u gotta just show up at the same places consistently. if someone sees u at a place long enough they'll either end up talking to u or u'll talk to them by virtue of just occupying the space. this can apply to almost anything so like the gym, dance classes, art studios, cafes, bars, clubs, book clubs, town hall meetings, etc
personally, ive been going to the same rock climbing gym and even though i suck at it (and im really really bad at it) ive met a couple of rlly cool ppl from there. but yeah its much easier said than done, bc life can get in the way of that consistency. but if u rlly try at it i think u can meet some cool folks.