. With the memory of moving from city to city after college and realizing “making new friends as an adult is strangely difficult,” Liu created Wowza Hangout. The Brooklyn-based group started about two years ago and has since expanded to host members from Manhattan and Queens, too.

“New members are joining all the time, largely through word of mouth,” Liu tells Time Out. “Some people are nervous before joining their first hangout, but they come anyway and have a great time and become repeat attendees.”

Personally, I have met so many interesting, smart, funny, kind, good people through the community — they are all around us!

The premise is simple: Meet new people and do fun things. Liu hosts events like movie screenings, small group hangouts, game nights and visits to local bars and cafes. Coming up next, the group will host a Cherry Blossom Walk on Saturday, April 22 including grabbing coffee together, then strolling through Brooklyn Botanic Garden. 

“I’m passionate about bringing people together and helping people, so Wowza Hangout seemed like the natural thing to start,” Liu says. “Personally, I have met so many interesting, smart, funny, kind, good people through the community—they are all around us! And I’m grateful for how supportive the members are in helping Wowza Hangout grow.”

Get involved: Membership is free and open to all. Sign up on Wowza Hangout’s website and follow along on Instagram.

Four women pick flowers together in a field.
Photograph: Courtesy of The Meet Up Crew

Foster female friendships with The Meet Up Crew

With the motto “she can leave all expectations at the door and just be herself,” The Meet Up Crew hosts events six days per week all over the city to encourage women to make friends in their local neighborhood and discover local businesses along the way. 

The organization started in 2020 as a simple Facebook group where founder Jacqueline Denise sought to meet other women to become friends with amid a pandemic in a city she’d just moved to. Now, more than 3,000 people are a part of that Facebook group, and Denise leads a social club featuring events like kayaking classes, Broadway shows, sports games, museums, brunch, coffee meet-ups and after-work drinks.

Women empower each other, lift each other up, and studies have shown that women are healthier and live longer if they have strong female friends in their lives.

The social club started in Hoboken and has expanded to Jersey City and Manhattan. So far, The Meet Up Crew has hosted more than 500 events. The group takes the stress out of planning events, like those back-and-forth text chains trying to pick a date to get together. Every month, Denise updates the calendar with new activities.

“To me, this group is so important because it’s an opportunity for women to make genuine friends and discover new places right where they live. So often as we get older, we become focused on careers and/or relationships and then we discover that outside of work/our partner it is not easy to make female friendships,” Denise tells Time Out. “Women empower each other, lift each other up, and studies have shown that women are healthier and live longer if they have strong female friends in their lives.”

Get involved: All women regardless of background, ethnicity, socioeconomic level, age, sexual orientation, or disability are welcome to attend events. You can sign up for events a la carte or as a member. Memberships cost $49 monthly, $294 semi-annually, or $588 annually; memberships come with special perks like a private group chat, discounts on tickets to events and access to overnight trips. Here’s this month’s calendar of events and here’s the group’s Instagram.

Two women sit on the steps of an apartment building talking.
Photograph: Courtesy of Junie

Check out Junie, the new friendship concierge app

This new NYC-based app takes the lunchroom or recess virtual. Designed for women and non-binary people in NYC, this friend-finding app matches people with compatible friends and shares activity recommendations. 

Actual BFFs Hailey Rizzo and Emily Engle founded Junie as a passion project as they were tired of how hard it is to make friends in the city.

“We wanted to create a safe space for women and non-binary people to find friends. There are no digital friend-finding options on the market that cater exclusively to women and non-binary people. We want our users to feel safe, comfortable, and confident with their matches,” Rizzo told Time Out. There’s even an option for BIPOC and LGBTQ+ people to match solely with other BIPOC and LGBTQ+ people if they choose.  

Junie is important because women and non-binary people deserve an easier way to find friends in NYC so they can spend more time with friends than trying to find them.

The app just launched in January 2023, but the co-founders are already seeing people make plans and exchange numbers on the app daily. Different than other friend-finding apps, Junie doesn’t force endless scrolling, instead opting to provide compatible matches. If you want to hang out with a match, the app also suggests local businesses to check out.

“Junie is important because women and non-binary people deserve an easier way to find friends in NYC so they can spend more time with friends than trying to find them,” Rizzo says.

Get involved: You can download the app on iOS or Android operating systems. 

* This article was originally published here

NYC’s Neurodiverse Theatre Company, Actionplay, Is Putting On A Thrilling Musical Comedy This Spring

Each year World Autism Month is recognized in April, where we focus on coming together to foster worldwide support, share stories, and connecting together to create a more inclusive world, and this year NYC’s Neurodiverse Theatre Company Actionplay is celebrating in a big way.

Actionplay was founded in 2011 and is dedicated to providing autistic, neurodivergent, and disabled teens and young adults equal access to education, arts, culture, and the theatre-making process. They hold regular classes and workshops and produce annual work, and this spring, to celebrate their 10-year anniversary, they’ll present a new musical comedy OMG It’s Magic School.

The musical is created by the company’s Action Improv Musical Series (AIMS), which features 9 neurodiverse actors ranging in age from 14 to 18 who take on the roles of actors, writers, and creators.

It’s a new school year at Magic School, a place where young magicians and magical creatures can be themselves – but when Magic School is suddenly in danger of closing, a ragtag bunch of magic students will need to use all their gifts to save their school.

In addition to the musical, Actionplay will also partner with the Casting Society of America for their annual audition workshop. Led by disabled actors Allie B. Gorrie and Kiah Amara, the workshop is designed to help neurodivergent and disabled actors develop their audition skills and develop a comfortable routine when working with casting directors.

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As a neurodivergent musician and performer himself, founder and executive director Aaron Feinstein started Actionplay after finding that the theater was an incredibly safe space for him to explore his interested and identity.

“I wanted to create a company where autistic, neurodivergent and disabled individuals could explore their passions and grow in their creativity and artistry,” said Feinstein.

“Seeing our actors grow in their confidence on and off stage has been the most rewarding part for me. We’ve had many performers in our group go onto college to pursue their dreams, not only in performance, but we’ve had several of our students find their own unique career paths. Actionplay’s program gives our actors the opportunity to have their special interests embraced and our musicals are our way of exploring these interests within an ensemble performance,” he added.

Tickets to OMG It’s Magic School will be available mid April here. The musical will run for three performances at Baruch College Rose Nagelberg Theatre (55 Lexington Avenue), one on Saturday, May 13 at 7:30 p.m. and two on Sunday, May 14 at 2:30 p.m. and 7 p.m.

You can learn more about Actionplay on their website.

The post NYC’s Neurodiverse Theatre Company, Actionplay, Is Putting On A Thrilling Musical Comedy This Spring appeared first on Secret NYC.

* This article was originally published here

How To Choose The Right Health Insurance Plan: Easy Guide

The #1 source in the world for all things Harlem.

Are you in the market for health insurance and wondering if you’re making the right choice? With so many different options available, choosing a plan that is both affordable and covers your needs can be a daunting task. That’s why we have put together this guide—to help you choose the perfect health insurance plan for…

The post How To Choose The Right Health Insurance Plan: Easy Guide appeared first on Harlem World Magazine.

* This article was originally published here

Top Signs You Need A New Roof: How To Spot Roof Damage

The #1 source in the world for all things Harlem.

If you own a home, having a safe and reliable roof over your head should be at the top of your list of priorities. But how do you know when it’s time to replace your current roof? Keep an eye out for these tell-tale signs that indicate damage – or the need to upgrade completely…

The post Top Signs You Need A New Roof: How To Spot Roof Damage appeared first on Harlem World Magazine.

* This article was originally published here

Everything We Know About The New Live-Action Star Wars Trilogy

From StarWars.com, Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kenendy announced on April 7 that three new live-action movies set in the galaxy far, far away will be hitting theaters soon. The installments of this new Star Wars trilogy will be directed by James Mangold, Dave Filoni, and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy.

Kennedy said during her announcement:

“As you can see by all the television we’ve been doing, we’re exploring a lot of different storylines. This really spawns from what George Lucas said years ago, that he created Star Wars to move forward and backward along a mythological timeline. Now we’re looking to broaden that timeline, building a rich future, expanding upon the present, going deep into the past to tell our stories, and we’re thrilled to be working with some of the best and most passionate filmmakers on projects that will span the past, the present, and the future.”

So who are these three directors? James Mangold and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy are newcomers to Star Wars, but not to Disney. Mangold directed the upcoming Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, and Obaid-Chinoy co-directed the Ms. Marvel series.

Dave Filoni, on the other hand, is a veteran Star Wars director. He’s played a huge part in projects such as The Mandalorian, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, and the Ahsoka series. His Star Wars film will revolve around the New Republic, tying up storylines that have been set in motion by various Disney+ series such as The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett.

Rey holds a lightsaber in a Star Wars boxset
Shutterstock

Mangold’s film will explore the Jedi’s origins, and Obaid-Chinoy’s project will take place after Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker (the most recent live-action movie set in the universe). Obaid-Chinoy’s movie will also feature the return of Daisy Ridley’s Rey as her character builds a new Jedi Order.

Burlesque performers at The Empire Strips Back
The Empire Strips Back

Ready for more Star Wars? There’s no need to wait! Open now in NYC, The Empire Strips Back is a burlesque parody featuring characters like C-3PO, Princess Leia, Jabba the Hutt, and more. With funny skits and steamy dance routines, the show will get you good and ready to return to the galaxy far, far away.

See more: Learn more about The Empire Strips back’s galaxy of steamy Stormtroopers and jaw-dropping Jedi here!

The post Everything We Know About The New Live-Action Star Wars Trilogy appeared first on Secret NYC.

* This article was originally published here