Having Alcohol-Free Fun, How Crazy!
Hello, my dear friends! I'm sorry I've been radio silent for so long. I've been caught up in work and life, and if I'm being fully honest, I've just been uninspired. I don't like half-assing things, especially when it comes to writing, so here we are...almost 2 months later. YIKES! I promise I won't do it again.
One of my work friends gave me the idea to write this post (notice I didn't say coworker because coworkers aren't always friends, ya feel me?) Anyway, it's pretty funny how before we actually drank alcohol, we never needed it to have fun. I still don't think I need it for fun. Though it definitely helps. But alcohol is expensive - especially here in NYC, it’s uber-calorie loaded, and perpetual hangovers aren't fun. Again, I love it, don't get me wrong, I will never say no to having a drink...or five. But there are definitely times I want to do other things, shocking!
Avoiding drinking can be difficult as a young adult! Seeing friends often means going to bars & clubs to unwind on the weekends after an exhausting week. We all have hectic schedules with work, school, endless chores, and personal necessities to handle. Many of our friends may have moved away or dispersed after college, so getting together requires more effort than it used to. Post-grad life is tricky! More on this coming soon...
So here's a list of activities, both group and solo, that don’t involve alcohol...but can if your heart desires (all applicable to any city, but I included some NYC recommendations):
Visit a museum. Personal favorites: the MoMa, the Met, Brooklyn Museum, Museum of Sex, the Whitney, the Natural History Museum.
Read a book. Recommendations: Room, The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck, IT, Milk & Honey, When Breath Becomes Air, The Sellout, The Female Brain. Every city has tons of local coffee shops, utilize them for blissful reading time. This also gives you the chance to try new coffee so you’re not perpetually spending $5 on a latte at Starbucks.
Go to the movies. NYC has a bunch of *fancy* theaters like Alamo Drafthouse in Brooklyn (and I’m sure other cities have similar places). Get a soda, popcorn, and some mini corn dogs if you’re like me, and recline to a fab new movie. Bonus points for self love and going alone.
Or watch a movie at home. Gather some friends & some snacks (perhaps a charcuterie board, popcorn/candy/junk food, or healthy snacks if you so desire). Netflix has tons of options, utilize them! OR, spend a whole $5 or less renting a movie. Wild. I personally recommend watching Set It Up.
If you’re not feeling a movie, binge watch a new (or old) show. The options are endless! Here are some hand selected picks: Parks N Rec, 30 Rock, The Office, Hannibal, Sense8, Jersey Shore*, Shameless, SMILF, The Night Of. *I am a die hard J-Shore fan, don't judge me.
Go sightseeing. It’s easy to overlook the annoying but totally awesome touristy spots in our cities. Times Square, I’m looking at you.
See a play. You can find discounted tickets for Broadway & Off-Broadway shows via TKTs, TodayTix, and a bunch of other sites. You can also just go to the box office to avoid fees. NYC aside, every city has playhouses and theaters, check them out!
Go to a comedy show. Obviously, you can see big name comedians by buying tickets way in advance, but there are plenty of comedy clubs where you can see a show for $10-20. For example, a few NYC clubs include: The Bell House, Black Cat, Carolines on Broadway, Comedy Cellar, Gotham Comedy Club, the list goes on...
If you’re feeling thrifty, watch a comedy special on Netflix/Hulu/etc. Chris D’Elia is my personal favorite. I’ve watched Incorrigible LIT-ER-ALLY 40+ times. Ali Wong, Baby Cobra also had me laughing my butt off.
If comedy’s not for you, check out a concert. Smaller, lowkey venues have tons of shows that won’t cost you a fortune.
If nothing is tickling your fancy, you could always get lost in a vortex of Youtube videos (or Vines if they weren’t dead, RIP).
Not good enough? Make your own videos. Vlogging is very *in* right now, and videos are supposedly the future of marketing, so document yourself doing whatever you think other people would want to see (don’t get weird guys.) TBT to my high school friends and me making music videos in ninth grade. Brownie points to anyone who can find them!! Hint: think Katy Perry songs.
If you’re feeling nostalgic for your middle school days, go bowling!
Many NYC bars host trivia nights, so I imagine this is true elsewhere too. Granted, you’ll be at a bar, but you don’t have to buy a drink!
Maybe you just moved to a new city and are trying to make new friends, OR maybe you’re just sick of your old friends. Either way, you could go to a meetup. I've only gone to one, and it was hosted by my old work friend but I hear they’re a great way to meet new people that share your interests.
If your job sucks, you want to build your professional network, or just want to get better at speaking to strangers, attend networking events. I’ve met a ton of cool folks, and the more you attend, the more suave you'll be around new people.
Feeling altruistic? Volunteer. Every city has volunteer networks you can join. You’re killing time, but more importantly, you’re helping others.
If you’re like me, you could always go shopping. Though this one’s probably just as detrimental (if not more so) to my bank account as drinking.
Once you’ve done the damage, clean out your closet. Maybe this is only fun for neat freaks like me, but I love getting rid of unneeded items every few seasons. And then proceeding to color code the remainder of my closet. Just me? Yep, okay.
Pamper yourself. You can totally do this at home and paint your nails, do face masks, sip some tea, whatever. Or go all out and do a spa day. Pro-tip: infrared saunas are very hot and I was too sweaty to stay for longer than 15 minutes. Also, salt caves are cool, but IDK what the real benefit is.
One of my personal favorites is to try new food! There are SO many ways to do this. Obviously, you can try new restaurants that look cool and appetizing, or ones that you found via your favorite IG foodies. On top of that (this is NYC specific) Smorgasburg, aka the largest open-air food festival in all of America, is a must. YOU WILL NOT REGRET IT. I’m on a mission to try everything there this summer. Visit the food halls your city has to offer. NYC options include but are by no means limited to Chelsea Market, Dekalb Market, Canal Street Market, Gansevoort Market, Turnstyle, Hudson Eats. Added perk, most of these places have flea markets too, which means fun finds (though I usually just go for the food.) If that's not enough food for you, make your own ‘food crawl’, I recommend doing doing so with pizza slices!
Instead of just eating the food, you can learn to cook it too. Groupon has a ton of deals for cooking classes and other group activities. You’ll be an expert pastry chef in no time.
You could also set up a group dinner to cook fancy meals together. Bonding while eating is the best form of friendship.
Better yet, have a group picnic & breathe in some ‘fresh’ air.
After you finish your finger sandwiches, you can stroll around and enjoy nature. NYC may have limited outdoor areas compared to elsewhere, but there’s still more than enough to see: Brooklyn Botanic Gardens, Central Park, Prospect Park, Brooklyn Bridge Park, The High Line, McCarren Park, and Hudson River Park are great places to start.
Enjoy seasonal activities. AKA ice skating, apple picking, or even beach time (and yes, Coney Island still counts as a beach even if it’s gross.)
If you’re not trying to eat, do something physical. Group workouts are awesome, and TBH one of the only reasons I stay motivated to workout at all. But they’re also a great way to hang out with friends. If you don’t want to do an actual workout class, you can always go kayaking, biking, or running (ew) around your city. Another option, join an intramural league for yo-pros! Volleyball, soccer, basketball, you name it, they probably have it! Like dancing? Try Daybreaker, a 3-hour dance party bright & early in the AM (in 22 cities). I’m not a morning gal so this isn’t as appealing for me, but it looks dope!
Maybe doing the physical part isn’t your groove, so instead you could watch a game - did someone say homerun?
If sports bore you, do something creative. Whether that’s taking up pottery, knitting, drawing, singing, coding, or even playing with new makeup (yes, this is me), get those creative juices flowing.
Find what you're passionate about. I know, easier said than done. But by trying different activities outside of drinking your night away, you’ll likely find exactly what you enjoy spending your time doing. Maybe it’s eating delicious food & Instagramming it, unicycling while juggling, speed reading, or biking in 90-degree heat. Whatever it is, own it!
And on that note, you could always start a blog...
Have more ideas for sober fun times? Leave them in the comments below, I'll be ecstatic to read them! As always, much love.
