Pittsburgh Girls Who Walk gives women a safe space to make friends as adults
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Let's be honest: Making friends as an adult kind of stinks. It's hard. That's why one Pittsburgh girl created a new group called Pittsburgh Girls Who Walk.
They're a group of women from all over the area. Some are Pittsburgh born and bred and some just moved here. There are often dogs involved, happy hours, brunch, good conversation and, of course, walking.
"If you don't have a niche hobby or if you didn't grow up here, how do you make friends? You're certainly not going to go up to somebody at a bar and say, 'Do you want to be friends?'" said Margo Kimble.
There are girls walking all over the streets of Philly and now the fun is crossing bridges in Pittsburgh.
"I did see the girls in Philly having such a good time on their walks and it sort of dawned on me -- there's no reason we can't do this in Pittsburgh," said Kimble.
Kimble got on social media and made it happen.
"I started a TikTok right away because that's where I found it. I started a meetup and we have a website that has schedules of all of our events."
Pghgirlswhowalk.com is your guide for anything from singalong happy hours to Sunday strolls to a pool day.
"I found the group when I moved to Pittsburgh a year ago," said member Zoe Reid.
Reid remembers her anxiety driving to the first group walk.
"I think I was so nervous driving to my first walk and then as soon as I got there, I felt so welcomed. Everyone was so welcoming, so comforting, I had an instant sense of community," she said.
The group's goal is to build a community where women feel safe walking in Pittsburgh since a lot of factors play into that these days.
"Are people walking by themselves at night? Do I see women walking by themselves at night or can I wear headphones and feel safe? That guy behind me took the same two turns as me -- take a lot of the stress away from that cause there's safety in numbers," Kimble said.
Plus, a long walk is a great way to turn strangers into friends.
"As somebody who is single and has a little bit more time, it's nice to be able to get out and do things in a group that is safe and comfortable," said Cindy Abbott.
"We have new moms, we have people on the younger side, we have retirees who are like, 'Can you have more walks? I'm free during the week,'" Kimble said.
The walk changes location every week. This weekend, they're dodging the goose poop on the North Shore's riverwalk. No registration, no questions. Just show up.
"It can be really stressful to try to find a community where you truly feel that you fit in and I think that's really what we've built here," Reid said.