I loved this! One time, many of my friends lived in Noe Valley in SF and it was the absolute best. The intentionality here seems so key - need to find a place for myself and replicate!
"If a friend expresses interest in the unit, I schedule a tour myself. Then tell them "I'm seeing the unit tomorrow at 3 pm if you want to join." (Yes, I know that might seem crazy. But also remember: I live near 22 friends, and my life is awesome)."
... I really like this example of how this sort of thing doesn't happen on its own. It takes worth and it is very much worth it.
This is amazing. I love this idea so much. Have you had success with friends who live in another state joining your neighborhood? Do you have any tips on how to do this for those who live just outside a larger city?
This is so impressive, Priya! Congratulations. What a skillset to foster! I always feel a roadblock with my shyness / social anxiety, but I work on it. Hopefully I can make a breakthrough with it someday. I love the idea of recurring dinner parties. I especially like the idea of leaving out flyers for a local Whats App group. Genius! I always wonder who my neighbors are but I'm too freaking shy to ask directly! Thanks for all the pointers, this is such valuable information.
impressive. The key here was that you actually offered something of value beyond entertainment to your friends. I suspect the South Asian heritage helped quite a bit here. I wrote recently about the decline in adult friendship among Americans more broadly (most of whom are not your age). Not offering one’s time to help out is one major reason friendships wither when you can just hire service professionals.
IMHO a more accurate title would be "how to live within walking distance of your friends if you already live near them".
I clicked on a post titled "How to live near your friends" because I do *not* live near my friends. If my friends moved here, they would have to switch to working/studying remotely (at least half of them would be 6+ time zones out of phase from their jobs/schools). Also AFAIK many countries don't let people immigrate just because they want to live with their friends.
Hi Priya-- I'm a producer and I'd love to chat about the community you're building-- it seems like a good fit for a new project I'm working on. Please drop me a line and let's chat! goetze.catherine@gmail.com.
That sounds like a lovely way to live. Thank you for sharing your experience with it and for explaining so clearly how to get there!
I'm now thinking of implementing your first step, hosting a regular dinner party. I read through your husband's tweet, but I still have so many questions. So if you are ever considering writing a detailed description of how you organize your dinner parties and how you got started, I'd find that super interesting.
Yes! Coming out of a tiny town literally on the other side of the world, have personally seen a friend build a thriving community in NYC in less than a year. The world will be a better place when more people understand this
How to Live Near Your Friends
Hell yeah, love to see this!! This needs to catch on, everywhere, yesterday
I loved this! One time, many of my friends lived in Noe Valley in SF and it was the absolute best. The intentionality here seems so key - need to find a place for myself and replicate!
"If a friend expresses interest in the unit, I schedule a tour myself. Then tell them "I'm seeing the unit tomorrow at 3 pm if you want to join." (Yes, I know that might seem crazy. But also remember: I live near 22 friends, and my life is awesome)."
... I really like this example of how this sort of thing doesn't happen on its own. It takes worth and it is very much worth it.
Great post Priya!
Depending on bussing and other issues, local public schools and libraries provide pretty instant community as well. Having friends nearby is the best.
This is amazing. I love this idea so much. Have you had success with friends who live in another state joining your neighborhood? Do you have any tips on how to do this for those who live just outside a larger city?
QUEEN!
Thank you for all you do & are.
It was a joy to stay with you, Andrew & the crew in NY.
I can't wait to see you again soon!
❤️
This is so impressive, Priya! Congratulations. What a skillset to foster! I always feel a roadblock with my shyness / social anxiety, but I work on it. Hopefully I can make a breakthrough with it someday. I love the idea of recurring dinner parties. I especially like the idea of leaving out flyers for a local Whats App group. Genius! I always wonder who my neighbors are but I'm too freaking shy to ask directly! Thanks for all the pointers, this is such valuable information.
impressive. The key here was that you actually offered something of value beyond entertainment to your friends. I suspect the South Asian heritage helped quite a bit here. I wrote recently about the decline in adult friendship among Americans more broadly (most of whom are not your age). Not offering one’s time to help out is one major reason friendships wither when you can just hire service professionals.
IMHO a more accurate title would be "how to live within walking distance of your friends if you already live near them".
I clicked on a post titled "How to live near your friends" because I do *not* live near my friends. If my friends moved here, they would have to switch to working/studying remotely (at least half of them would be 6+ time zones out of phase from their jobs/schools). Also AFAIK many countries don't let people immigrate just because they want to live with their friends.
i loved reading this! i’m moving to brooklyn soon and really looking forward to living near friends
Hi Priya-- I'm a producer and I'd love to chat about the community you're building-- it seems like a good fit for a new project I'm working on. Please drop me a line and let's chat! goetze.catherine@gmail.com.
Wow, 22 friends! Amazing. I've got a ways to go to catch up :)
That sounds like a lovely way to live. Thank you for sharing your experience with it and for explaining so clearly how to get there!
I'm now thinking of implementing your first step, hosting a regular dinner party. I read through your husband's tweet, but I still have so many questions. So if you are ever considering writing a detailed description of how you organize your dinner parties and how you got started, I'd find that super interesting.
Yes! Coming out of a tiny town literally on the other side of the world, have personally seen a friend build a thriving community in NYC in less than a year. The world will be a better place when more people understand this
Sounds like a great urban strategy.