Going out in the evening

We try to go out to a different restaurant once a month and mostly enjoy the experience. But my favourite is facing the Marina and our winter's are very mild, but we made the mistake of booking Christmas day lunch there with two of our Swedish friends who were looking forward to a British Christmas meal.
OMG it was awful, it tasted stale, obviously cooked pre Christmas day, and when I asked our waiter he confirmed that it had been prepared three days before.
We went home embarrassed for our friends and have boycotted it ever since.
I think if we experienced the British winter's we wouldn't bother going out.
Going for a stroll on the beach this afternoon with the dog and then maybe a coffee and cake. Bliss.

I was never one for pubs and clubs when I was younger, but I do like to have an occasional night out with The Wonderful Man. We go as a couple to the cinema or for a meal in a very nice local hotel or with wider family to good restaurants. Because TWM works away a lot I occasionally accompany him (at our own expense) on his trips and we enjoy taking an evening stroll to find a decent eatery in the evenings. Other than that I go for a monthly meal locally with the WI and have half a dozen work related evening meetings.

My night vision isn't good (hasn't been since my 40s, I'm only 62) so I avoid driving at night, even walking in poorly lit areas is difficult. Like many others I usually go out during the day, sometimes just for coffee, sometimes for a meal.

I love curling up in front of the TV in the Winter. I'm not lonely & very much enjoy my own company. I have lovely neighbours who I can chat to if I want. Sometimes my neighbour texts me or I text her. I speak to DM every few days as she lives 300 miles from me. She no longer drives but goes out quite a lot in the evening as friends give her a lift.

I was a real night owl in my teens & 20s until my DD was born. I worked part-time as a Barmaid when she was small, Lunchtimes & Evenings, very social.

I wonder if technology is yet at the stage where we could all be in a video chat with our own dinners cooked and eat at our computer table and pretend we're out at dinner together. Maybe 4-6 people at a time.

If I come home from work on a Friday night, I sometimes really can't be bothered to start cooking, so I'll suggest we go out for a meal. We live in a very small, civilised town, and rarely is a restaurant overfull or noisy.

I do regret the trend however to cold bare floors and no tablecloths. Obviously it's more hygenic, but it does increase the noisiness, and reduce the atmosphere.

I love going out to eat ,finding new retaurants is a joy.Unfortunately my OH always says he could have eaten better at home ,which is fine for him but I get fed up eating my own cooking .We've only eaten out a couple of times this year at lunchtime in an attempt to appease me I think but he had a friend eating in the same restaurant and commented to him that I do a better version of the moussaka....his friend agreed .I cant win

We'll often have lunch out, but don't much like going out for dinner when it's cold and dark outside!
The effort of getting 'tarted up' for an evening out is just too much during the winter months, I'd much rather be in my PJs!

Talking of age-related hearing loss and noisy places, it's got much worse for us with the modern trend of stripping out carpets and comfy banquettes and going for wooden floors, chairs, and bare windows - and opening up the whole floor instead of having public bar, saloon bar, etc compartmentalised. The sound of chairs scraping and glasses being washed carries all over, and everyone speaks louder to be heard over the top. I feel more deaf after leaving one of these places than I did when I walked in.

Lily I think they call that 'Date Night'. Sounds lovely

Going out for the odd meal for birthdays and suchlike is still a pleasure, especially as my son doesn't drink and taxi's us there and back. However, the food is often nondescript and not as good as we can make at home and the wine is always expensive.

We eat very simply in the week and, at the weekends, make an effort. We have (cheap) Champagne and nice red wine and I cook something special which we have in the dining room on nice napery. We dress up for it and feel like kings.

I think some of the above posts explain why there is so much loneliness among older people. What are you afraid of?
I am in my early seventies and go out regularly during the winter to evening classes and meetings, as well as social events.
It is the summer which drives me up the wall, when everything stops.

It is an age thing. We always choose to have meals out, theatre, cinema etc. during the day even in summer. Bonus is that usually it is cheaper too.

DH and I love going out in the evenings still, once a week/once a fortnight in general, either to the cinema or for a meal. This week we went to the cinema on Saturday night and met our son in central London for a meal on Wednesday evening.
We live rurally at present but we're Londoners at heart and love the bright lights of the big city, especially at this time of year when it's pitch black and deadly quiet in our village in the evenings.
We are retired but still busy during the day and we generally have more free time at weekends and some evenings.
And I most definitely am going to keep on driving at night for as long as physically possible. It might be a little more difficult but I refuse to limit myself by giving things up until absolutely necessary (i.e. the GP tells me not to drive.) Life's too short.

I hate going out at night in the winter and try to get home by 4 pm. I meet up with ex colleagues for lunch once a month. Go to a lunch club at the school I used to work in's Church. Went to a concert last Saturday lunch first and concert 2.30 pm then straight home.

Ex colleagues have tried to persuade me to join their WI its only every two weeks but I hate leaving the dog on his own.

wot .You have just described my ideal winter evening.
When younger nothing would have stopped me from a night out.

Wish I could stay awake long enough to go out in the evenings. Tablets I take to keep my legs working make me drowsy. Can just see someone pulling me out of my dinner while I doze away Lol!!

Enjoy it more when you get the lighter nights. We often do birthdays and anniversaries with d and gd, but usually in the lunchtime.

I belong to my local U3A which of course meett during the day except for the theatre group. I sort of enjoy it once I get there so can just about force myself if it is still light, but if it is dark and/or wet I end up crying off. The group leader often finds someone to take my ticket, if not I just lose the money of course as it is my own fault entirely for being talked into saying I’ll go. I did not even go to the belated Christmas dinner of the small company that I work for one day a week although it was a local venue. (I did say in advance that I would not go).
Leave me to my book and tv - I have so many programmes recorded I have to keep finding things to delete in order to record new ones. Some of the series are over a year old and I have found them recorded twice because they have been repeated!

I absolutely agree... one of the best things about being retired is the chance to see friends during the day.

We can still have six or seven hours of sitting around eating ,drinking and chatting... but since these lunches start at noon, everybody gets home at a reasonable hour and nobody falls asleep at the table.

I don't like the dark evenings much, but since my husband passed away, I would give anything to go out with him like we used to.

I’m not really much of a social animal and rarely go out after dark but I do like to go out occasionally just to remind myself that the world isn’t entirely populated with people my age or older. It’s nice to be amongst people who would normally be working when I’m out and about during the day. I’ve been to day time U3A and WI meetings so the membership are the older end of the scale. I’m 60 so I’m not a pensioner myself but getting close. Sometimes I just need to relate to a different group of peers even if it’s just sitting in a restaurant with strangers. Does that sound odd?

There is nothing really to entice me out, except possibly food. I can get a takeaway though.

I used to enjoy getting ready and then go out for a meal whatever the time of year. Now, on cold winter nights I much prefer staying in by the fireside at night. Having said that, we did go out last night for a meal and thoroughly enjoyed it, but it's making the effort that's hard when you are warm and cosy, isn't it? Now Summer evenings, that's a different kettle of fish!?

Me too everyone! I'm one of life's larks. Happy to be up and about early but can out of steam by evening.
I don't see well in the dark so driving at night is an issue.
I love lunches out that run on into the afternoon. I've got some evening talks to do which I usually enjoy once I get there but I much prefer talking to groups which meet during the day.

We do go to the theatre and often a meal before. We occasionally go out for a meal of an evening. There is the occasionally invite to friends homes. But oh how I miss those summer evenings!