I’m visiting a non-shitty area of the US (or as non-shitty as the US gets) and I’m currently trying to figure out what things I’d want to do while going Outside™, now that I can actually go Outside™, and I’m having some trouble with that

there are game stores but based on the pics they seem to only sell board games and card games and no TTRPG stuff. also I couldn’t afford a new TTRPG book anyway lol they are expensive. I bet at best they only sell D&D and maybe Pathfinder

there are also touristy museums and maybe that’d be worthwhile to do but they seem pretty basic idk

I’ve always wanted to see what a queer bar is like and there are some in this area but I wouldn’t know what to do when I got there lol - I am terrified of talking to anyone. this might be worthwhile though just for the experience

there are arcades but none of them list what games they have so I don’t know how to tell if I’d want to play any of them without paying for the entry fee (or whatever business model they have)

there are also restaurants and bakeries but I don’t want my entire relationship to the outside world to be “eat food”, y’know? I’ve already tried a good number of these and it’s been fun but I want to do other stuff too

it seems like there are a million different things to do Outside™ but they’re all expensive and none of them sound particularly fun compared to what I can do on my computer idk. also 95% of them are aimed at basic white people lol

okay I think I’ve decided:

• I’m going to check out one of the game stores because a review says they have a decent TTRPG selection. maybe I can read some of the books and have conversations with my partner about TTRPG design. not spending $60+ on a book though lol fuck that
• I’ll go to a queer bar just to experience it and if I don’t have fun then I’ll leave

@kasdeya I don't know if you play pool at all, but if the bar has a pool table it is always nice to have an activity to break the ice and give you something to do. I will sometimes hold down a table playing left hand vs right until someone wants to join.

Most arcades don't have an entry fee and are pay per game, so you should be able to go for a walk though and explore if you wanted. There are some cool rhythm games out there, if you have headphones with a jack some cabinets let you plug those in for a better sound experience.

I'm always a big fan of walking around cities and exploring, even if you don't really do anything it is fun to get a sense of different vibes and see things. My advice is to walk around and check things out, if you don't like the vibe you can always walk out the door and go to the next place.

@kasdeya I'm glad that you're going out and checking out the local game store and queer bar. Those definitely are good choices.

I'd say for me. Visiting the local parks and museums are what interest me besides going out for food. Sometimes you just need to capture a good memory with the person you love. The sights at these places give plenty to share

Yeah, museums are a lil basic. I don't go to them just by myself. These kind of experiences are more on the company than the museum itself. Use them like an ice breaker

@kasdeya From your description I can definitely tell you are not visiting my area of the US.