Swinging Spots to go Solo

There are plenty of captivating, non-embarrassing activity choices in the Cincinnati area for people who happen to be flying solo. Busy friends or loved ones don’t necessarily mean you have to cancel your evening out. Here are a few solo-friendly activities in the area that make up for your otherwise engaged friends.

Cultivate Your Inner Museum Lover

Museums of any sort may be the only place where the phrase “three’s a crowd” reaches its full potential. In fact, depending on your compatriot, two could be a crowd. When you visit a museum by yourself, first of all, your solo status isn’t as apparent, because people split up in museums all the time, and secondly (and most importantly), when you are alone, you can actually visit the exhibits or galleries you want to see. And take as much time as you want reading the fine print on those little white placards. Gasp! Why has no one thought of this before? We’ll never know.

Cincinnati is host to many museums, including the well-known Cincinnati Art Museum (with works spanning 6000 years), the Taft Museum (housing classics such as Rembrandt) and the Contemporary Art Center (dedicated to showing “the art of the last five minutes”). There are also not-so-well-known museums, such as the Cincinnati Fire Museum, located in a former fire house and the Vent Haven Museum in Fort Mitchell, which features more than 500 dummies from the collection of the late William Shakespeare Berger, a local businessman and ventriloquist.

Work on Your Pilates

Incorporating Pilates into your life is another good opportunity for solo time. Some may think of Pilates, a series of non-impact exercises that develop strength, flexibility, balance and inner awareness, and think of a large group of people exercising on mats. However, its inventor, Joseph Pilates, designed Pilates to be done with one-on-one instruction, and as such, never taught his techniques to a group himself. For this reason, attendees of a group session may not reap as many benefits from Pilates as those who pay extra cash for a personal lesson, says Julie Teron, owner of Body Mind Balance Pilates in Cincinnati.

These solo lessons ensure the type of Pilates a person is doing is tailored to that person’s specific needs, strength or past injuries, something a group lesson couldn’t provide. It also allows the instructor to teach someone how to do things correctly on the equipment used in Pilates, something Toren says is crucial to getting what you need out of the session. The personal attention you get out of a solo session enhances the already helpful experience, she says.

Scent, Please?

If you’re a person who has always had trouble finding a scent that fits you (mainly because these scents were made for other people, such as Jennifer Lopez), one way to make your solo time truly special is by creating a scent that makes you memorable, rather than make a random celebrity richer. Also, picking out your scent solo will keep you free from distractions and force you to focus on finding a scent that exemplifies you.

One place to do this locally is Les Studio des Parfums on Madison Road. According to its Web site, customers can make an appointment to create a French perfume under the personal tutelage of a staff member who will evaluate a person’s olfactory sensitivities, explain the fourteen families of scents and their components and describe the basic principles of making a pleasant-smelling perfume. There are three notes to choose: the Top Note (peak note), the Middle Note (heart note) and the Base Note (fond note). The store then registers the scent and stores the recipe for your future need.

See a Movie/Concert

OK, OK, no one really wants to go to a movie or concert alone, but don’t worry; you won’t be as conspicuous as you think. All those moviegoers and groupies won’t notice one person attending alone. Second of all, think about it: it’s hard to spend quality time with anyone attending a movie or concert, i.e., you can’t talk during a movie and can’t hear during the show, so if the gang’s busy, why not go by yourself? When you go alone, you can miss the latest Hollywood comic book-turned-movie your boyfriend would drag you to and see whatever film you want. (The newest Hugh Grant feature, perhaps?)

One solo trip destination standout is the Springdale Cinema in Springdale, which may have the largest amount of films available to watch at one location, namely because it shows some of the not-so-popular films longer than the competition. Another is the Esquire in Clifton, which runs independent movies you won’t see appearing at cinemas on the beaten path.

Somewhere Only You Know

This last solo stop depends on you. What place invokes special feelings in you? It could be a certain store, like Audrey Hepburn in “Breakfast at Tiffany’s,” who went to the auspicious jewelry store to chase away the “mean reds,” or it could be something as simple as a park bench or a hole-in-the-wall restaurant. Because this place is probably only significant to you alone (others might not get its charm), feel free to squander your “me” time at this mystery place. Bring a book, a picnic basket or simply sit and people watch. (You can jot down hilarious details to share with your friends later.)