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Oh good grief you are being ridiculous! CQHolt meant absolutely NO harm and was only offering a SUGGESTION! Take your personal issues somewhere else ... PLEASE! The OP didn't ask for this.
Good lord almighty the people on this site sometimes ...
Sounds like you are in a tizzy -- my apologies.
I know cq meant no harm and I didn't suggest that he did.
I agree with the above posters on this thread. Wrangling other people to get together can be a big hassle (especially if they have kids, need a sitter, etc.). Don't underestimate the fact that you might be able to strike up a conversation with other like-minded people at these events. Just go, even if by yourself. And it's true--no one is looking at you thinking that you are weird for doing so alone. Most people are too self-involved to even pay attention. : )
Well now that you say that, I do remember one time when I was brave enough to do a hawks game by myself and someone I sat next to actually struck up a conversation with me. I felt weird at first because people usually don't just start talking to me but he was so nice. He was from out of town so it wasn't like I could have asked him to hang out with me some other time. So yeah, I guess I should not fear going places alone. However, I just don't think I could go out to eat alone
Location: Formerly Pleasanton Ca, now in Marietta Ga
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ninersfan82
Well now that you say that, I do remember one time when I was brave enough to do a hawks game by myself and someone I sat next to actually struck up a conversation with me. I felt weird at first because people usually don't just start talking to me but he was so nice. He was from out of town so it wasn't like I could have asked him to hang out with me some other time. So yeah, I guess I should not fear going places alone. However, I just don't think I could go out to eat alone
I know the feeling. As I've gotten older all my friends got married and had kids and we just didn't have as much in common. I don't have any single friends except a few so I eat dinner by myself a lot. It's feels like everyone is staring at you, but really you'll get used to it.
When you go out to eat look around, you might be surprised how many people are dining solo.
I know the feeling. As I've gotten older all my friends got married and had kids and we just didn't have as much in common. I don't have any single friends except a few so I eat dinner by myself a lot. It's feels like everyone is staring at you, but really you'll get used to it.
When you go out to eat look around, you might be surprised how many people are dining solo.
I travel all the time for work, so I end up eating solo at restaurants ~100 times per year. After a while, it's nothing. I eat at the bar if I'm feeling social. Lots of interesting conversations and situations have started this way.
Buy a dog. (if you like them...don't get one if you can't commit to keeping it and you don't love dogs!)
I always knew the wisdom that women love men with dogs, but I never paid attention to it. When I finally bought a house and got a dog, I was already in a relationship....but man, walking around with that puppy, I was fighting them off. So many conversations, so many opportunities. And I'm not even that good looking, so I know it wasn't that!
People of all types just are more attracted to people walking dogs. They are more approachable, and I've met tons of people in dog parks. Think about it: if you saw some 35 year old guy walking around your neighborhood at 2am on a Tuesday night, you might think that was weird. If he was walking a dog, you wouldn't think a thing of it. That pretty much applies to all other aspects of having a dog with you. It gives you something easy to talk about and people think anyone with a dog is a decent guy. Especially if you have a very cute dog. And I don't mean necessarily a girly dog, women totally love well-behaved, cute, and friendly pitbulls. I swear, they do!
You didn't ask about women, you asked about friends, but I think this principle applies equally. Hanging out with a dog just makes everything easier. Plus, you have a built-in friend no matter what.
On the subject of doing things alone, I say go for it. You know, as I get older, I find myself CHOOSING to do more things alone. Sometimes I actually prefer to go to rock shows by myself because I don't have to meet up with anyone, I can arrive when I want to, sit where I like, and leave early if I get bored. Same thing with movies. Alone, I can actually enjoy the film instead of worrying about someone talking to me. I used to go out at night by myself all the time, too, and I met a lot of people doing that.
Just go do whatever you want, whenever you want. Look for groups of people who enjoy doing what you do. The Atlanta Outdoor Club is very popular for people who like to do things outside, but it's also a very social group that does plenty of non-outdoorsy things. So whatever your jam, just find a group that also does it and you'll probably find that they do other things together too.
I know the feeling. As I've gotten older all my friends got married and had kids and we just didn't have as much in common. I don't have any single friends except a few so I eat dinner by myself a lot. It's feels like everyone is staring at you, but really you'll get used to it.
When you go out to eat look around, you might be surprised how many people are dining solo.
With the high divorce rate, more Americans putting off marriage, and some foregoing marriage/coupledom altogether, the solo diner, I think, is not unusual at all. Plus, you have those who travel for work, as another poster put it, not to mention, the company of strangers can be a fun little adventure sometimes.
I don't find dining alone unusual now, but then again, I was never "cool" to start with.
I have lived in ATL since April 2014. I have very few friends here. They are always busy, don't make plans with me in their free time or completely ignore me. Plus, i don't think they have the same interests as me. I have done Piedmont Park, Grant Park, Little five points, a few festivals, and some hawks games. There are other things I want to do but don't really have anyone to do them with, like the High Museum of Art, the zoo, College football Hall of Fame...and trying to figure out some other stuff to do. I want to fully experience Atlanta. Any other things you would recommend that a fairly new atlantan do? Should I do some of this stuff by myself or wait til I develop more friends first? I don't want to miss out on anything. I have already missed out on music midtown and other concerts .
I have that same issue sometimes, with the few friends of mines being married or have relocated elsewhere because of employment, but I've gotten used to it now. I moved here in 2010 and don't have a problem going out bar hopping solo dolo. What's funny is you always find other ppl hanging at the bar especially during football season. So to be able to talk about sports will spark up any conversation. You and I are the same age and have frequent some of the same spots. You should check out Top Golf it's a real cool spot to watch sports. I see that you are a niners fan so I do recall seeing a few in there. To bad for me I rep that black & gold whodat!!
I've also listened to music and walked Stone Mountain. It was so cozy and peaceful with the cooler weather outside. East Atlanta village is full of weirdo's (lol in a good way) with several bars in the area. Also, take a stroll around Downtown Decatur.
Buy a dog. (if you like them...don't get one if you can't commit to keeping it and you don't love dogs!)
I always knew the wisdom that women love men with dogs, but I never paid attention to it. When I finally bought a house and got a dog, I was already in a relationship....but man, walking around with that puppy, I was fighting them off. So many conversations, so many opportunities. And I'm not even that good looking, so I know it wasn't that!
People of all types just are more attracted to people walking dogs. They are more approachable, and I've met tons of people in dog parks. Think about it: if you saw some 35 year old guy walking around your neighborhood at 2am on a Tuesday night, you might think that was weird. If he was walking a dog, you wouldn't think a thing of it. That pretty much applies to all other aspects of having a dog with you. It gives you something easy to talk about and people think anyone with a dog is a decent guy. Especially if you have a very cute dog. And I don't mean necessarily a girly dog, women totally love well-behaved, cute, and friendly pitbulls. I swear, they do!
You didn't ask about women, you asked about friends, but I think this principle applies equally. Hanging out with a dog just makes everything easier. Plus, you have a built-in friend no matter what.
On the subject of doing things alone, I say go for it. You know, as I get older, I find myself CHOOSING to do more things alone. Sometimes I actually prefer to go to rock shows by myself because I don't have to meet up with anyone, I can arrive when I want to, sit where I like, and leave early if I get bored. Same thing with movies. Alone, I can actually enjoy the film instead of worrying about someone talking to me. I used to go out at night by myself all the time, too, and I met a lot of people doing that.
Just go do whatever you want, whenever you want. Look for groups of people who enjoy doing what you do. The Atlanta Outdoor Club is very popular for people who like to do things outside, but it's also a very social group that does plenty of non-outdoorsy things. So whatever your jam, just find a group that also does it and you'll probably find that they do other things together too.
Great point about your dog...I have a beautiful Weimaraner and people always approach me when she's with me. If I were trying to meet someone I feel sure it would have happened through her.
A good volunteer group is Hands On Atlanta, they start sessions every quarter for like 6 weeks. They don't require you to go to every one, and they do something different each week, followed by a social lunch somewhere after the volunteering to get to know people more.
It seemed a large percentage of the people were single, mostly younger looking to meet other people socially, as they didn't know anyone either. They meet on Saturday mornings, with the first meeting basically a social meeting to get to know other people.
I agree with this. This program through Hands on Atlanta is called "Team Works" I believe.
I did a couple sessions about 6 years ago and it was fun and I met a lot of nice people. We usually went out after volunteering as well for lunch or just to hang out and I do still have a friend I met through this group (I am very particular on who I am friends with and don't consider a lot of the people I know my friends though).
It is fun to do things alone IMO as you always get to do what you want to do. I would also suggest looking into going to the theater or finding specific organizations that tailor to your particular interests.
If you are able, running groups and cycling groups are good to meet people. I ran 5ks and 10ks back when I wasn't as busy or as lazy as I am today (lol) and Atlanta has a good running community especially.
Take some classes at a local recreation center as well. The city of Atlanta has recreation centers and they offer fitness or dance classes and other sorts of things.
If you like art, take some art classes. Fulton County runs excellent art centers via the West End Performing Arts Center and South Fulton, and various others across Fulton County. They have a lot of interesting courses where you can meet people and learn more about what is available in the metro.
Have fun!
ETA: I don't think most of my suggestions were all that touristy. I am not big on tourist things as I don't feel they are a true experience of a city/area. IMO Atlanta is a great metro and it has lots of great offerings for residents (outside of the always spoken about restaurants and hip hop connection lol) and so I provided some suggestions based on things I have done and usually do whenever I live in a certain place or take an extended visit to a certain place. I personally don't think that most of the tourist places in Atlanta are worth the money.
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whodat!!
