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I'm curious wha… Hi all, I was searching for groups to try and meet more people, and saw a few comments of random interesting things like silent reading club, a social chess club, and a couple others.
I'm curious what are some you've heard of / really enjoyed? Instagram pages, Facebook groups, meetup groups, online signups all welcome. Hoping to get a bit of a consolidated list for myself and anyone else that searches, as my searching seemed to have scattered results and usually point to JUST run clubs or meetup. Coming across the silent reading club by chance on a random post inspired me to try and get some collective recommendations here
The silent reading club is a good one, but if you want something with a bit more structure, check out the LA Public Library's "Pages and Pastries" group, they meet at the Central Library downtown and it's way less competitive to get into. For active stuff that isn't a run club, there's a hiking group called SoCal Hikers that does weekday morning treks in Griffith Park, usually 10-15 people and they split into pace groups so you're not dying trying to keep up. Also, the Museum of Jurassic Technology mention reminded me, the Velaslavasay Panorama near USC does weird little film screenings and open houses, it's not a club but you'll end up chatting with the regulars who show up every month. If you're on the westside, the Santa Monica chess club at the library on Tuesdays is more laid back than the social chess one, you can just drop in and they'll pair you with whoever's around.
For something a little off the beaten path, the LA Phil's "Symphony Talks" are free and happen before certain Thursday concerts at Walt Disney Concert Hall. You don't need a ticket to the show, just show up early and you'll find a pretty engaged crowd of regulars who chat before and after. If you're into board games, check out "Game Haus" in Glendale, they host open game nights on Wednesdays where you can just join a table, no experience needed. And for a low-commitment social thing, the "Larchmont Village" farmers market on Sundays is a goldmine for striking up conversations, lots of dog people and regulars who are happy to chat about produce or whatever.
honestly the silent reading club is great but it fills up fast, sign up for their newsletter if u can. for something weirder, check out the LA urban sketching group on insta, they meet at different spots around the city and draw whatever, super chill and no art skills needed. also the museum of jurassic technology has free friday night lectures sometimes, not a club but u'll meet interesting people in line for sure. if ur near the eastside, the lyon ave chess park in koreatown is more casual than the social chess club, just show up with a board and someone'll play u. run clubs are overrated anyway, too much cardio lol
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How can I find mobile hot dog vendors for a private event?
honestly the SGV has a ton of licensed cart operators who mostly do private stuff now. look up "hot dog cart catering San Gabriel Valley" on Yelp and you'll get a handful that are fully permitted, which matters if your venue needs a health permit on file. expect around $400 to $700 for a few hours plus a per person minimum, usually 50 or so. the ones based in Alhambra and Rosemead tend to be cheaper than Pasadena because they're not paying that rent.
fwiw the county health dept keeps a public list of permitted mobile food operators, its searchable by city on the LA County Public Health site. filter for "pushcart" or "MFF" and you'll get vendors cleared for SGV zip codes, which saves you the headache of a venue asking for paperwork later. also worth checking with the Old Town Monrovia or Alhambra farmers market folks, the carts there are usually booked solid but they know who's free and they'll pass along names. just dont wait till the last week, good ones book out 2 to 3 weeks in teh summer.
You could try hitting up the folks who set up outside Home Depot or the DMV in El Monte on weekends, a lot of those carts are owner operated and they'll do private gigs if you ask. Just walk up and grab a card, they usually have one taped to the cart.