Happy hour or dinner/drinks on a patio or restaurant...always involves drink(s)

Usually going to a friends house and just hanging out for a few hours

Mostly my friends and I talk about getting together to catch up, but never manage to actually do it. I spend time with my mom and sister, they are my best friends in the whole world and I know they won't be two faced or use me or stab me in the back.

All of those would work. Sometimes I also make friends through common interests shared with coworkers. If you are out in the real world and doing things you enjoy, you will be coming in contact with lots of like-minded people who share your interests which means a lot of people who could potentially become new friends.

It works however it works. There are no rules.
Why do there have to be rules?

First impression, which I'm bad at, is what a woman judges her choice for any possibility of having a date or not.

Check out Meetup.com. There are Meetup groups for just about anything you can think of: social (most of what you describe above), professional/networking, singles/dating, exercise/health, foreign/ex pats/ immigrants, etc, blah, yada.

Sign up for the ones you are interested in, start attending events in those groups, & as you get to know more people, friendships will naturally develop.

All of the above with the exception of joining clubs. I never did that. I also like to go on short vacations with a friend or two but never more than two.

Personally most of my friends are spread across the country. When theyre going to be in my neck of the woods they’ll call or message me n ask if I wanna hit a bar, play pool, or come over to one anothers place n have a few drinks, play music, smoke some herb. Whatever it is we traditionally have the most fun doin together, we do that. For a lot of people it might be a walkin buddy, or a brunch buddy or going to movies, pub trivia, spa day, go fishing or to see a game or a concert together. Any recreational or relaxing activity you can think of, and theres someone who would be happy to join probably. The trick is first meetin em and discovering said similarities. Its much easier to make friends online or in the gaming world once you get out of school and youre not meeting a great deal of folks as an adult. Some people use tinder/fb groups when they move just to find new friends.

Yes, to all of those.

The US is so big that several different cultures have popped up. The answer to this likely depends on where you're at and your age group.

The person I consider my best friend and I talk maybe four times a month. Every other weekend we bust out the cards, play poker or some other game and bullshit over a few rounds of Kentucky's finest.

Ultimately, as long as you treat your friends with respect and show some interest, is there really a wrong answer, within reason?