Free Time
Unattached (and lovin’ it) in the Triangle
What’s a single gal to do?
Plenty!
Singles in the Triangle are fun, frolicsome, fabulous and above all, free.
Whether they go out, stay in or gather with girlfriends, the area’s unattached women don’t bother with meet markets and hope chests. They’re too busy having a good time!
Recently, we asked locals what they liked to do as singles, and here are their answers:
Brenda
43
Divorced
Account executive
It all boils down to one category: whatever I want, whenever I want.
Freedom is a nice thing. I bought my own house.
It makes me feel very proud, and there is no compromise. You get to do whatever you want without getting someone else’s opinion first.
My weekends always combine my own personal interests and spending time with my son.
Traveling is a passion. (I am taking my family to Hawaii in June.)
Being single, it’s important to have a strong social circle, so being able to meet with friends without any other distractions is great.
Usually my weekend is filled with a combination of relaxing at home, unwinding after a long week, spending time with my son, or going to the Glenwood South area to hear live music and go dancing.
Carla
35
Separated
Hairdresser
Everything I do is exciting! I don’t like being bored.
I love to go dancing with friends and meet new people.
Moving into my new house recently was exciting. I love being on my own.
I enjoy hanging out with the girls, working at the salon.
Friday nights I spend with my kids; I have three.
Saturday nights I usually spend with my friends. We sometimes go out to eat and do different things together.
Our favorite thing to do together is shop.
Michelle
Undisclosed
Divorced
Biotech manager
My favorite thing to do around here is go to the Carolina Theater and see good, independent films.
Tonight, I’m going to a party for the Documentary Film Festival with my friends.
When I’m not being fabulously lazy, I like to take ballet classes.
During the summer, the American Dance Festival has really great companies and brings in wonderful new stuff.
For me, the most exciting thing to do in North Carolina is to read Faulkner. Here, I’m exposed to reading his work with some level of understanding.
I read everything. Depending on my mood, I go for months and months consuming everything in a particular area, for example history.
I maybe see a footnote and know nothing about the subject, so I go off and learn that.
Sunday mornings, I just have brunch whenever, make a stab at the dirty dishes, and then my friends and I have a tradition that started with “Sex and the City.” We get together and watch T.V.
Lourdes
47
Widow
Hairdresser
I’m working all the time, so I don’t have much time for exciting things.
My favorite things are shopping, tanning, walking and talking to people. I talk a lot.
I go to hair shows once or twice a year in Raleigh. I like seeing new stuff and new ideas.
If I’m not working, I like to spend time with my son and grandchild.
Mary Anne
47
Divorced
Nursing school graduate student
Honestly, the most exciting thing I’ve done here is go to graduate school.
It’s new ideas, and meeting other professionals in the health-care industry, and having intelligent conversations.
I visit Duke Gardens, and go to sporting events, especially football or baseball (UNC & Durham Bulls) games, and watch ACC basketball.
I was an undergrad at the University of Virginia; I’m in grad school at UNC now; and my daughter goes to Virginia Tech, so I have lots of teams to root for.
Recently, I went to the Rockingham Busch Series Race, my first live NASCAR race.
Now that it’s nice out, I do a lot of things outside, such as walking, biking and eating on the patio.
Or, I play racquetball with friends or with my kids.
Chia-Lin
26
Single
Graduate student
During my free time, I like to go hiking by the Eno River with friends. (I almost always go with friends because I have a very bad sense of direction.)
Hiking gives me more freedom to talk about all of the topics I want to discuss.
A while ago, I went to a Bon Jovi concert in Raleigh with my girlfriends.
It was so exciting because we could totally go wild together and afterward we could talk about the concert for the whole week.
If I am not too tired after work and studying on the weekends, I go out to dinner and movies with my girlfriends.
Or, I rent a video or DVD and enjoy myself at home. It depends on my mood.
But it’s all more or less relaxing. I also do my laundry!
Amy
23
Single
Law school student
I’m not really a party girl. I just really like a nice, mellow time with friends and I think that’s conducive to food or a piece of pie.
We go out to eat and see a movie — pretty standard.
I like the lovely, little Italian restaurant in Woodcroft Shopping Center and the coffee shops on Ninth Street.
Another regular thing for me to do is to go to art galleries.
Recently, I went to a dance that Duke put on at the Durham Arts Council downtown.
The art was really fantastic. It gave me a chance to see areas of Durham I hadn’t gotten to explore.
All the used bookstores are exciting. I particularly like the Book Exchange and a couple on Ninth Street.
On weekends, I go out of town a lot to visit friends in Arizona, Chicago or Virginia.
Kimbular
31
Divorced
Janitorial-company manager
My whole philosophy is if I don’t try it, then I don’t know if I like it.
Just recently, my mom and I went to a concert — Yanni, who’s an alternative music man. It was so great!
We love to hang out; she is my best friend.
The concert was something different, and I love doing new things.
I like to go to the movies, especially drive-ins, and out to dinner and hang out with the girls.
My girlfriends are a mixture of married and single. We go to fine-dining restaurants, such as Another Thyme, but I also like barbecue.
And I go to the bars — I love Devine’s; it’s nice and cozy. You can take your friends, it’s a safe environment, and new people always come in.
Caitlyn
26
Single
Baker
I have two jobs and two kids and two classes in school, so I don’t have enough time or energy to cook every night.
I go out to eat a lot. I like La Villita for the atmosphere, It’s authentic, and there are not a lot of authentic Mexican restaurants around here.
When I do cook at home, I like to make extravagant meals. I’m just not a frozen-meal kind of person.
Also, I like to go to concerts because it’s fun to have a break from my kids sometimes.
A typical Friday or Saturday night is usually spent at home with my kids. I work at 5:30 a.m., so that way I can be awake with them in the evening.
Sandra
49
Divorced
Rare-book collections assistant
I spend a lot of time with my girlfriends.
We go out to dinner once a month and get together to watch movies for Chick Flick Night.
We’ve all been friends about 20 years.
A co-worker and I have been taking ice-skating lessons at the Triangle Sportsplex for about a month.
I’m taking a drawing class, too.
If I’m not out with friends, I go jogging, read, watch TV, or practice my skating or drawing.
My dog gets special outings to the park or the Botanical Gardens, places where we can be free.
Elena
36
Divorced
Marketing coordinator
I love Hurricanes games.
Recently, I went to the East Conference Hockey Playoffs. Eighteen-thousand people were all screaming and excited.
Everyone was one voice, and you couldn’t sit down. It just kept building momentum and intensity.
Also, I like to go to plays at Manbites Dog Theater in Durham and to see bands, such as Django Haskins, at places like The Cave and Go!.
Then there’s the Drive-In on Claude Boulevard. It has flea markets during the day.
Lenora
Undisclosed
Widow
Anthropologist
I enjoy eating, shopping at Whole Foods, listening to music, enjoying the people I know. I could go on and on!
What I really like about women is the bonding, sisterhood, and support that women give each other.
I was director of a small museum of Jewish families, and we put on performances and showed them at the N.C. Museum of History in Raleigh.
It was exciting because we found an intense interest here from people who came to see the exhibit.
I spend my Friday evenings with an African drumming group. We meet in Durham.
I have a small wooden block that I play with a wooden rod to keep the rhythm.
We give performances, too, and wear African costumes.
During the day, I’m usually busy with Stories Work, an organization that helps survivors of domestic violence, rape and incest through storytelling.
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