On Your Own Guide
I. Brief:
HELLO WORLD........................ So what do you do when all of your friends are busy and you have a night to yourself? The possibilities are endless in the Bloomington/Normal area. The town has so much to offer to fill your night with activities you feel like doing either at home or not. Don’t be shy and boring, get out or stay home and do something cool! This guide has all you need to have a fun, productive, or relaxing night by yourself!
Fun.. at Home:
Why not try to have some fun at home if you have whole night alone?
Movie Rental If you don’t like going to movies by yourself why not rent one and watch it in the comfort of your own home?!
There are 3 Family Video locations in Bloomington-Normal. They are located on Airport Road, Clinton Street, and Cottage. Their prices are lower than Blockbuster’s, however the selection is limited.
There are 2 Blockbuster locations in Bloomington-Normal. They are located on College Avenue and Oakland. Their prices are a little higher than Family Video’s however, they have a better selection. At Blockbuster when you rent 4 movies, you get the 5th one free.
The Movie Fan is located on North Street in Uptown Normal. It is very popular among college students because it is located in the middle of ISU’s campus. The store carries a lot of rare films at reasonable prices.
-from Guide to Cheap Movie Watching
Another great movie option is Netflix. You can have movies delivered to your house via mail or get the super cheap rate from your XBOX, Playstation 3, or Wii consoles.
Gaming
Having a gaming console such as XBOX or PS3 can easily kill hours of time if you enjoy video games. Many games have many different game modes like a campaign, and online playing which are fun to play either by yourself or with other online friends. If you want to be super cool you can even buy a microphone for your console and talk to others!
Dating
Maybe the reason you have a night alone is due to the lack of a significant other. Why not try to find someone to do activities with?!?!
Check out these sites and search to find your own! http://bloomington.friendsearch.com/dating/illinois.htm http://www.eharmony.com/ http://bloomington.date.com/dating/illinois.htm
YouTube
It's a fact that http://www.youtube.com/ is one of the ultimate tools when you have nothing to do. Youtube has endless videos online of almost whatever you want to watch. Personally I look for really funny or extreme things to watch and it always kills time for me.
Youtube is also a fantastic place to look for new music. New tracks from artists usually leak and you can find and hear them on there before anyone else!
Learn
Not everyone finds learning fun, but learning can take up time and that's a fact. Plus who doesn't (WANT?) to become a little smarter?! You can watch an informational movie or TV show on Animal Planet, Discovery Channel, History Channel etc. You can start learning an instrument like guitar for example. Or you can even learn a neat card trick to show your friends! That'd be super fun and cool!!!!!!!
Fun.. Not at Home:
There are many fun things to do in Bloomington outside your home as well!
Movie Theatres
Check out these great theatres in the area to go see the latest movies on the big screen. Click Movie Theaters
Bloomington-Normal has four movie theaters. 1.Starplex on McKnight Drive, 2.Galaxy on Wylie Drive, 3.Palace on Detroit Avenue, and 4.The Normal Theater in Uptown Normal. Going to the movies probably isn't the most fun thing to do by yourself but there are things you can do to be sneaky!
You can bring in your own food in your pockets/purse to save money, and I mean a lot of money. You can get a bottle of Coke from the gas station for a dollar or buy one at a movie theater for 3 or 4 dollars, hmmmmmmm..
Wearing a coat or sweatshirt with a hood is always a good way to hide your identity, combine that with sitting in the back or a corner and you're just some random-lone-movie-goer!
Plato's Closet
Plato's, located at 1407 North Veterans Parkway-(309) 662-9844, is a great place to go and sell your unwanted clothes, shoes, accessories, etc. Before you go to Plato's, you must go through your own clothes/stuff and pick out things that you no longer want that are still in style and in decent condition. Unfortunately they are under the impression that American Eagle/Aeropostle/Hollister are in style so they take more of that stuff than anything. Then you take them in and wait for them to sort them. You can also look around at the overwhelming amount of stuff they already have. Its an easy way to waste time and even make some money!
Bars
If you’re of age, go out to a bar and have a drink! Though going out by yourself isn’t always the most fun thing to do, you can always try to meet new people and maybe watch a game on TV.
List of bars - Alcohol
Coffee Places
Going out and enjoying a nice cup of coffee or brew can be both fun and relaxing anytime of the day!
List of cafes - Cafes
Workout
Getting an exercise is a great way to spend time and get in shape. Also, exercising usually makes people feel better!
List of gyms - Gyms
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Work
If you have a lot to do, or just want to get things done, a night alone can be a very productive period of time if used wisely.
Job
A free night is always a good time to catch up on work for your job, that is if you can work from home..
Project
School project? Need I say more?
School Work
Homework can be conquered in large quantities if you work hard on it over time. A whole night can make all of your homework disappear.
School work can be done in the comfort of your own home, or you can always go to your local library or school library/study area to do it.
Clean
Cleaning can be both productive and even fun. Face it, most things can always be a little cleaner, including houses, dorms, apartments, and cars. A night of cleaning can make a huge difference in your home or driving experience. Personally I’d rather drive and live in clean cars and houses!
Rearrange a room
I don’t know about you but I tend to rearrange my room when I'm bored. Changing up the layout of a room usually results in cleaning it too, but that’s a good thing! Changing it up also uses up a great amount of time and adds a new look!
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Relax
A night alone is a perfect opportunity to catch up on your relaxation!
Massage
Why not? Ive heard good things about the Fox and Hounds place. Fox and Hounds
There are various other spas and massage places that can be found on this wiki
Coffee place
Go relax at a local coffee place for a nice friendly and calm environment and good drinks!
Walk
Going on a walk is a great way to both exercise and clear your mind not to mention enjoy some alone time. Now I wouldn’t recommend going on a walk in sketchy neighborhoods, don’t be reckless. But there are good places to walk in Bloomington Normal.
Read
Reading is something that more people need to do. Its relaxing and good for your mind. Barnes and Nobel is a great place to go to either read or buy a book to bring home and enjoy!
Barnes and Nobel is located at Bloomington Commons 1701 E Empire, (309) 662-1506
Smoker’s Den
Are you a smoker? Then go to the Smoker’s Den! The Den is a cool shop to go to and look at all the merchandise. You can also order one of their many flavors of tobacco in a hookah and have it prepared for you.
