I'm glad you had fun on the day off! But yeah, I'm terrible at going to meet people before the conference starts too, unless it's a friend I know or similar. Something about being in the event itself vs just getting my bearings I guess, because the days are just so long during the conference event itself.
That said, I did go to a NASA-affiliated conference last week in Maryland and while technically masks were not required, everyone wore them and then there was a perfect patio outside for socializing. So that worked out great! And a giant contrast to the European conference I attended in June, where only the Americans wore masks.