This Side of Paradise

Other than an urge to visit Richmond for some retail therapy on a day when my friends in the area were working or rehearsing, my main reason for this experiment was my recent musings on the idea of travelling alone. I've been tempted for a few months to book a holiday just for myself, but after watching the slightly disturbing Sean Penn film 'Into the Wild' I questioned just how much fun it would be to see new places and experience new things without anyone to share it with. I know you're dying to hear how my day went, so here are my (extremely scientific) findings.

1. Shopping is (nearly) always best done alone.

Despite the Wildchild stereotype of running round charity shops having a great time trying on wacky outfits with your girlfriends in the form of a video montage, serious shoppers know that if you mean business and want to find what you really need, you have to ditch the friends and shop solo. More focus, less distraction from nattering about boys and no one to convince you that 'you look so hot!' in something that you know doesn't suit you and isn't worth the money. 

2. Sit in one place for long enough and someone will talk to you.

I was a sceptic on this one, but the romcoms are actually right for once. I had a lot of time to kill before my 8.30pm cinema showing and ended up sitting by the river listening to a busker. Within half an hour a blonde guy with a shiny bicycle asked me for a lighter. I didn't have one, but if I had, it could have been the start of a beautiful friendship. After another wander through the town I sat on a Richmond Green to do some reading for my degree (a rare occasion). And again, after around an hour of reading and sunbathing a really lovely guy started chatting to me about how much he likes Thomas Hardy - and he wasn't even pretending to like him because that's what I was reading, he knew more about my book than I did - and he left with my number. Unfortunately he lives in Cardiff but this officially proved that after all my years of watching 'You've Got Mail' and '500 Days of Summer', there is still hope for those of us waiting in a coffee shop with a book hoping an attractive male will strike up a conversation about it. 

3. Take a book.

Not just for the tube. See above. Stops you from looking like you're being stood up; gives you a purpose for sitting doing nothing on your own. 

4. Eating alone is not as bad as it sounds. 

This one really took some balls. I have never, ever walked into a restaurant and said the dreaded words, 'table for one please,' before, but in the name of science and the blogosphere, I made the leap. I chose Pizza Express because I know the menu inside out and wouldn't have to worry about the unfamiliarity of a confusing menu or different ordering system, like the first time you go to Nandos or GBK. The waiters were immediately lovely to me when I said I was eating alone, and didn't question it at all, which made me feel great and actually a little superior to the other diners with their noisy kids or friends. Ordering was much easier than usual without the distraction of pre-dinner chatter; I could focus on the menu and on what I actually felt like eating, but within a few minutes of sitting in silence I was feeling awkward, the other diners were giving me inquisitive stares and I found myself texting my friend to come and meet me for the cinema afterwards. Luckily for my blogging integrity she declined and I persevered, getting out my notebook so it looked like I had a purpose (this is the key to surviving solitude: reading a book, writing or sketching something makes you look a lot less lonely). I'm not sure if the waiters were so nice to me because they thought I was reviewing them or because I was on my own but regardless, I have never had such attentive service and I appreciated my food so much more because I could fully concentrate on the flavours and enjoy it without having to make conversation. It helped that my meal was divine; I had a 'Hugo' cocktail (prosecco, elderflower, lemon and mint), the new Emilia pizza which is goats cheese and mozzarella on a thin base with mushrooms, rocket, garlic oil and truffle oil, followed by cheesecake and Teapigs earl grey tea. As much as I was initially uncomfortable, I would definitely eat alone again and would recommend it to anyone who loves food as much as I do!