[von949]

Originally Posted by ScoopLV

I'm from the Keys, and I hear you on this. People on C-D just don't seem to understand the difference between "having a social life" in Florida, and having one in Las Vegas.

Night and day. No comparison at all. Back home, I knew EVERYBODY. From the mayor to the bum living in the shed at my neighbor's, I knew everyone. If I got bored, I could just bike around the island with a case of beer and find someone having a barbecue. Or I could throw a barbecue and wait for people to arrive.

Here? Nothing. There are 30 houses on my street and I've met exactly six neighbors. I only see three of them on a regular basis. The rest treat their house like a bunker and the outside world like a zombie invasion.

And the people I do meet here are so skeevy, my wife and I have instituted a "30-day rule" -- nobody gets invited to our house until we've known them at least 30 days. That weeds out the tweakers, flakes, and baked-in-the-sun lunatics. But the fact remains, in Key West I had friends. In Las Vegas I have acquaintances. The only person my wife and I regularly hang out with is an old friend from Key West.

And the sad thing is, when I go on vacation, I meet lifelong friends nearly every time. I've got friends scattered all over the world. Here? Nothing. Ticks me off because I've turned my house into a perfect entertaining venue. I could throw a nice dinner party for 30. And the only people who ever see the place are friends from Florida and friends from abroad.

I can't imagine trying to find a partner in this town.

So I wouldn't blame you if you move back to Florida.

What you posted pretty much sums it up for me also but I have been making some headway with befriending people. Most of it is through some type of mutual association like work or some type of service that I needed. For instance, the Realtor that we used to find our home has become pretty close. Probably because we are friends on Facebook. He always invites me and my wife to eat with him and his wife. I told him we will take him up on it when I return. Same thing with our babysitter. She has been babysitting for us for about a year and a half now. She is starting to become more than just someone that watches our kids. She invited us to a BBQ before I left and sends me funny random e-mails since I been deployed. Her husband also helped us move and I also helped them move some furniture into storage.

Since I have been gone, our cleaning lady and my wife have been getting close. She just recently started bringing her son over to play with our daughter. If she comes over early enough, they have coffee sometimes. None of this was going on while I was there.

Even the guy that cleans my fish tank recently requested me on Facebook. Very political guy. He is all about Mitt Romney and we have been having some heated debates about the government and issues also. Besides that he is a pretty cool guy.

The only thing that I cant agree with you about is the "back home" comparison. Where someone grew up is no comparison to where they currently live. At least in most people's case. I know/knew everything there is to do back home. Spent almost 2 decades growing up with people my age, discovering places to eat, roaming the streets, parks, beach, chasing girls...first job, second job...high school...etc. So many memories. This month makes 3 years for me living in Vegas. 3 years versus 20 years of growing up. No comparison.

[MSchu]

your mommy is calling you op...

[ScoopLV]

I'm from a transient tourist town, and I currently live in a transient tourist town. The difference is, back home everyone made a big effort to get to know people. New people moving in down the street? You were THERE, helping unload, making dinner so they didn't have to, and bringing over a bottle of wine.

Here? Don't even bother to approach the new neighbors because they might pull a gun on you. They certainly don't want you to help them unload. (You might try to steal from them after all.)

There's a basic community-wide philosophical difference between home and here. One that I haven't been able to bridge. And one that I don't know CAN be bridged.

[bayview6]

Originally Posted by tazz

Good idea. He will meet nice people walking his dog.

Dogs are chick magnets. Owning a house is also something that attracts young ladies. Put the two together and you got yourself some dynamite mo-jo.

The bottom line is that Vegas has more to offer than Florida or else Scoop would have returned to the Keys long ago.

[ScoopLV]

Originally Posted by bayview6

Dogs are chick magnets. Owning a house is also something that attracts young ladies. Put the two together and you got yourself some dynamite mo-jo.

The bottom line is that Vegas has more to offer than Florida or else Scoop would have returned to the Keys long ago.

1) Windstorm insurance on our place was $35,000 per year. Try to make ends meet with that annual nut.

2) When we left, a 600sf house in Old Town was $750,000. They're down for around $400,000 now. But still.

3) We went from 1 or 2 tropical storms per year, and one minor hurricane every few years to 5 and 6 tropical storms and two or three hurricanes per year. We also went from having 500 feet of sand at Smathers Beach to having about 50 feet of sand. It's only a matter of time before the Keys get scoured off the map. Scientists predict the Keys will be underwater -- literally -- in 40-80 years.

4) Moved here to take care of my ailing mother-in-law. Can't really go ANYWHERE. But when we do move, it won't be back to Florida -- for reasons 1, 2 and 3.

[jfkIII]

Borrow a baby and head to the mall. Babies are better chick magnets than dogs.

[observer53]

Originally Posted by jfkIII

Borrow a baby and head to the mall. Babies are better chick magnets than dogs.

Maybe borrow a baby AND a dog.

Seriously, there are all sorts of ways to meet people. Many have the same problem in Phoenix that you are experiencing in Vegas. Volunteer work, meetup groups, clubs and other special interest groups, are all ways to meet people (who will in turn introduce you to other people) if the baby and the dog don't work. If you are otherwise happy here, with a "great" job, I'd work a little harder at fixing what's missing before I left all that behind.

[bayview6]

Originally Posted by jfkIII

Borrow a baby and head to the mall. Babies are better chick magnets than dogs.

The main reason for a single guy getting a dog is for companionship while waiting to find Ms. Right. The chick magnet aspect is secondary. As for the baby angle, I agree but it is probably difficult for the OP to find one to borrow.

[scociny]

Do you have any hobbies? Maybe you can join some type of club, or take some classes at your local rec center. I agree that people tend to keep to themselves here, but I have met some great people in the year and a half I have lived here. But, I think the times are not like they used to be. When I grew up (in Chicago), people sat on their porches and talked for hours. Kids went out and played all day and had to come in when the street lights were on and trick or treating was the best in our neighborhood (this year I only got a handful of t &t'ers). My husband is in the military and we have lived in several different places. We were stationed about two hours from my parents home and when I went back to visit, it just wasn't the same. New people had moved into my parents neighborhood and she didn't know any of them. I think nowadays, people are spending more time indoors with their laptops, iPads, 500 tv channels, and video games. I am not saying every place in the U.S is like this(the small town in Illinois I lived in was the most social town of all we have lived in) , but from moving around so much, I think it is becoming more of a reality.

[LVPoker1]

Volunteer at places like the Animal Foundation, join a gym, go to church, go to the park, go to Happy Hour at Tbones at Red Rock... There are plenty of places to meet people. If you are not in a social employment field it is tough but you have to be outgoing.