It was my first time alone on vacation, and I spent the night in Charleston, my favorite place. It’s a strange experience to dine alone or sit at a bar solo, especially as a woman. I got the, “Are you waiting on someone?” And “Party of 2, correct?”
Nope, incorrect, Party of 1, all day—and night—long. I was the lone wolf, 🐺out on the town.
The great thing about being alone, I realized, is that I could be completely selfish! I didn’t have to ask anyone’s opinion about what they’d like to do. Want to walk five miles? Sure! Shall we go antiquing? Why not?
I was my own best friend.❤️
My first stop was the Charleston aquarium. I’m never big on museums, but I’m a sucker for ocean critters. 🐙 I paid $30 for a ticket and circled around taking pics of these amazing animals, all the while circumventing school trips. The best part was petting the sting rays, and this lobster was super cool!
My next task was getting a bicycle from my hotel. I signed the waiver that I wouldn’t sue if I got drunk and hit a pole (well, okay, those weren’t the exact words on the disclaimer, but same diff), and I put on my helmet for a ride down King Street. This is the main shopping strip. I swerved around tourist shoppers and dodged FedEx trucks. Once, I almost got hit at a hidden driveway, and I still have a red mark on my leg from the pedal’s sudden stop to provei it.
I parked my bike at 167 Raw, one of the best restaurants in town. I was told by a thin, not-so-pleasant male standing in front with an iPad that it would be a 55-minute wait. I felt like he hated me. But maybe I hated him? Well, what else was I going to do? I was dead set on trying those giant shrimp cocktail and the lobster roll, so I joined the list.
During my wait, I bought an oversized, gold ring at Uncommon James and contemplated the purchase of a palm tree necklace for my daughter, which I never bought. 🌴 It was too fragile, and I might be able to find it at Claires. #onthecheap #haha
My turn to sit finally arose, and a host with a brown combover, Hawaiian shirt, and khaki pants led me to a back bar, which may have well been in a different restaurant, let alone state.
I was like, “Hm, no one is at this teensy back bar, and why can’t I sit up front?” I felt like Larry David in Curb Your Enthusiasm when he questioned if his back-of-restaurant seat was attributable to not being attractive enough to sit up front. Was it my bike helmet that gave me the seat or maybe being solo?
The host wouldn’t move me, despite my pleas, so I sucked it up and befriended a fun couple of 50-somethings from Detroit to my right. She turned it up at 1 o’clock pm with two margaritas, and I joined in with a glass of wine. Here is my seat:
After devouring oysters and a lobster roll, which was the perfect combo of lightly-dressed mayo and drawn butter, I decided to move on in my adventure.
I rode down King Street to check out the other restaurants and stores from my fave reality TV shows: Southern Hospitality and Southern Charm. I scanned the decorative pillows with crab images and palm trees in Sewing Down South and sat for a drink in garden of Republic, during which time I questioned the staff if the drama really exists and the shows are unscripted. They gave me a shifty answer…. 🤷🏻♀️
Finally, I had dinner in my hotel room (a gluttonous turkey club with fries) and sipped on a glass of overpriced Chardy while watching TV still I fell asleep.
I made a full day alone on vacay!
When I woke up, I was proud of myself.
See? I think a lot of times we fear what we don’t know, and we worry (or, I worry) that I’ll be judged, or that I can’t handle something as simple as dining alone, or having a drink at a bar alone. I was fine!
So, if you’re on the fence about taking that extra vacation day by yourself, or even a personal trip to just regroup, you should do it. After all, you’re going with your “best friend:” yourself!