Guide
How to keep track of people you meet in a new city
In a new city, the hard part is not meeting one person. It is remembering which group, host, neighborhood, plan, and open loop belongs to which person two weeks later.
The new-city note format
- Origin: where you met and who connected you.
- Group: the meetup, housewarming, sport, coworking space, or friend circle.
- Thread: the thing they were looking for, building, or excited about.
- Local context: neighborhood, activity, place, or shared plan.
- Next move: a link, invite, second hangout, or check-in.
Example
“Sam, Priya's housewarming, moved from Chicago. Looking for weekend tennis and quiet coffee near Prospect Park. Sister visiting next month. Send Sunday tennis group link. Ask at Friday coffee if he found a group.”
Why this matters early
New-city relationships are fragile because context is still forming. A small note helps the second or third interaction continue instead of resetting to “where did we meet again?”