The social group, started by Playa Del Rey resident Jonathan Jacobs, serves as a safe space for men who are looking to make new friends.
Patch Staff
|Updated Tue, Apr 29, 2025 at 5:20 pm PT
HERMOSA BEACH, CA — When New York native Jonathan Jacobs moved to Los Angeles about five years ago, he noticed a difference in the process of making new friends.
Between the pandemic and the sprawl of Los Angeles, the happenstance of meeting new people felt slim to none, the 35-year-old told Patch.
"I think the hard part about LA is there's a real barrier to entry," Jacobs said. "You have to be willing to take that step. It requires much more investment in terms of time and resources."
Then he learned about a rising trend in social isolation among men, known as the male loneliness epidemic.
A 2025 report by the Pew Research Center found that although men don't report they feel lonely more often or have fewer close friends than women, they are less likely to turn to their networks for social connection and emotional support.
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"We’re so disconnected from each other," Jacobs said. "And this was sinking in for me around the time I moved to Playa [Del Rey], so I decided to do something about it."
This feeling of disconnection inspired Jacobs to start the "Men Walking, Men Talking" social group. The group is inspired by one of Jacobs' friends, who has a similar group in New York.
The purpose of the group is to serve as a safe space for men to socialize and meet new friends without any pressure.
"What I love about the idea is that it's so easy," Jacobs said. "You show up, you walk, you talk and leave. If you don't like it, you don't have to come back."
The group, which has been meeting every other Sunday afternoon in Hermosa Beach, walks about two to three miles, according to Jacobs. There is no set agenda, and people are welcomed to break off into groups and talk about anything they want — except politics.
"This is just about getting together and having space and meeting people in the community," Jacobs said. "I try to keep it as open as possible."
The group is rapidly growing, according to Jacobs, who said they've had meetings ranging from three to 17 men attending.
Everyone comes with different baggage, Jacobs said. Some men who attend might be going through divorce issues or health scares. Despite these conversations requiring vulnerability, he's found that a lot of men do want to open up about difficult circumstances in their lives.
"It's meaningful to be able to share that together," Jacobs said. "It really just takes someone to engage and probe about those subjects."
Jacobs hopes Men Walking, Men Talking serves as the model to other men in the ways they can connect.
For people interested in joining but can't make the group meetings, Jacobs encourages them to start a group within their community. Anyone interested in joining a Men Talking, Men Walking meeting can sign up for the group's mailing list at [email protected].
"I built this space because I so deeply believe in the need for men to be able to develop relationships with each other," Jacobs said. "I hope we'll be able to bring a lot more people along to the walk with us."