51st dates: Solo edition

At the 51st, we're all about community and spending time around people who make your world brighter, happier, and healthier. But we also understand that sometimes, you just end up alone (whether by choice or circumstance), looking for something to do.

We've rounded up some of our favorite ways to spend time by ourselves in D.C. We know ... a brave suggestion amid this so-called American Loneliness Crisis! But it's getting warm, the sun is staying out longer, and realistically, there are plenty of great spots to take yourself out on a date in D.C. while still staying connected to the city you love.

Be brave: go to a bar

I’ve always judged a bar by how welcome I feel reading a book by myself. How many unwanted intrusions before I get through a chapter? How much quizzical emphasis on “just one?” when the bartender asks whether to clear the second set of napkins or coasters? Do the conversational snippets I catch perpetuate warm conviviality, or a desperate urge in me to remind everyone to drink water?

But there’s also just something intangible about my favorite places in the city to post up alone. I never feel rushed and conversation seems easy to opt in or out of when I’m drinking a Fresh Squeezed IPA in the dim wooden interior of Marx Cafe (or, better yet, in a window seat on a sunny day). Perched at the bright green marble of Ellē’s bar, people watching through the mirrored shelves of liquor bottles, I miraculously have zero cell phone service. Drinking an Ottoman Times (Middle East style Old Fashioned) and eating pita chips with za’tar-spiced labneh at The Green Zone, I feel like I’m treating myself — but without pretense or formality.

The best bars are host to the community we build with friends and families and first dates, but they’re also where we go to be alone together.

-Abigail Higgins

Get an ice cream cone for yourself

There is something spiritually off-putting to me about the idea of an ice cream date, especially in the early stages of getting to know someone. No offense if that’s how you met your lover, but the whole thing is a bit too prudish and saccharine and cloyingly nostalgic for me. It’s an overperformance of “cute coupledom” before it’s earned. That being said … when you see a person walking down the street by themselves holding an ice cream cone? Now that is something special to witness. That is a person approaching the world with a sense of play and wonder! (Exclusions apply if you’re the president, though.) 

Getting an ice cream cone by yourself on a spring afternoon, walking on the sunny side of the street with a little bounce in your step, and racing against the cone as it drips in messy streams between your fingers is a small pleasure we (I'm using "we" liberally – I know dietary restrictions exist) should all be granting ourselves as adults. Like, you can just decide to do that whenever. Last spring, I had a cone for dinner. There are no rules! 

My favorite ice cream spot in D.C. is Mount Desert Ice Cream in Mount Pleasant. I used to live less than a 10-minute walk away (and my roommate also worked there), so I’m biased, but they have a few tried-and-true classics (sweet cream, salted caramel) and a consistently impressive rotation of creative seasonal flavors. Plus, they always carry dairy-free, vegan, and gluten-free options. A one-scoop cone really gets you a scoop-and-a-half, so you can always mix and match and explore new flavors. Try the lamington, black sesame, or cinnamon cardamom!

-Colleen Grablick

Take yourself out for coffee

One of my favorite solo things to do is to take myself on a coffee shop date. Spending an hour or two on a weekend morning sipping your favorite warm drink is an ideal way to spend some personal time. You can get ready for the week ahead by journaling or calendaring. Or, you can completely remove yourself from reality by settling into a good book.

Going solo also has some logistical advantages: you don’t have to share your muffin with a friend, and you can take up as much space as you want on your tiny coffee shop table. If you sit communally, you can strike up a conversation with a neighbor, and you might just make a new friend.

For a few of my favorite spots around D.C., you can check out my old coffee shop column in Washington City Paper, where I visited Dua Coffee, Tryst, and Bourbon Coffee. And if you're in Virginia, ESP Tea and Coffee in Old Town is a go-to for me.

-Christina Sturdivant Sani

Wake up with nature at Hains Point

If I’m aiming to treat myself, there’s nothing better than a morning at Hains Point on a clear day, followed by a hot coffee. A slow walk along the Washington Channel, with the sun cascading over the city and light breeze off the water, creates a peaceful environment for reflection and inspiration. This time of year, the air is crisp and refreshing but not frigid. Lots of people use the park, but it’s expansive, so it never feels crowded. (Even when a large running group jogs through!) And the abundant wildlife sightings help keep you grounded in the moment, from fish breaking water to squirrels and rabbits. And so. many. birds. I love to watch ospreys fishing and check in on the colony of black-crowned night herons by the 395 bridge.

Spring is the perfect time for an early morning visit, too. You can still see the sunrise without much effort, because with the recent time change, it’s not until 7:00 a.m. And if you’re there early, you can catch the cherry blossoms that line the park without a massive crowd of tourists. A paved, level, one-way route wraps around the point. NPS recently added separate biking and pedestrian lanes on the road, after a reckless driver killed two of our neighbors — Waldon Adams and Rhonda Whitaker – at Hains Point in 2021.

Afterwards, I like to warm up (or cool off) with a coffee. On my most recent solo date here two weeks ago, a trail angel left a Capitol Bikeshare e-bike on the back half of the loop. (There’s a bike share station at the park entrance, and the 15th St NW projected bike lane goes all the way to the park.) So, I took it to Dupont Circle for an iced Caramel Graham Latte at the worker-owned Dupont Coffee Collective. If you prefer to stay by the water, take the sidewalk along Ohio Dr SW out of the park and make a right on Maine Ave to The Wharf, where Colada Shop has a delicious Cuban Carrot Cake Latte for the spring. (There's also a free boat that runs between The Wharf and the park during warm months, but it's currently out of service.)

-Eric Falquero

See a show by yourself at Wolf Trap (with snacks!)

I’m not going to pretend like this is a reoccurring solo date for me, but it did happen one time and it was lovely. I call it: "Wolf Trap, on the lawn, with a little snack dinner, seeing a band you want to appreciate fully without wondering if the friends you invited who don’t know the artist are having a good time."

This happened to me unexpectedly. I’d been wanting to see a band from my Australian childhood (Crowded House) playing at Wolf Trap, but the tickets were pricey, and I couldn’t find a friend enthusiastic enough to cough up $60 to go with me. (Fair!) I’d decided it just wasn’t in the cards. Then, on a whim, about an hour before the show, I peeked at resale tickets, and I found a lawn seat for $16.

I promptly bought the ticket, filled a tote bag full of miscellaneous snacks (including some Australian goodies), and headed to Vienna, Virginia. My $16 lawn seat turned out to be the best seat in the house. I was sprawled out on my own blanket with my own food and drinks. It really doesn’t get better than that!

Whenever I’m at Wolf Trap, I’m struck by how cool it is that we have a national park that doubles as a gorgeous music venue – and that it's accessible by public transit! The show was so good, and I felt present and glad I’d gone, singing along to songs I’d known for decades with strangers.

-Maddie Poore

Visit the National Cathedral

Something about me is that I love a church. I’m not religious, but I love big buildings and stained glass and any opportunity to feel some dramatic awe, wonder, mystery. Getting in touch with those feelings is more or less my definition of a good solo date. 

Last spring, in search of a peaceful afternoon alone, I booked a guided tour at the National Cathedral, and now I recommend them to everyone. I love the bell tower climb, which earns you the best possible view of the city and a peek at the bell tower. There’s also a climbing tour of all the building’s gargoyles, which is so cool I don’t feel I need to explain further. If you’re scared of heights you can also just book the guided tour of the lower levels, which are awe-inspiring in their beauty. The stained glass by itself is enough to hold my attention for at least an hour (one window contains an actual sliver of rock from the moon). 

After you’re done with your solo or group tour, head to the Open City cafe on the National Cathedral grounds, grab a coffee and a sandwich, and sit outside to read or write or doodle. Cap your date off with a walk through the Bishop’s Garden. 

-Natalie Delgadillo