PL is a great place to make friends. Head over to the chat and hop in there and start talking to people, you'll meet some great people, and even if they are not in your area, most of us travel for shows and events. You can also use the advanced search to find people in your area. Just shoot them a message or comment on their wall. One other thing you can do is check out the events section for things happening in your area, and if you know of one, add it. You can then start a discussion with other people who might be planning on going.