What 'social' activities do you do alone? (date, movies, how to)

[Trimac20]

I don't go alone as much as I used to, since I hang out a little more regularly with friends, but I used to do quite a few things alone simply because I had no one else to do them with or I just felt like it:

These included:

Going to movies alone (maybe a handful of times, but still)

Eating out at restaurants alone (well if you're travelling alone you're bound to do that anyway so it's no biggie)

Just wandering around the city.etc alone (I do this fairly often)

Shopping for fun (those rare times I do)

Going to bars/pubs

Going clubbing alone (yes it can be depressing, but then again I've met some cool folks I otherwise wouldn't have)

Going to live music concerts and festivals alone

Travelling alone (I usually meet lots of people and feel less lonely than I would being at home alone).

Bushwalking/Hiking alone (this I seldom do, partly for safety reasons, but I like the peace and solitude at times).

I've been to the beach by myself a couple of times as well.


I'm a 25 yo male, was a loner through high school (hardly hang out with anyone, spent all my lunchtimes at the library) and while I had friends during uni, I didn't hang out with them that often, except maybe when me and a university friend had a 'band' together.

I'm sure if you were an attractive female or something you might be less likely to do those things in your hometown, but I'd be interested to hear anyway...

[Braunwyn]

When I was your age it went both ways. I made friends pretty easily, but I spent years traveling mostly by myself. I'd set up camp in a new city without knowing anyone and would go out alone. On tour I'd end up at shows alone, but I'd often pick up a rider along the way. My work always involved working with the public, so I met people that way.

That stage of my life is over, but I still go out alone often because I'm into photography. I'll head out with my gear to just about any where and get busy. I was in DC for a week in October and dined alone every night. I opted out of quite a few invites with colleagues. I loved it; a good meal, wine, and my book. The one night I sat at the hotel bar for just a drink I ended up hanging out with a woman and a man and we talked for a few hours. I've always brought books to bars with me and for some reason it peaks people's interest.

[ybflady13]

Originally Posted by Trimac20

I don't go alone as much as I used to, since I hang out a little more regularly with friends, but I used to do quite a few things alone simply because I had no one else to do them with or I just felt like it:

These included:

Going to movies alone (maybe a handful of times, but still) Nah, I don't think I would go to the movies alone, I'd always end up going with someone..not a SO just my sister or a friend..

Eating out at restaurants alone (well if you're travelling alone you're bound to do that anyway so it's no biggie) I rather eat out with someone

Just wandering around the city.etc alone (I do this fairly often) I don't live in a walking city so I can't say, I think it would be more fun if I was with another person.

Shopping for fun (those rare times I do) Yes I love shopping alone! I know what I like and what I don't like..I am not the typical girl who can spend hours inside a store. I get tired after 10 minutes! lol

Going to bars/pubs This I must go with someone, preferably another single friend..but it's been so difficult since most of my friends aren't single

Going clubbing alone (yes it can be depressing, but then again I've met some cool folks I otherwise wouldn't have) I get what you mean, depends on the people you go with..they could make you interact more with strangers or isolate them completely

Going to live music concerts and festivals alone I guess if beer was in my hand, that would be my friend if I went alone..I don't think I could manage though

Travelling alone (I usually meet lots of people and feel less lonely than I would being at home alone). I love to travel alone! It's sooo fun, its just nice to have another person with you for companionship, advice etc.

Bushwalking/Hiking alone (this I seldom do, partly for safety reasons, but I like the peace and solitude at times). I never hiked so I wouldn't know..

I've been to the beach by myself a couple of times as well. I'd like someone to accompany me to the beach!


I'm a 25 yo male, was a loner through high school (hardly hang out with anyone, spent all my lunchtimes at the library) and while I had friends during uni, I didn't hang out with them that often, except maybe when me and a university friend had a 'band' together.

I'm sure if you were an attractive female or something you might be less likely to do those things in your hometown, but I'd be interested to hear anyway...

Im not crazy gorgeous but I'm not ugly either, not sure what you would classify me as but I do end up doing many of the activities you said with another person. And I thought I was independent... haha I wish I was more confident in other aspects of life though.
In high school I would hangout with a select group of people, not really socialize with others because I was too afraid of what people thought of me. I went to very few parties. I came off being really outgoing toward others but I was really shy! I still am I think..
In college same story, not as out there and pretty much didnt go to many parties etc. I think the reason though was because I was a commuter student and my university was 45min away..I just didnt put in much effort. Now I am a college grad, 3 months out of college and my social circle has depleted..

[Yzette]

My mind went right to the gutter with this. Hey, some things don't always require a partner.

Now that we have that out of the way, dining alone at an outdoor cafe in a city is one of my favorite things to do. When I lived in the D.C. area, I would go to [URL="http://www.kramers.com/"]Kramerbooks[/URL], have a nice mid-afternoon lunch, and follow it up with Death by Chocolate cake and a raspberry martini. Always around 2:30, 3:00, with a good book, under an umbrella, like a lady of leisure.

I used to take in matinees alone, too, but I think that's also a city thing, when there are more than 4 other people in the theater.

Also, I actually prefer going to museums alone. Not sure how "social" going to a museum is if you are a single adult, anyway, but I find it much more enjoyable when I don't have to worry about whether someone else wants to move on from a piece, getting separated, who is hungry, whose feet hurt, etc. Leave me on the Mall at 10:00 a.m. and I'll meet you for dinner at 6:00. Same goes for zoos and aquariums, although I also enjoy company with those, too.

I guess I like the whole "alone in my own world in a crowd" thing.

[himain]

I go to malls, shopping and grab a bite to eat at a restuarants bar by myself. No big deal. People always approach me and sometimes I deal with them and sometimes I don't.

[Braunwyn]

When the new twilight movie comes out this month I know I'll be going it alone.

[Yzette]

BTW, if you're in Australia, it occurs to me that you might not know what "D.C." Braunwyn and I are talking about. That would be Washington, D.C., which to my mind, is one of the best cities to be alone in. It's incredibly walking-friendly, with a lot of trees and green (Henry Rollins agrees), and many of the cultural activities, like the Smithsonian (which includes the National Zoo), have no entrance fees because they are funded by tax dollars.

[Braunwyn]

Originally Posted by Yzette

BTW, if you're in Australia, it occurs to me that you might not know what "D.C." Braunwyn and I are talking about. That would be Washington, D.C., which to my mind, is one of the best cities to be alone in. It's incredibly walking-friendly, with a lot of trees and green (Henry Rollins agrees), and many of the cultural activities, like the Smithsonian (which includes the National Zoo), have no entrance fees because they are funded by tax dollars.

I went to the Smithsonian as well. I also went to occupy DC to check things out.

[chielgirl]

I do almost all social activities alone.
I travel alone throughout the world; I meet people but the bulk of my time is my own.
There's really not much that I do with others.
No one wants to spend 5-6 hours in a museum where I'm not interested in talking with them; or at a movie, where I'm interested in the screen, not someone near me...
I'm comfortable with myself so none of this seems to be a problem.

I recently traveled with a young friend and we had a great time.
I have a colleague who recently moved here and I take him and his kids to castles and cool kid places knowing that it's a finite amount of time.

[TabulaRasa]

I'm female, and I lived alone in a strange city where I knew nobody right after graduating from college, so I got comfortable doing a lot of things on my own, pretty quickly. And, when I moved to college as an 18-year old, I went on my own, to a state hundreds of miles away, where I knew not a soul. I made the drive by myself, always, and did most things solo, while I got to know my new home and the people there.

Of the things you mentioned, all this has been a part of my life, from my early twenties up through present day (midthirties):

Going to movies alone - done it, but was usually just as happy to rent and watch at home if I'm flying solo...it's cheaper, and for me, going out to a movie with a date or a friend was at least as much about the socialization aspect...it wasn't just to see the movie. We'd go to dinner before, maybe grab dessert or a drink after, discuss it. I did do it, though, for a few movies I didn't want to wait to see. It wasn't awkward or anything. Doesn't happen, now, because my SO will go see a movie with me even if it's one he doesn't care to see, and vice versa. This explains how he ended up at Sex and the City and various Harry Potter flicks, and I sat through Cowboys & Aliens and 3:10 to Yuma.

Eating out at restaurants alone: I did this and do this all the time. It's often been a part of my workday, in addition to being an inevitability when traveling solo. Again, no biggie. I like to have something to read, so tend to carry magazines in my bag when this is the case.

Just wandering around the city.etc alone: all the time.

Shopping for fun: I hate shopping, so I really don't do it for fun. But I absolutely shop alone, because I hate it with a passion, and I don't want to subject somebody else to me vile mood when I have no choice but to go shopping for something. But it's for sure my preference to go alone.

Going to bars/pubs: Depends. Just going in to grab a drink solo isn't really that comfortable for me, because as a woman, the assumption is that you must be there to hook up, and it's a drag to have put off persistent guys in whom you're not interested. A brew pub that serves food, sure, I'd have dinner and a drink solo, much like dining out alone. But going in for a night of drinking solo isn't really my style. If I'm drinking alone, it's gonna be a glass of wine on my cozy couch, watching movies, or a beer on my porch, reading or listening to music. If I drink alone, it's part of a relaxing evening, and bars and pubs aren't that relaxing to me.

Going clubbing alone: I don't club, with or without others.

Going to live music concerts and festivals alone: No to concerts...I suppose I would, if it ever came up that I wanted to go to something and couldn't get any takers. Yes to festivals, but they're more fun to share. I used to cover festivals as a newspaper reporter, and even then, I'd always take people with, because it was more fun that way (and they usually got in free on my press credentials).

Travelling alone id it loads when I was single, always enjoyed it. When I was a 18 year-old college student, I traveled to the other side of the world alone, as an exchange student. Wasn't intimidated by much of anything after that. Very empowering, as a young female. I tended not to take off for parts unknown, overall, though, when I was single, without letting somebody (sister, best friend, etc.) know where I was going and how to reach me in case of emergency. I'm independent, but also considerate, and I'm not a moron about basic safety.

Bushwalking/Hiking alone : Grew up out in the country, so all the time. Way of life. I wouldn't do anything that's "exteme sport"-ish or high-risk without taking a partner, or at least letting somebody know where I was and when to expect me back, but a simple hike or walk? Sure.

Beach: Beaches aren't a big part of my life, unless they're the beaches along the shores of the Great Lakes, and when I lived on Lake Michigan, I'd go down to the shore often to sit and read, usually alone. But since it was in a major city, the lakefront parks were never really deserted, and there was often the same factor you'd run into as a young, single woman having a drink at a bar solo...guys who figure you're there to meet people, and the book you're reading [drink you're having] is just a prop. So I'd get bugged fairly often when I'd be sitting at the beach, relaxing.

In general, I'm not intimidated to do much of anything alone. But somethings are nowhere near as personally appealing to do alone, and some have built-in annoyance factors. Most are fine, though.