Come Alone · English
You just moved to New York. This page walks you through the first month: the basics in order with official links, and this week's events you can go to on your own and meet people.
IDNYC is the free New York City identification card for residents. It is accepted as ID for city services and can be used as a library card; the city does not ask about immigration status. Apply on the official site.
OMNY is the MTA's contactless fare system: tap a contactless bank card, phone or watch at subway gates and on buses, or buy an OMNY card at a station. Check current fares on the MTA site.
311 is the city's official help line and website for services, questions and reports. Call 311 or use the online portal.
NY State of Health is the official marketplace to compare and enrol in health plans. NYC Health + Hospitals is the city's public health system.
You need it for most jobs. Find your nearest Social Security office and how to apply on the official locator.
The New York Public Library is free and open to everyone: find your branch and look at its free events and classes. Or go to one of the events below, picked because it is easy to go alone.
Rules change: always confirm on the official page before you go.
Free or low-cost places, open to everyone, where you can chat, practise a language and make friends. Check each page for upcoming dates.
New York City's own English program offers free weekly conversation classes for beginner and intermediate learners, online or in person around the city. Find a class on the page.
NYPL branches in the Bronx, Manhattan and Staten Island run free English and literacy classes for all levels, plus conversation groups where you chat with learners from around the world. Find a branch on the page.
Queens Public Library offers English classes at beginner, intermediate and advanced levels, plus materials to practise on your own. Check the page for locations and how to sign up.
Volunteer-run language exchanges that pair native speakers of different languages, with free online sessions and in-person meetups on weekends. Check the page for upcoming events.
The City's volunteering hub, where you can find local volunteer opportunities across the five boroughs. A great way to meet neighbors and practise your English.
Look for migrating songbirds in the garden's trees and passing hawks overhead with local birdwatching author Ryan Goldberg, and talk about birding in the city. Free; bring binoculars if you have them.
A free, community-led 5K for runners and walkers of all levels: three loops along Shore Road in Bay Ridge with views of the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge. This week celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month — wear your home country's colours.
A special-access tour with the Urban Park Rangers and the Prospect Park Alliance: go inside the Soldiers' and Sailors' Memorial Arch and climb its spiral stairs to the top. Free, but registration is only through Open House New York.
Help the Randall's Island Park Alliance and the Billion Oyster Project count and measure wild oysters in the Little Hell Gate Salt Marsh — a hands-on way to meet people outdoors. Wear clothes and shoes that can get muddy. Free.
A free, community-led run or walk of about 3 miles from Pier 6, with views of the Brooklyn Bridge, the Statue of Liberty and the Lower Manhattan skyline. Open to all levels — many runners go for pizza together afterwards.
Every Tuesday the Amateur Astronomers Association sets up powerful telescopes on the High Line at 13th Street. No experience needed and no RSVP — just drop by after sunset. Cancelled if the sky is cloudy. Free.
Got through a piece of paperwork? Make a card to celebrate →
New in Madrid · New in Barcelona · New in Lisbon · New in Paris · New in Toulouse · New in Lyon · New in Helsinki
Come Alone → Meet & Mint
Choose something this week from the list on this page — easy to join on your own.
See who's going. If the event isn't in the app yet, tap “+” to add it and gather a group.
Write in the event chat and agree where to meet before you arrive.
Walk in already knowing a name or two — a good start in a new city.
The app · Meet & Mint
Meet & Mint is our app: come-alone events and people to go with. It is not a government service. Many of the events on this page are also in the app.
Meet & Mint: Events & FriendsiPhone · Android
Who else is going?See it in the Meet & Mint app.
Get the app