Plymouth hangouts? (Rockford: high school, living, gym)

[Sunbrite]

I have a friend in his 40s who just moved to Plymouth and is looking to meet new friends. Where are the local hangouts in Plymouth? He loves to read, and is pretty much up for anything.

Any suggestions would be helpful, thanks!

[ZeusGT]

lol... it's VERY hard to make friends here. Even the natives have a hard time making friends here. Most people still hang out with the high school crowd and they normally don't allow outsiders inside their precious little click.

I honestly hope that your friend will be able to find some friends. They might want to try getting a gym membership and finding some friends there, but even that might be difficult to do.

[Sunbrite]

Thanks for the candid response- how about gathering spots around Plymouth, any suggestions? Perhaps "making friends" was a bit too strong (yes, I've read the "making friends in Minnesota" threads on here, very entertaining )

i.e. are there meeting places, coffee shops in Plymouth that a lot of folks enjoy, etc.-- any ideas would be appreciated.

[DaPerpKazoo]

I know the library out there is really nice. Try a local LA Fitness or Lifetime, ect.

If you have kids get involved with stuff at school or parks.


I honestly don't know why anyone without kids would choose to live in Plymouth. There's really just nothing to do there.

[Glenfield]

I lived in Plymouth for a while. As in many suburbs people are focused on their family, school, and church activities. If the latter is something that your friends are open to, I'd suggest they stop by Plymouth Covenant Church on Old Rockford Rd at Vicksburg Lane. They will find the people there to be very friendly and welcoming.

[Cleverbeetle98]

You're going to have a rough time finding Plymouth 'hangouts'. It tends to really follow the suburbia trend and people go where they need to, get what they need, and go.

That said, the gym is a great suggestion. The lifetime in Plymouth is great if you're willing to pay for it - if you go to a class often enough you'll get to know the 'regulars'. Church is also a good suggestion - if your friend attends it does provide connection. I don't really know that your friend is going to be able to find a place that people just go to (bars, coffee, bookstores) and hang around meeting people. Not in Plymouth at least - if he's willing to venture more towards Mpls/StP he might have better chances.

[uptown_urbanist]

The library sounds like a great idea; I'm not speaking from any personal knowledge or experience here, but if he wants to stay very local then I'd pursue that route. Many Hennepin County Library branches have "Friends" groups (or if not, they are planning on forming them) so getting involved with that organization as a volunteer (or maybe just general library volunteering of some sort) would put him in contact with others who were both local, had an interest in books, and were active in the community. The libraries all offer a lot of talks, events, etc., so he could become a regular at those. Also check out community education; I'm not familiar with Plymouth's offerings, but at the ones in our area, anyway, there's a strong local community ed program, and they are often a great way to meet people. He could both take classes as well as think about teaching a class.

[Squeamish]

I arrive in Plymouth every weekday morning. After work, I grab my Subway sandwich and leave town immediately, not to return until the next work day morning. I have no desire to spend any more time than that in Plymouth unless it's a beautiful day on the bike trails, of which they have plenty.

My life is in the city. I met most of my friends through one specific hobby. 90% of us live in the city, and 95% of the places we go are in the city.

Plymouth is a nice place but it only appeals to a certain demographic. My feel is that this demographic generally isn't interested in or looking for new friends. They're too busy living the American workaholic lifestyle, with their time split between long work days, family obligations, and maintaining their expensive house. I would never be able to make any friends there, nor would I want to. I know nothing about your friend, but in all likelihood he'd have better luck driving into the city and looking for groups that share common interests. Or he could do just fine in Plymouth, depending on his lifestyle and interests.

[west336]

Originally Posted by ZeusGT

lol... it's VERY hard to make friends here. Even the natives have a hard time making friends here. Most people still hang out with the high school crowd and they normally don't allow outsiders inside their precious little click.

I honestly hope that your friend will be able to find some friends. They might want to try getting a gym membership and finding some friends there, but even that might be difficult to do.

You sound like an introvert.

[northstar22]

Originally Posted by Squeamish

I arrive in Plymouth every weekday morning. After work, I grab my Subway sandwich and leave town immediately, not to return until the next work day morning. I have no desire to spend any more time than that in Plymouth unless it's a beautiful day on the bike trails, of which they have plenty.

My life is in the city. I met most of my friends through one specific hobby. 90% of us live in the city, and 95% of the places we go are in the city.

Plymouth is a nice place but it only appeals to a certain demographic. My feel is that this demographic generally isn't interested in or looking for new friends. They're too busy living the American workaholic lifestyle, with their time split between long work days, family obligations, and maintaining their expensive house. I would never be able to make any friends there, nor would I want to. I know nothing about your friend, but in all likelihood he'd have better luck driving into the city and looking for groups that share common interests. Or he could do just fine in Plymouth, depending on his lifestyle and interests.

That pretty much sums up Plymouth. Nice if you're in to that lifestyle, but bland, boring and dull as dishwater.