Recent comments in /f/springfieldMO

mr_try-hard t1_j2v08o4 wrote

Reply to comment by FlyProud7801 in Hard to find a girlfriend or even female best friend in Springfield when you are an Indian. 😞 any tips? by FlyProud7801

There’s a local writers group that’s also on Facebook called Making Pages. I am semi-active in that group myself, but have yet to attend an in-person meeting.

The Outland Ballroom offers an open mic night on Thursdays. It’s a bit of a mixed bag with that crowd, but there are often local poets there. Years ago, Big Momma’s on C Street had an open mic night that I attended regularly and enjoyed quite a bit. You could call to find out if they’re still doing that. Pagination used to host readings and poetry readings before the pandemic as well.

As for clubbing, I’d recommend Friends karaoke bar or Prime Time. And, traveling & exploring locally is also a great way to meet people! I’ve had luck making friends while skating, on walks with my dogs, and in the small businesses around here.

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Television_Wise t1_j2uvqtl wrote

Reply to comment by drewboto in Apparently Springfield is in the top 30 "loneliest" cities in America by Xefjord

>Also, I would assume bus stops and busses would be more like airports where people put in AirPods and keep to themselves.

I've had some nice conversations with people at bus stops and on the bus, and even made longer-term friends that way.

A lot of people aren't in the mood to chat, but it's not unusual to talk with people.

Keep in mind too, that Springfield's permanent bus riders are a small amount of people. You will see some of the same people for years and that makes it easier to get to know them. I doubt that's true for air travel since few people fly every day but lots of bus people take the bus for a regular commute and the rest of their travel needs.

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Mechanicallvlan t1_j2uthdg wrote

Reply to comment by Guitarstringman in Apparently Springfield is in the top 30 "loneliest" cities in America by Xefjord

I feel like this is OT, but when I worked the 2010 census in this area, it was a lot easier dealing with people in apartment buildings than in the very affluent neighborhoods, like Millwood and Highland Springs. The only thing worse than gated communities was the rural areas and maybe some parts of west Springfield with crazy right-wing, anti-government weirdos. Younger and poorer people were generally more friendly and laid-back; also less likely to be anti-government wackos. I don't think I actually worked north Springfield, though; I worked south Springfield and in some surrounding counties like Christian and Taney.

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oleshorty t1_j2utcem wrote

Reply to Apparently Springfield is in the top 30 "loneliest" cities in America by Xefjord

I was at a funeral today. The father spoke how his son, who died, had said how lonely he was. But the funeral was packed. Standing room only. People lined out through the lobby. It is sad that someone that felt so lonely had so many friends. At the end the parking lot was full of everyone talking to each other. A parking lot full of people that weren't alone. Please, if you are feeling lonely, reach out to someone. If you know someone that seems lonely reach out. I'm an antisocial hermit, it's always nice to be invited. Even if I never intend to go.

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lydia_videll t1_j2uqbg2 wrote

Reply to comment by CandyBoBandDandy in Alternatives to Eustasis? by CandyBoBandDandy

Something that bugged me, was when I was looking through all the service providers through Aetna, a lot of the psych doctors I found were connected through EUSTASIS as well. I called and complained about that as I was calling and trying to get ahold of them. I figured Aetna could help (they didn’t.)

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MacAttack2015 t1_j2updz6 wrote

Reply to comment by Cloud_Disconnected in Apparently Springfield is in the top 30 "loneliest" cities in America by Xefjord

I should have been way more clear in my initial comment because my wording made it sound as though I think commutes would be more social without cars, and having lived in Chicago I can say that while my commutes were more social than they are now, it wasn’t so drastic as to feel negative about it. My actual opinion is more in regards to the way cities develop and age when built nearly strictly with the automobile in mind, which is the reality for basically all cities in the Midwest. “Aging in place” is one concept you should definitely Google, it’s very interesting and very relevant to modern day America, as it’s something most of us will not be able to do.

We are social animals first and foremost. Despite the personal freedom automobiles were created to provide, their impacts on cities (in terms of infrastructure, environment, economics, sociology as well) are well-studied and documented, and largely indicate that when our built environment is built for cars, not people, it begins to detrimentally impact the urban fabric of the city (style and scale of buildings, style and scale of public right-of-way, proximity of necessities, area and location of open space, the list goes on). But you can’t pull a thread from that fabric without impacting the integrity of it as a whole. When a trip to the grocery store requires a car, that immediately puts a strain on some people - those who are perhaps too old to drive a car, or those who can’t afford a car, or those who aren’t old enough to drive yet, etc. etc. etc. Auto-centric development really does impact our lives in ways we tend to not see because we are just so accustomed to our cities being that way, but there are better ways to design our urban areas, ways that could really improve our lives financially, socially, and environmentally.

This is not to say that cars have no place in a city, that’s hardly realistic, but there are many, many good reasons cities should begin to truly pursue alternative forms of transportation.

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