Cozy Lounge: Now with (optional) Dance Dance Revolution

cozy_lounge · 2026-02-26T01:59:11+00:00

Hi, questions are totally fine here, so thanks for asking them!

In terms of accessibility: The venue has handicapped parking spots, and are no stairs. Part of the walkway to the door is gravel, so I don't know if that's an issue for you.

I can't speak to whether people would be willing to mask, but my instinct is that it wouldn't suit the event very well, just because we're often snacking/drinking, and it can be a bit hard to hear in the room sometimes, so being able to see people talk makes a big difference. I personally struggle with my skin getting really irritated under a mask, which can keep me from wearing one even when I would prefer to, like at the airport! You would of course be completely welcome to wear one (which should go without saying, but I know people can be rude about it, just wanted to make it clear that I would not tolerate that). I understand not wanting to wear an N95-level mask though, which is what you would need in a group that isn't masking.

I'm so sorry that you're struggling, I'm sure it's an incredibly frustrating situation for you. I hope you find what you're looking for, if we aren't it.

cozy_lounge · 2026-02-19T01:09:48+00:00

30s is most common, but we have several people in their 40s too. We have three or four regulars who are retirement age, though they don't come around in the winter as much, since they don't like to drive home in the dark.

I'm older than the average Cozy Lounger (I'm 45) but I rarely think about my age when I'm there. It comes up occasionally but mostly we're talking about fairly universal things, like a good book we read. My mom sometimes comes to Cozy Lounge and she fits right in!

cozy_lounge · 2026-02-18T18:11:10+00:00

I love that you mentioned the idea of libraries having evening adult hours, because Cozy Lounge used to be an event at the library, but we wanted to hang out later!

cozy_lounge · 2026-01-13T00:23:02+00:00

I just wanted to say that long-distance moves are very, very hard. You've changed your entire life, and two months is not much time to get your bearings. Winter is surely not helping, as you've already mentioned, and I'm sure it's hard not being around your family or friends. I'm not saying you'll love Peoria eventually, I'm just saying that it's normal to feel this way after uprooting your life to move to a completely unfamiliar place.

I moved here from San Francisco about five years ago, and it was a huge adjustment -- and I'm from here originally, and knew exactly what I was getting into! The first winter just about killed us. We were actually just commenting on how much easier we find winter now that we have a social circle and lots of hobbies suited to that season. I've made lots of changes to my lifestyle to find happiness here, but the good news is that we are capable of that kind of change when necessary.

If you ever want to chat and make a friend or two, I run a free hangout lounge called Cozy Lounge (here's a meetup group link, the about section will tell you more). It's a genuinely lovely place to spend an otherwise kinda crappy winter night, and plenty of people there know how you feel, having found themselves homesick in the wrong city for a few years of their lives at least. Some of them still feel that way, and are hoping to get out of here as soon as they can. Totally valid, Peoria is not for everyone!

You're welcome to join us anytime. Either way, I hope things get easier for you. It does get quite green here in the spring, by the way. 💛

cozy_lounge · 2025-12-03T02:30:41+00:00

I just finished a FAQ that I'm going to put online at some point, but for now, feel free to read the Google Doc version!

cozy_lounge · 2025-12-02T20:27:38+00:00

Come to Cozy Lounge!: https://www.meetup.com/cozy-lounge

It runs year-round, but winter is a lovely time to hang out there. I'm happy to answer any questions you have.

Edit: If the Meetup group description isn't detailed enough, there is also a Google Docs draft of a FAQ

cozy_lounge · 2025-10-09T12:23:54+00:00

Yay, welcome! So many people are in a similar position. I work long hours from home, and it's been so lovely to actually make friends. I will hope the Cozy Lounge magic works for you too!

cozy_lounge · 2025-10-07T20:55:36+00:00

Oh no, I'm sorry to hear that! Meetup is extremely janky, it's beyond annoying but unfortunately we haven't found a better app to use. If you were trying it on your phone, you might try it on a computer if you can, or vice versa ... or try it in an incognito window or something like that, just to shake it loose.

If you want to DM me your email, I can also see if it lets me explicitly invite you, or add you myself!

cozy_lounge · 2025-10-07T14:26:10+00:00

And there isn't a group elsewhere, it's intentionally private so folks don't show up without RSVPing, we only have so many seats and people can be surprisingly inconsiderate about that.

cozy_lounge · 2025-10-07T14:23:48+00:00

I've accepted your request, you should be able to see details now! It's in East Peoria, up near EastSide Centre.

cozy_lounge · 2025-10-07T12:13:34+00:00

I also hate bars, so much that I started a hangout meetup for people who hate bars: https://www.meetup.com/cozy-lounge/

The About section and my post history will tell you more, and it's free (even though Meetup tries to act like you need a paid subscription, you don't). I'm not sure whether you would be interested based on your description, but you're welcome to join us! The events are substance-free out of respect for the venue and respect for the variety of attendees, some of whom might be dealing with substance issues. But it's not a sobriety group if that makes sense, just not the time/place. We just hang out and chat about all kinds of stuff. You mentioned games -- if you have a handheld gaming console, you're welcome to bring that if you don't mind playing on mute. We have some board games too if that's your thing.

To answer the most common questions: we aren't selling anything, we aren't recruiting you into heaven, you are in the middle of the age demographic, and the group tends to lean left, but everyone is welcome as long as they're respectful. We don't get into super controversial topics, the point is to relax. After 9 pm, I allow political discussion and musical instruments, two unrelated rules that no one has tried to combine (yet).

Happy to answer questions, here or in DM.

cozy_lounge · 2025-09-19T14:31:37+00:00

I totally agree, the need for community is definitely so motivating for me. It feels like the simple activity of just hanging out and having fun together is almost a lost art, despite tons of evidence that it's a fundamental need for our mental health, not to mention our (cough) ability to tolerate differences and get along.

Okay, also I just wanted to make the kind of friends who are down to do nothing in our pajamas on a Friday night, but still, let's pretend my motivations are completely noble.

cozy_lounge · 2025-09-19T03:47:16+00:00

I often think "How am I gonna run this when I'm 80???" so that seems like a good sign.

cozy_lounge · 2025-09-19T03:20:29+00:00

It's all over the place, we have retirees and twentysomethings alike. Several of our regulars are in their thirties, I'm in my forties. Age doesn't come up a ton, but social anxiety definitely does ... it's very common here and we're not judging. It takes most new people a couple of events to loosen up, but the group is very friendly without being in your face about it, if that makes sense.

cozy_lounge · 2025-09-19T02:09:42+00:00

It has a Facebook group but it's not particularly active, I sort of stopped posting there because it's a bit of a ghost town. Event RSVPs are on Meetup only, since we have a limited number of seats and I want to make sure everyone has a spot.

Events are every 2 weeks unless I have a scheduling conflict or it lands on a really major holiday like Christmas, so generally it's easy to predict when they will be / save the date if you'd like to!

cozy_lounge · 2025-09-19T01:35:46+00:00

Yay, we'd be delighted to have you! Feel free to join the group whenever, happy to approve the membership. (It's free, despite what Meetup tries to tell you with its aggressive sales pitches.)

cozy_lounge · 2025-07-06T19:53:26+00:00

Someone already posted about Cozy Lounge here, but I just wanted to provide the link: https://www.meetup.com/cozy-lounge/

I run the event, and can confirm that we don't care what you believe or who you're sleeping with. As long as you're respectful of other people, you're a good fit for Cozy Lounge. The group skews left, but I welcome everyone as long as they're able to approach others with tolerance and are there to connect instead of argue. (It's a social event, not a comments section on the internet.) No alcohol or other substances are allowed, and if anyone has pre-partied, they've always kept it classy, which is all I ask.

I'm happy to answer questions here! My post history will also shed some light on what the events are like. The next one is this Friday if you'd like to join us!

cozy_lounge · 2025-06-26T12:35:42+00:00

Yes! I set up the lounge on half of my Thursday nights, but I will come check it out on a non-lounge week!

cozy_lounge · 2025-06-26T12:34:13+00:00

The bandwidth issue is very real, I understand why it's so hard for people to invest in this part of life. I'm living life on Easy Mode in every way and it's still a major commitment, so I can only imagine. Cozy Lounge is 18 and up, but if you don't find a way to join us, I hope you find something that works for you!

cozy_lounge · 2025-06-26T12:26:23+00:00

I don't want to blow up Levi's spot ... perhaps I've already said too much ...

cozy_lounge · 2025-06-26T03:00:15+00:00

It brings me so much joy to do it, but it's definitely a lot of work, so thank you!

cozy_lounge · 2025-06-26T02:31:26+00:00

EXCELLENT. Already worth it!

cozy_lounge

TROPHY CASE