Going to, well, pretty much anything, alone used to give me major anxiety. In a time when I really cared what people thought of me, leaving myself vulnerable and solo felt pretty unachievable. But after coming to the very important realizations that a) I don’t care nearly as much as I used to about what other humans think of me, and b) other humans have too much of their own shit going on to spend much of their time thinking about me, a whole new world of comfort opened up.
There’s quite a slew of activities one can tackle solo, leading all the way up to taking your first solo vacation. But today, I’m here to share the details of a pretty simple solo date idea you can conquer right here in Philly (and for way less than you may be thinking!).
We Philadelphians are pretty #blessed to have so many great theatre options in our city. It always sort of amazes me that I can walk a few blocks and be taking in anything from the ballet to a local theatre production. Turns out, the threatre is pretty perfect solo date material: you go in, grab your seat, check out the playbill, watch the show, use the restroom or get a drink at intermission, finish watching the show, and you’re off! It’s a very low pressure environment to start yourself off on some solo adventures.
So, if you decided you really wanted to go to a show alone, of course you could just buy your ticket in advance. But, if you’re a solo lady on a budget, you must learn about the beauty that is: the rush ticket.
What are rush tickets, you may ask? To put it simply: they are unsold, deeply discounted tickets available only on the same day as the performance. The only theatres I’ve tried for rush tickets at are the Kimmel Center (300 South Broad Street) and the Academy of Music (240 South Broad Street). To score these gems of tickets, you must arrive at the threatre two hours before the performance (Kimmel Center provides all the details here). Depending on the show, you may be waiting in a line, so if it’s a popular one, I’d advise getting there ~30 minutes before the two hour window. Tickets are cash only and can only be sold at the box office, so you better get yourself to that line!
And guess what? Being a party of one is fabulous for this sort of activity, because, BETTER SEATS! I once stood in line behind a couple who, when asking for two tickets to the play Once, were given the options of obstructed view or tippy top level in order to sit together, while I got 3rd row balcony, center, just for being solo. At another show (Disney in Concert, put on by the Philly Pops), the audience was more families (I really have no shame), so I was able to score a ~10th row, center seat for less than $30. It was quite a joyous Saturday afternoon for me.
I usually find out about rush tickets through the Kimmel Center’s social media, but if you know there’s something you want to see, make sure to write the dates in your planner and check the website the week of to see if rush tickets will be available. I hope this post encouraged you to take the leap into solo dates, and if it did, make sure to report back and let me know how it went for you! xx
