Houston social scene?

July 12, 2008 7:06 PM

Houston social scene?

What's the deal with these meetup.com groups for Houston? Everyone's like 85 years old and there's no one even close to my age in half of these groups. Why is that? I'm trying to meet people my age, why is it that all the early 20 year olds don't join these groups?

Where can I find groups around my age that want to do stuff in Houston?

posted by isoman2kx to sports, hobbies, & recreation (7 comments total)

i was looking for
singles groups would be cool, if there was anyone in the 21-45 age groups I joined NEAR MY AGE. :\ (not to mention it's a complete sausagefest apparently in those groups)

and just groups that promote doing new things in houston. like kayaking, watching movies, going to the hidden "gems" of Houston.
posted by isoman2kx at 7:18 PM on July 12, 2008

That's a pretty tall order. From my experience growing up in Houston, it's just not all that social a place. Or rather, it's not a town that's very conducive to spontaneous socialization. Still, there are options.

First things First: It makes a huge difference where you are. River Oaks bears very little resemblance to Sprng or the 1960 area, for instance, and one is not likely to be hanging out much with the other. Houston is a HUGE city, geographically, as you know, so knowing your area would be helpful.

In the suburbs which make up most of Houston, at least in my day, the adults were generally homeowners who met and got together largely through meeting via their children. I don't know if you have any kids. The tone of your question makes me think you don't, but I could be wrong.

Being young, single, and childless in Houston, your best bet is probably to hang around Montrose ad be open and honest with, say, the bartenders and folks there about what kinds of groups you're looking for. They should be more than happy to help you out. Also, if you're religious at all, I'd say much if not most of the social events that occur around Houston tend to be church-related. On the other side of that is to get into the drug scene. I'm not going to judge or recommend either.

Seriously, though, if you're new to town, and not living in Montrose or a comparable area, Houston is still a town where you can simply knock on your neighbors' doors and introduce yourself, and then ask about the activities you're into. Not everybody will be helpful, or necessarily friendly, but a couple of people will give you phone numbers and help you meet up with the kind of group you're looking for.
posted by Navelgazer at 7:51 PM on July 12, 2008

Did you follow up on my suggestions in your previous question about Houston? It takes a bit of work to meet people.
posted by Burhanistan at 8:10 PM on July 12, 2008

You might look into what Bayou City Outdoors has to offer. I was a member of the Austin version of the club for a while and there were at least some people in their 20's involved. The athletic events (as opposed to movie nights or whatever) might be more likely to attract younger folks.
posted by magicbus at 8:12 PM on July 12, 2008

Yeah, where in Houston are you?
posted by LittleMissCranky at 9:03 PM on July 12, 2008

First of all, what are you looking for when you say "Social Scene?" There is no "Social Scene" that I'm aware of, there is a Vegan scene and a Softball scene and a Theater scene, and a Lawyers scene, and a myriad of fragmentary Music scenes... And so on. Socialization is where you find it. No one plans an event to "meet people;" they do things that they enjoy, and hopefully other people who enjoy the same things turn up. If you enjoy something that encourages socialization, all the better. Informal is better than structured "clubs" or "groups." Be social, talk to EVERYONE, and get in practice of being a socializer. Then you won't need a social "scene," the world will be your scene.

In another vein, if you're just looking to date, as I sort of presume from you last question on this topic, I would like to recommend online dating.

For people in their early 20s there are basically four ways to meet people in Houston: College, Job, Bars, and Online Dating. Note that I did not include Shared Activities. I just don't think this town has much going in that way. You're free to try... Join a chess club or a bowling team or a biker gang or a dungeons and dragons game. But if your real goal is to meet and date women, and you're not in school, you don't drink (again, saw from your last question) and you haven't met anyone through your job, I think online dating might be your best next step. Houston is a BIG city for online dating, because you're not the only one with your problem.

Try OKCupid.com or any of the other social-style dating sites. Out of every ten interesting people on there that you'd love to talk to, maybe one will get back to you, but don't let that deter you, and don't let the internet-yness of it distract you from the fact that all you're doing is trying to meet interesting people who are in the same predicament that you are in. Maybe they'll be the man/woman of your dreams, or maybe some of them will even be cool people you'll make friends with. Anyway, it's worth a shot. I wish you the best.
posted by raygan at 8:32 AM on July 13, 2008

Sorry, in answer to your specific question, young people in Houston don't join Meetup.com groups because they are simply all doing other stuff. They are lame because no one joins them and no one joins them because they are lame, I'm afraid. The young people of Houston are out at bars or at concerts or museums or just sitting around on the couch at home with their four friends. In this city, it can be difficult to get started because it can seem like you need to have friends to make friends. But keep at it and talk to as many people as you can. Call them! Go out to eat with them! (Sometimes it seems like eating is the only thing to do in this town.) Meet their friends. Getting started in a new place, or in a new phase of life, is always hard, but once you get the engine started it's not so difficult to drive.
posted by raygan at 8:39 AM on July 13, 2008