New Yorkers Are Turning to Dinner Party-Style Restaurants to Make Friends (and Find Dates)

what’s happened during the COVID era as the continuation of a trend that began in the middle of the 20th century. When city dwellers were largely confined to crowded tenements, they were forced out into the world, which often meant hanging out with strangers in taverns. But as time went on, leisure became privatized. Living conditions improved; peo... See more

But perhaps what has Soho House best poised for post-pandemic growth is all the pent-up yearning to socialize, fraternize and consort — albeit safely, among “like-minded” fellow creatives, walled off from the great unvaxed.

These are the run clubs and swim clubs with very robustly branded websites for some reason, websites that greet you with full-width videos of delighted people being very sweaty together. New ventures for “group conversation” or exclusive social spaces or curated clubs with sign-up flows and membership levels that evoke the rigor of a bank account r... See more

Since last summer, a start-up in beta mode has been soliciting volunteers to take part in 55-minute sessions called “gathers,” where strangers discuss their deepest hopes and fears. The fledgling company, Peoplehood, is led by the entrepreneurs Elizabeth Cutler and Julie Rice, who combined sweat and spirituality in their last venture, the high-end ... See more

Even IRL socializing becomes a numbers game, where networking and schmoozing become the standard and everything needs to be a Brand Actvation or pop-up or pseudo- Community event with 3 fliers. True, quality intimacy seems to be going the way of cursive handwriting.

these days, the art of hanging out seems to be waning in cities.