Someone finally said it.

I've never had the experience of talking to some random new people at a bar if I went alone.

The only times I actually got to socialize with new people was joining a pub-crawl meetup.

I have had lots of interesting conversations with random people at bars, but I have noticed that generally it is only older people who are comfortable with it. The last time I tried talking to someone my own age they just looked at me like I was crazy and then turned away from me without even responding.

Move to Ireland? This is incredibly normal there. No London UK also works for this.

Try breweries. I spend a lot of time hanging out at breweries with great beer, great food trucks, plenty of outdoor space, and either no music or relatively quiet music. People often have dogs, which are a pretty great conversation starter, too.

You live so close to a brewery that a trip to it doesn't count as a long commute?

Edit: I just checked the three breweries closest to me on Google maps... They just look like restaurant dining rooms? I don't know if people are comfortable with someone at another table talking to them in a restaurant.

Most breweries tend to be a little bit different than restaurants, particularly if we’re talking about the outdoor area. You’re much more likely to see kids running around, dogs, etc. More of a “backyard bbq” atmosphere than a restaurant. And in many parts of the country, especially places with high numbers of tech jobs, you can’t swing a cat without hitting at least one brewery.

Yeah, I'm looking on Google in the San Jose area.

Yep, it's actually a criteria I look at when I choose a house/apartment. It's a nice "third space" where community events often happen, where you can meet new people (easier before COVID), and where it's easy to spend an afternoon working or reading. Kind of like a park but with dedicated food, drink, and bathrooms.