Going out in the evening

I no longer like driving at night so am trying to persuade my girlfriends to have lunches together instead of dinners. I like having something to look forward to though. OH and I have started going out for a walk at about 7pm, once a week. We don't get changed or dress up, so it's not an 'ordeal'. It's dark and we do a circular route which takes in three pubs. It makes it more enjoyable stopping off in at least one of them for a G&T. But otherwise, no, I am happy if we have no plans for the evening.

Only Teacheranne mentioned all the clubs, lectures etc. that happen in the evening. Where I live there are always several every night on an amazing variety of subjects. And the local history group is packed almost every month, with at least eighty mostly elderly people. And there are committee meetings, dance classes, u3a, wea.

I am always grateful for all the members who turn out to the society I am involved in chairing. It is quite embarrassing to have a speaker travel for a distance and a
very small audience.

I don't like going out at night, since I retired, I especially hate driving at night. Yet I used to be out at night all the time when I was working.
DH and I prefer to go out into town by train for a leisurely lunch and back home for a cosy evening in.

I'm out most evenings summer and winter for rehearsals, meetings or meals and occasionally cinema or theatre visits. I don't like night driving either but fortunately a lot of meetings or social events are in the village so I can walk there and for rehearsals/meals out someone else generally drives (DH or friends). Occasionally I have to drive which I don't enjoy at night.
I'd be bored sitting in watching TV every night though the occasional night in is enjoyable.
I always enjoy meals out as I hate cooking! But sometimes on a free Saturday if we've been out a lot and the weather is bad we do have a takeaway in frontof the TV for a treat!

Snap MissA!

I can barely be bothered to go out during the day.

Oh my goodness I would go out every evening if I had the chance and the money! I have rarely been able to afford meals out so don't know much about restaurants. My DS's now treat me to theatre visits or similar a couple of times a year which I love, and we have been for some meals over the years!

I don't like driving in the dark but will do it if it means getting out of the house. My only regular weekly outing is my choir which I never miss. I even went two days after my cataract operation! I would worry more in snow and ice but it would have to be bad to stop me at all!

M0nica I used to love going for walks in the dark but am more worried about doing that on my own now though probably the risks are no greater. I am definitely a night owl and could 'dance all night' if I was given the chance. I would be the last to leave the party if ever I went to any.

As I have child care for DGC and almost daily taking to or picking up from clubs or activities I can't even do much in the daytime. Roll on the lighter nights when at least I can get out for a walk sometimes. My camera is full of sunsets and rising moons!!!

We are all getting/sounding old! Remember the nights when food hardly counted in an evening & it was all exciting and about the getting ready (what to wear/choosing make up & hairstyle) then going OUT to meet (hopefully) THE ONE?? Perhaps now we have (or had) him we’ve just become the old people ....

I love going out, even in the winter, maybe because I live on my own so don't have company at home. I go to various WI meetings several times a month, two book clubs each month and NWR discussions every two weeks. I also belong to a few dining clubs from an Internet group called Meetup and eat out with them at least once a week. Some weeks, after being out for three or four nights on the row, I do look forward to a night in!

I rarely go out in the evening. I agree about the cold and wet being offputting but my main issue is being on my own and not being able to drive. I will go somewhere quite near but do not feel safe at my local station and not happy to hang around at bus stops either.

The only time we are out past 7pm is when we go to the ballet (a few times a year). I then feel very ‘rock and roll’ as it may be 11.15pm when we get home. Admittedly, so prefer a matinee if I can get one! Remember how cool and genuinely rock and roll we once were? Like others, I like to be in my jarmers for Channel 4 News ?

It does seem that the older we get, the less we like evening trips to restaurants but actually, often, I don’t think the food is that great. I could cook better at home some of the time, although many younger people sadly may not be able to. I enjoy a summers evening meal out, or if on holiday but otherwise, in the winter, I stay tucked up indoors in the evening!

I'm the same as the rest of you, I really can't be bothered to go out in the evening. We used to meet up with friends in the evening every couple of months but our lack of interest has killed that off I'm afraid. I'd much rather go out for lunch and spend the evening at home.
Also my DH goes to bed very early, usually before 9.30 - he always wakes at 5 a.m so this is understandable.
If I go to stay with any of my children I'm happy to go out at night, making the most of my time with them - but even then we usually go out locally and are home reasonably early,

I would love to go out in the evenings but we live unfortunately near a main arterial road into central London although you wouldn't know it by all the green fields close by . It means however that going out after 4:30 pm entails sitting in traffic jams 5mins from the house to go in any direction.
We do it if we're invited out but if it'sjust we two it's just too much of a pain.

We work full time, from home, and come 6 ish when I could go out it's dark, cold and usually wet so why would I? I've barely left the house this month, although we usually go to choir one night per week. Longing for light (hopefully warm) nights, bbqs, friends round and yes a few meals out - 10 min walk to the station to get the train into the city centre.
We do enjoy it when we make the effort but it's too much effort this time of year!

Going out in the evening usually means putting on make up and getting dressed up. It has to be something special for me to do all that.
Like many, ICBA.
Oddly enough, I don't mind doing it in the daytime. Come the evenings, I'm just too tired.

When working DH & I were too tired to go out for the evening except at weekends. Now we're older and retired, it's great to go out for lunch, which I find is usually much better value than an evening meal. It's seasonal though - much easier to go out in the evening (to anything) in the lighter nights.

Mostly I agree with this. It takes effort to leave the house and get to a destination whether it be a theatre or a restaurant. I often find that going to a good concert is worth it but I go less and less these days.

We tend to go out in the daytime for a meal in fact we have just both met after being out in different places for a spot of lunch. Much better when someone else cooks it

As usual I am at odds with the majority here!
OH and I are both still working, me part - time , and there is nothing better than Friday teatime when we gather with the usual suspects at our local.
We all raise a glass to the end of an other week and all of us having survived it.... so far one is retired one tried it and returned to work some have no option and one is a long way off being far too young.
I love the social life, but ONLY on Fridays.

Venus (up-thread somewhere), so sorry for your loss. Your sad little post made me very grateful my DH is still with me and I shall appreciate him more. I hope you will feel happier when the light evenings come round again. Here are some flowers to cheer you up.

As for going out in the evenings, we play badminton one evening a week and are happy to turn out for that but in all honesty it is very pleasant just to put on comfortable clothes on dark evenings and eat dinner in front of the woodburner and the TV. Like others, we prefer to socialise in the day time now we are retired.

In the summer we love to rat out a lot both lunches and dinner but when it is cold and evenings darker I am no so keen to go out as much and sometimes open a bottle of wine and suggest a takeaway instead.

Would sooner go for a meal at lunchtime when it's quieter, cheaper and I've got ample time to digest it. Gone are the days of a late curry after the pubs closed!

I have always been a pretty good cook and find meals out a bit disappointing usually (my little granddaughter usually picks spag bol for her meal but says they are never as nice as my version ) I do miss going out with my late husband, we both loved Greek food and really enjoyed eating out at our favourite restaurant, sadly my three grandchildren are not keen on Greek food so we usually end up in a generic restaurant with pizza, spag bol and jacket potatoes (for my other granddaughter) on the menu!

Cannot go out without getting someone to sit with OH. He has dementia and can wander. So it is long dark evenings and nights indoors . Love summer when I can stay out in garden puttering till very late and husband would have to pass me to go wandering.