how can you find people in your city who you can play

Your profile says you live right outside of Syracuse.I would start with a Google search there. I did it and came up with evidence that others have been trying to get clubs going. Some links were older but there were a number of hits that bear further investigation.

Alternatively, you can start one yourself. I play weekly in a club that meets twice weekly at a local library about 15 miles from where I live. I found it through the local newspaper events listings. Some weeks, there are 15 players. All it took was one guy showing up every week. Show up every week and put out your own event listings and before you know it, you will have a place to play.

I have just created a community for those who want to play over the board (https://otbchess.org).

We don't have many people yet, but as we gain more users, there will be a much higher chance you can find someone.

I have just created a topic for Syracuse. Feel free to register and clicking the "watch" button on that topic. This will notify you if someone wants to play.