Off-Topic

Just sit at the bar wherever you go. I always found it weird waiting on one person, but bartending for one is totally normal.

As others have said, traveling alone can be great.

The spring after separating from wife #1, I loaded up the car and headed south for spring training. No gameplan, no tickets, no hotel. Just a car, a map, and an Ipod. The ability to pull over to take a piss when you want, stop at South of the Border or spend the extra night in Savannah is priceless. I was afraid I would get bored/lonely but it didn't happen once. Great trip.

Now traveling for business, I prefer being alone because on the road, I'm all business. I'm a schedule freak so it's work/hotel/work/hotel. Usually, if I do anything fun, it's the last night of the trip when all the work is done.

Well thats all fine and good if 1) the place has a bar or 2) it isnt beautiful outside and you want to stare at a sunset over table mountain while you eat

I can't wait for my trip

seriously, with a smart phone, are you really dining alone? Hell, sometimes when dining with others I'm on the smart phone! (not all the time)

The only time it's weird for other patrons is if the person eating alone makes himself/herself to look sad for eating alone.

That's the perfect time for the creepy eam cell pics.

And once in a while, in the hotel lobby bar, you may...um..."meet" someone.

Disagree. About once a week or so I find myself without dinner plans and don't feel like ordering in chinese so I go to a local bar/restaurant for dinner. Saddle up to the bar with a newspaper while watching some meaningless sporting event on TV is very relaxing.

I'd never gone out by myself to a bar just to drink and hangout. Three weeks ago I was meeting NYCTerp05 and some others at the 40/40 club to watch game 7 of Heat/Celtics. Also had Mets/Yanks game on. The 40/40 club only had on bball so I went down the block myself to watch end of the Mets game. Had a blast. Sat at the bar. Chicks coming up to me left and right, I was working some 21 year old NYU student who told me she planned on sleeping her way up the Wall street ladder.

I'd also add that NYC has a lot of business travelers, or folks passing through for a few days, a lot of randems and other anti-social freaks where eating/drinking by yourself is somewhat common.

hey, not saying it cannot be enjoyable or that you cannot explore, but if part of your trip is to meet people or be part of an environment, NYC isn't really the best option. Most people there are not interested in talking with tourist. Besides, if you had a reason to be in NYC, exploring the city is just an add on. I do that 5 times a year where after meetings, I'll hit up some hood in manhattan.

I'm not sure how you're example makes it more accommodating for the single traveler. He can eat and drink alone here. The point is whether it's the most friendly of places where travelling alone becomes more fun or interesting.

im in the same boat as the OP. my friends are either lame, broke or married.

see my thread about traveling to LA. granted the purpose of the trip is for business but im extending it into a vacation. its the first time ive traveled for more than 2 nights alone on vacation as opposed to a weekend getaway. im looking forward to seeing how it goes.

yeah, cause whether an older dude rebuffs a conversation from a 21 year old or not is truly the barometer for friendliness!

Anyway, no need to sidetrack, NYC can be fun alone as well.

agree the glances and opinions should be the last concern. To me and it's just opinion, if you're going to travel alone, sites and restaurants only get you so far. At some point you'll have to interact and meet and perhaps hang out with people.