That’s why you drink at the bar, or bring a book or something else along. Of course, it depends on the kind of bar you’re visiting, but I used to go to bars alone to smoke, drink, and write letters.
Although TheMerchendise makes a point I’ve never realized. If I were a woman sitting alone at the bar, I have a feeling I wouldn’t be as left alone as I am being a guy, so I probably would have a different take on it if I were of the opposite sex.
I agree. I have been with my SO for a little over 2 years now. I am very happy with her. I do miss spending quality time alone, however. I’ve vacationed solo in Jamaica, and done a Caribbean cruise myself. They were two of the best vacations ever. I agree with Colophon when it comes to wine. If I cannot finish a bottle with my meal, then it must be bad wine. 
Exactly. I recently spent a week (mostly) alone in Walt Disney World. Ate out alone every night and didn’t give it a second thought.
I, too, prefer going to movies alone.
The OP was repeating a feeling he/she had picked up from sitcoms–not from companions deconstructing those nerdly singletons. He/She does need to get out more.
It might be fun. Or, at least–not scary.
(Edited to adjust Sarcasm Levels.)
Sound advice. It seems some people never learn to take care of themselves because they’ve always had people around them to depend on. What do you do when that safety net fails? Those are the lonely people.
I am currently separated from my wife. (No, not divorcing just living separately while I finish up school.) My neighbors clearly think I’m the creepy neighbor as they have never even seen my wife and I appear to have no social life. I play it up by not showering and walking around in my boxers all day. It’s good fun when they knock on my door.
I go out alone all the time. I only feel sorry for the waiter/waitress who is stuck with a table of one. I usually tip a little extra for that.
How did you do this? The blatant overcharging for not being part of a couple has kept me from the cruises. I wouldn’t mind going on my own if they weren’t going to punish me monetarily for it. Vacationing in general, though, not a problem.
Bars - I don’t like going to bars alone. There, I feel like a freak. Anything else, it doesn’t matter to me (though I have had some waitstaff freak out entirely over the hardship of putting a single person at a table).
Depends on the place. I have no problem going to lunch alone. It’s generally just a dine and dash event anyway. However I don’t think I’ve ever done dinner alone. At least not in a sit down/server type restaurant.
Never gone to the movies alone though.
For me it was great because I took my compulsory veterinary continuing education on board. An hour or two each day of lecture. It was tax deductible to some extent so I didn’t care if I was raped a little financially. 
What he said. Although I don’t go to movies much, I probably go alone as much as I do in company.
I eat alone in restaurants all the time. I honestly don’t like eating with other people, even my closest friends. I’ve found that most people who go out to eat are more interested in talking than in eating, which makes sense, I suppose. But I’m one who likes to eat my food while it’s still hot, so I tend to eat very quickly. And then I’m all done eating and have to wait however long it takes for the rest of the group to finish picking their way through their meals, yakking away in between bites, and I end up being bored out of my skull.
The problem, I suppose, is that I have this need to be “productive”. When I go some place, I have a purpose for being there, and wish to accomplish that purpose in an efficient manner. So to me, just sitting and talking is “unproductive”. I start getting squirmy and thinking about things I could be getting done instead of just sitting. Eating alone allows me to get in, eat, and get out. More importantly, I can leave when I’m ready to go, which is usually a whole lot sooner than my companions would be ready to go were I dining with friends.
Also on the “productive” issue: I always read when I’m eating alone (and when I’m riding a bus, and when I’m taking a smoke break at work …) Generally when I’m doing anything that doesn’t engage my mind. I can’t tolerate just staring out the window or studying the scenery while I wait for my food — it’s unproductive!
As for all the conversation I’m missing … I don’t like talking about my life around the dinner table, mainly because I don’t personally find my life to be all that exciting and so naturally assume that others aren’t going to find it interesting. Heck, even my group of friends bores me when they talk about what they’re doing (their lives don’t seem to be any more exciting than mine) so why would my daily routine interest them? Then again, I recognize that this is probably just my problem, and not theirs.
Movies, OTOH, are something I prefer to do with friends. This is one area where my friends and I have nearly identical taste, so when one of us picks a movie it’s pretty much guaranteed that the rest of the group will enjoy it. And we don’t have to sit around and talk during the film
I do tend to bring books to restaraunts when I eat alone. I am also of the busy mind and don’t like to people-watch. I don’t even like people that much!
Which brings me to the real reason I’m posting. If you see me alone in a restaurant, reading a book, don’t come over and take pity on me! Same goes with cafeteria or breakroom. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had people think “Oh, she couldn’t possibly want to read that, I’ll go over and chat.” Oh, and airplane, too.
And believe me there is a huge difference between genuinely being friendly - which I’m cool with - and only coming over because you think I’m so sad and lonely.
I’ve done puzzles while eating alone, usually when stuck in a mall or something without a book. :eek: Buying some sort of puzzle book works better than buying a book full price that I might not finish for a while, especially when I have about 1,000 stacked up to read in my collection.
The problem is either I use my hand to write, so I don’t eat, or I use my hand to eat, so I don’t write. It’s never worked out very well for me. If I could figure out how to fill in the squares with my left hand, it might be okay.
When I was younger I took off to Europe and the ME by myself and it was the best experience I’ve ever had. I didn’t have to stick to an itinerary if I didn’t want to and I went to places that interested me. I wasn’t alone 100% of the time but it was my choice when and who to share my time with.
I’m very comfortable eating alone and I have gone to movies alone as well. I like my own company at times. My wife is the total opposite.
Once I was travelling on business and it happened to be my birthday. I ate at one of those sushi bar/teppan grill places. Coincidently seated near my table was someone else who had a burthday, and the wait staff came out and did a whole birthday song production, with a drum and everything. They asked if it was anyone elses birthday, but I kept it quiet, because I felt like having your birthday dinner all alone in a hibachi restaurant seemed kind of sad, even though I wasn’t.