Have a drink and make a new friend

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Hey! Thanks for checking out my cocktail parties.

I moved to New York City in April of 2019 after living in Philadelphia for over 10 years and have been on a mission to meet as many interesting people as possible.

There was only one problem. In a city of millions of people, it is actually quite difficult to make new friends. Like most folks, I did things like:

  • Go out to bars - This is the default for most people but NYC bars can be cramped, expensive and way too loud to actually have a conversation with someone. No thanks.

  • Join a sports league - I immediately joined a few soccer leagues when I moved here but found that just seeing people once a week for an hour wasn’t very effective for actually making new friends.

  • Attend meetups - Again, these can be great but most people there end up just kind of hovering on the periphery of the room looking at their phones and not talking to new people (myself included).

  • Go to networking events - These are the worst. I went to one and immediately hated it. No business cards, please.

After spinning my wheels for a few months, I discovered my favorite way to make new friends is to host cocktail parties along with my girlfriend at our apartment on the Upper West Side.

Instead of wasting time at noisy bars or awkward meetup events, I now regularly host parties filled with fascinating people where everyone gets a chance to have a few interesting conversations and make new friends.

Here are a few things I do to make sure everyone has a great time:

  • Name tags - I know this might sounds dorky as hell for a first bullet point, but every single person wears a name tag so nobody feels awkward if they forget someone’s name.

  • Curated guest list - Every person at my parties is there to meet new people so there’s always an amazing energy in the room. I’ve hosted everyone from actors to entrepreneurs and musicians to professors.

  • Ice breakers - A few times throughout each party everyone gathers in a circle to introduce themselves and answer a question to help everyone get to know each other.

  • Free drinks and snacks - My girlfriend and I supply everything so you’ll have drinks and snacks to pick from. Also, Amanda makes a mean charcuterie board.

In 2hrs on a weeknight I promise that you will meet more interesting people than you have at any other event you’ve been to in the city.

If you’re interested in joining a cocktail party, I’d love to meet you. Just fill out the form below so I can get your information and I’ll reach out about the next cocktail party!