Meeting people in Bellevue, Mercer Island, Issaquah and Sammamish

Most of our friendships arrived through work, through raising children, or from a neighborhood where you kept running into the same people. When those things end, the easy way of meeting people ends with them. These are the places in Bellevue, Mercer Island, Issaquah and Sammamish where people get together on purpose.

Centers for older adults

North Bellevue Community Center — 4063 148th Avenue NE, Bellevue · 425-452-7681. Mainly for adults 55+. The weekly Monday Mixer is games, conversation, music and crafts; there is a community lunch on Mondays and Fridays at noon ($5 suggested donation), plus trips and tours, a fitness center and drop-in sports.

Issaquah Senior Center — 75 NE Creek Way, Issaquah · 425-837-3000. Free for adults 55+; register at the front desk on your first visit.

IACS Seniors Program (Indian American Community Services), for adults 55+:

• Bellevue — Thursdays, 10 am to 3 pm, at North Bellevue Community Center: yoga, tai chi, talks, field trips and a community lunch.
• Sammamish — Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 10 am to 2 pm, at Beaver Lake Lodge, 25201 SE 24th Street: yoga, cards, crafts, tai chi, art and bingo.

Library book groups

Dates for each group are on the library’s events page. All KCLS book groups.

• Bellevue Library — Bellevue Library Book Group, Wednesday late mornings; a Chinese Book Group in Mandarin, Saturday afternoons; and a Quiet Reading Party, Tuesday evenings — read what you like, then talk.
• Mercer Island Library — Mercer Island Library Book Group, Tuesday afternoons, in person or on Zoom.
• Issaquah Library — Issaquah Library Book Group, Wednesday evenings, in person or on Zoom.
• Sammamish Library — Sammamish Connections Book Club, Thursday mornings; Sammamish Library Book Group, third Wednesday evenings; and a bilingual Chinese Book Group, Thursday afternoons.

Groups that meet regularly

• Eastside 45+ Dining, Walking and Anything Fun Group (Meetup, Bellevue) — dinners, walks, live music and board games, for anyone 45 and over.
• Meetup lists more groups near Bellevue — search for “over 50” or for something you enjoy.

A village

Eastside Neighbors Network — an all-volunteer membership village in Bellevue. Its social membership ($120 a person) covers events, outings and interest groups — recent outings included a garden tour and a backstage tour of the Paramount Theater, and there is an Artificial Intelligence Interest Group.

Have a say

Bellevue Network on Aging — the city’s advisory board on aging. Public meetings on the first Thursday morning at North Bellevue Community Center.

When you want the same few people every week

Most of what is listed here is built to bring people together. Far less is built to turn them into friends.

On Longtable, a circle is a small group of neighbors who meet regularly, in person, around one thing they enjoy — a few neighbors near you who share something you love, meeting for long enough that they become people who know you. You can see the circles near you, or start one: say what and when, and let neighbors find it. How it works.