There are Meetup groups on five continents dedicated to German language and culture. (If you are on Antarctica, you are out of luck!) People get together and speak German, or speak about German, or do whatever that particular group has deemed the focus of one or more gatherings.

Thus, even if you are not in New York City, there is still hope for you. Just visit german.meetup.com and type in your zip code or country to see whether such a group exists in your neighborhood. If none does exist, then maybe you can start one!

To test the pervasiveness of these groups, in early 2013 I typed in a zip code for Bismarck, North Dakota, and learned that there was at that time no German Meetup there. I then typed in a zip code from Charlotte, North Carolina, and found the “Charlotte German Language and Expat Group.” It’s partly geographical luck of the draw.

More populated areas will generally have better odds, but you never know!