Meetup is one of the best places to go for business and social networking events. Try out a few different groups, if you don't find one of interest, start a new one. Cheers.
I would recommend LinkedIn.com. If you are not familiar with it is a social networking site but it is focused on professional relationships. Most likely you will find a lot of your coworkers already on the site and in addition they have a large number of groups you can join.
While I am not familiar with the Manhattan groups personally my own area (not nearly so large) has quite an active networking group that organizes things like golf games, drinks, seminars of interest to business people, etc.
I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.