Thirty years ago, Harvard Professor Robert D. Putnam documented the trend of fewer Americans joining groups in his seminal 1995 paper Bowling Alone: America’s Declining Social Capital, which he followed up in 2020 with Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community. He found from the Knights of Columbus to the PTA, a declining number of us were meeting up, in person, to do stuff together. Some evidence: Bowling alleys had more bowlers but fewer leagues.
Putnam argued that all this alone time was weakening our ability to be civil with each other, eroding our trust in our institutions and undermining democracy itself. Fast forward to 2025, when scrolling substitutes for conversing, and division is the theme of the day. Look around: Americans certainly aren’t as kind, trusting, or happy as we used to be.
One solution: Join something!
“In the doing of the bowling, in a team, you’re hanging out with folks and sometimes you’re talking about the latest TV show, or occasionally you might talk about the garbage pickup in town,” Putnam said last year. “And that’s democracy.”
The Citizen always encourages you to volunteer, call your elected representatives, and show up when it counts, like on Election Day. But as Putnam says, connecting with folks has “got to be fun.”
Here, we document how some Philadelphians — including Citizen staff — have found connection and belonging in the groups they’ve led and joined here in Philadelphia. We’re not telling you that you need to bike, knit or LARP — but maybe you’ll get inspired to join something by reading how Philadelphians feel about their chosen way to meet up with others.
Improvise: “The improv community in Philly often has a built in ground rule of being safe, inclusive and welcoming to folks from all walks of life — making it the perfect place for people to laugh and forge lifelong bonds. Try it out at Comedy Sportz, The Philly Improv Theater, Sawubona Creativity Project or Crossroads Comedy Theater.” — Olivia Kram
Network with innovators: The Science Center’s Venture Cafe’s monthly gatherings are open to all — from young people just starting out to seasoned professionals. “Every time I come here, I meet at least three people who I actually stay in contact with. It’s really laid back. You can come and just be yourself, and people will be so welcoming. I love the sense of community.” — Ryan Jamison
Join a multi-generational community: Pop into a class, a party, a breakfast club or just for a pastry at Old City’s Frieda Cafe, an intentionally multi-generational space that is quirky and welcoming. “Fifteen minutes after coming in here for my shift, it’s like all the cares in the world go away. This is not like a restaurant where you just come in and eat. You come in, you talk to people, you socialize, you have fun. I call it my Zen place.” — Gail Caruso, employee. 320 Walnut Street
Sing together. What is it with Irish pubs and singing? Hop on the mic at Fergie’s Pub for its regular sing-alongs, including live band karaoke and Irish music sessions. Or head to The Plough & The Stars for its two-decade-long Sunday night Irish music sing-along. “I call it socially acceptable yelling. I’m channeling the grief of my ancestors.” — Rosaleen McGill, Plough regular
Bike: “When I first moved to Philly, I started biking as a way to familiarize myself with the city. Of all the bike groups that have made me feel more safe and comfortable riding in my new home, I especially love twice-monthly Wednesday Night Rides. We start out in a new location every time, and typically end up in a bar or beer garden afterwards.” — Courtney DuChene
Go birding: “When we’re out in the woods, we’re laughing; people are high fiving each other; people squealing with emotion. It’s not about that traditional, stodgy, ornithological approach to birding. We’re together — for many people — for the first time. Predominantly people of color come, and we’re in nature together, and we just have a good time.” — Bernie Wilson, member of In Color Birding
Knit: “Knitting circle is not a class. There’s no teaching going on. It’s purely social: You get to meet people and be with people that like to do the same thing you do. Lifelong friendships have formed in these groups. It truly is a community: They support each other.” — Laura Singewald, owner of Loop, 1914 South Street. Knitting circles are Wednesdays and Sundays from 1 to 3pm.
Practice Yoga: “For me, yoga class isn’t a place to make friends (although I have). Nor is it just about getting stronger and more flexible (that’s happened too). It’s also about knowing I’m not alone in seeking some form of inner calm.” — Lauren McCutcheon
Attend Quaker meeting: “Quaker meeting is an important touchstone for me as it gets me out of the house and into a community that share a general set of values but a lot of different perspectives. I think of my Meeting House as one in a network of many sanctuaries scattered around the world that always offer access to kindness, safety and inspiration. Attending always renews my faith in humanity and gives me new bits of insight to carry throughout the week. All are welcome to attend and share this experience.” — Grant Johnson, South Philly resident. Find a Quaker meeting here.
LARP / Live Action Role Play: “Combining elements of cosplay, fantasy tabletop and video games, LARPing lets you immerse yourself in an inclusive, outdoor space where you create your own character and interact with other player-characters to solve riddles and other fantasy play. It’s a way to ditch the “real world” — if only for a day or a weekend. (It’s also a great way to reuse those Ren Faire clothes hanging in the back of your closet.)” — Anne Johnson, South Jersey LARPer, Mystic Realms
Play games: “Gaming is a nice break from reality. It’s nice to get out of the house and have somewhere to play some board games. It’s nice to have a regular gaming group that I know where and when to find them. The Philly Game Shop, Redcap’s Corner, and Runehammer all have a calendar of events and a variety of games to join in on. Queen & Rook is also a full-service restaurant with amazing food. Don’t sleep on Meetup as a resource! That’s where I found Vince’s Pizzeria in Fishtown; they host a Thursday night event with the Philadelphia Game Experiment Meetup group. And their pizza is pretty decent.” — Eric Henn, Philadelphia resident
Volunteer: “Volunteering with Broad Street Love connects me to my neighborhood in the best way. I see our guests every day, and because of BSL, I actually get to know them. Whether it’s serving a meal, sorting mail, or helping in the clothing closet, I always end up sharing a moment with someone I might not have otherwise. Every time I volunteer, I learn something new — about someone else, about this city, and sometimes even about myself. I love that!” — Shahrukh Tarapore, Broad Street Love board chair and longtime volunteer
Bowl: “I joined a bowling league with a group of regulars from the neighborhood coffee shop. We were only acquaintances at the time, but bowling brought us together on Monday evenings to chat and play a game together. Bowling is an excellent pastime because it’s casual, people can advance their skill with effort and coaching, and can see the results of their efforts quickly. It gave me the opportunity to build community by connecting with people who lived nearby, and those who traveled from other parts of the city to compete in the league.” — Johnny Myers, Philadelphia resident. You can join bowling leagues at North Bowl or South Bowl or through Heyday Athletic or Better Off Bowling.
Hang out with readers: “Uncle Bobbie’s is an independent, Black-owned bookstore and coffee shop created to create a safe third space for Black folks to feel safe and find community. You can buy a book online. You can buy a cup of coffee anywhere you want in the city of Philadelphia. But I truly believe that people come to Uncle Bobbie’s because of how we make them feel. We are intentional about bringing people together — whether that’s at an author event or one of our symposia or every time we open our doors — and making people feel seen and valued. — Justin Moore, Uncle Bobbie’s manager. The store also puts together author events and Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X and bel hooks symposia.
Talk tech, eat and drink: “I came up with the idea for the Philly Tech Council near the end of Covid, when people were changing jobs. At first, the meetup was an excuse to have a beer and say, how are you doing? What are you seeing? Are you looking for work? Now, it’s going to lunches and dinners and conferences. But at the core of it, it was just an idea exchange. Techies, by nature, we’re not the most natural at making connections. We’re more of an introverted crowd. This gives people an opportunity to get out of the house and meet some like-minded people.” — Keith McMenamin, creator of Philly Tech Council, who recommends other free local monthly meetups: WiCyS, Women in Cybersecurity (women and allies welcome) and the Philly AI & Data Meetup.
Run: “It’s always easier to run with a group, because you challenge each other. The people surrounding you help you along the way. Our group — I’ve been a member since 2015 — has done things in the community together too. We’ve gone to churches to serve food, gone to happy hours, collaborated with Swagga House Run Club for Hood Runs in the summertime. Running together, you build relationships; you create bonds. You find out what you have in common, whether it’s within the workforce, your family, marriage, kids. And that’s what makes it worthwhile.“ — Eric Finger, Black Men Run Philadelphia, BMR meets on Wednesdays at 6pm at Lloyd Hall and Saturdays at 7:30am at Mander Playground at 33rd and Diamond streets for a 5-mile run
Plant trees: “It’s fun. People who plant trees in their communities together feel better about where they live and realize they’re not alone in their desire to make their community a better place. We see this when we partner on planting with school students and teachers: They feel more involved, more like they have ownership over the trees. That just extends through the community. There’s a lot of joy. A lot of excitement. Everybody feels really good.” — Jacelyn Blank, co-founder of Philly Tree People
Garden together: “Community gardening has many holistic benefits that include physical activity, grounding, social interaction, environmental activism and a delicious organic edible product. Participating in a community garden cuts your household grocery costs and reduces food scarcity in your neighborhood.” — Shannan Eagan for the Reservoir Park Community Garden in Phoenixville
Make a zine: “Dog Bowl Zine Club is so important to me because it is an outlet to be creative and support the creativity of my community! While we welcome everyone, many of our members are queer and trans and being around other queer people and having (as well as curating) a constant space for us to go has been so important.” — Meesh Cosares, Dog Bowl Zine
