Afternoon · 8 ideas · easiest first
Bored, for no reason
Boredom with no cause needs novelty, not comfort. The usual bar and the usual show won't move it. What moves it is something slightly strange: a one-room museum about typewriters, a climbing wall, a planetarium on a Wednesday, a thrift crawl with a cap. The list goes from mildly odd to actually new. Pick the one you've never done.
A thrift store crawl with a $20 cap
Three stores, one afternoon, twenty dollars. The cap makes it a game instead of shopping.
- Best when
- Weekday afternoons, when the racks have just been restocked
- Cheaper
- Thrift chains run a half-off color tag each week. Ask which color.
- Skip it if
- You need to find something specific. Thrift is for finding what you didn't know you wanted.
- Bring
- A measuring tape if you're looking at furniture.
The small, strange museum
Every city has one: neon, typewriters, pinball, a dentist's collection. One room, one obsession, forty-five minutes.
- Best when
- Any afternoon it's open; hours are odd
- Cheaper
- Many are run by volunteers and are donation-based. Give $5.
- Skip it if
- You want a gift shop and a café. There is a card table.
- Bring
- Curiosity. The person at the desk knows everything.
A record store with a listening station
Flip through a crate, put something unknown on the headphones, buy it or don't. An hour disappears.
- Best when
- Weekday afternoons; new arrivals land on Fridays
- Cheaper
- The dollar bin is where the surprises are.
- Skip it if
- You don't own a turntable and won't admit it.
- Bring
- A name of one album you've been meaning to hear.
A planetarium show
Reclined seats, a dark dome, a calm voice explaining the sky. The best forty minutes of a hot afternoon.
- Best when
- Afternoon shows, any season; evening laser shows on weekends
- Cheaper
- Often included with science museum admission, which itself has a free day.
- Skip it if
- You fall asleep in dark rooms. You will.
- Bring
- A sweater. Domes are kept cold.
A bucket of balls at the driving range
Fifty balls, no scorecard, and the satisfying sound of one in ten going where you meant.
- Cost
- $10–15 a bucket
- Best when
- Weekday afternoons; many ranges are lit until 10 pm
- Cheaper
- A small bucket is enough. Club rental is usually a few dollars or free.
- Skip it if
- Your back is already a problem.
- Bring
- A glove if you have one. You don't need one.
A bouldering gym day pass
No ropes, no partner needed, padded floors, and ninety minutes where your brain is fully occupied with your hands.
- Cost
- $20–30 with shoe rental
- Best when
- Weekday afternoons or after 8 pm
- Cheaper
- Intro passes with a lesson are often cheaper than a plain day pass. Rental is sometimes free on a slow night.
- Skip it if
- Your hands are needed for something tomorrow. They'll hurt.
- Bring
- Athletic clothes and chalk if you have it. Shoes are rented.
An escape room
Sixty minutes locked in with five friends and a timer. You'll find out who panics.
- Cost
- $30–40 per person
- Best when
- Weekend evenings, booked a few days ahead
- Cheaper
- Weekday slots are often $5–10 cheaper. Full rooms of six cost less per person than a room of two.
- Skip it if
- Anyone in the group hates being told the answer.
- Bring
- The whole group, on time. They start without you.
A cooking class
Three hours, a shared stove, a menu you'd never attempt at home, and dinner at the end of it.
- Best when
- Friday or Saturday evenings; weeknights are cheaper
- Cheaper
- Community centers and grocery stores run classes at a third of the price of culinary studios.
- Skip it if
- You wanted a quiet dinner. You'll be chopping onions with strangers.
- Bring
- An appetite and a container for leftovers.