Friend has cancelled our trip with 4 hours notice

[pippy002]

We have booked and paid to go to London for a concert tomorrow night.
Leaving at 6.30 pm tonight
She rang a hour ago saying she was ill with sickness bug and can't go.
It's too late to find anyone else to go.
So I'm loosing out on £90 train
£150 hotel and £79 concert ticket :-(
Do I go alone?
I know I won't enjoy it alone tho
Tomorrow was meant to be shopping then concert ..coming home on Saturday
Gutted

For a show I'd just go alone. There are so many people in London who see shows solo so you'll blend right in. Also, if you're worried about eating alone or anything there are lots of business travellers in London eating by themselves so nobody bats an eye about that either. I'm often one of them!

For navigating London just download City Mapper or get Ubers.

These things happen, it doesn't need to be a crappy experience, just take a deep breath and enjoy it! You'll be proud of yourself after and it'll give you the confidence to do more stuff by yourself.

Get your google maps downloaded and put the Mumsnet app on your phone. There's always someone on here to talk you out of any little fixes you get yourself into.
If you do this (and Wicked is FAB) you will be SO proud of yourself on Saturday evening.
I'm up in my 50s now, and I was very pleased to get to the stage in life when Being On My Own no longer mattered. Nobody knows my story and they won't know yours - for all they know you could be meeting 20 friends in half an hour.

I'm staying at Henry v11 hotel
Leinster gardens (near Queensway tube and Bayswater tube.

There's something interesting about two of the houses in Leinster Gardens. You might like to see if you can spot what it is. Rivers of London fans will know what I'm talking about.

Incidentally, any London lovers who don't know the 'Rivers of London' series by Ben Aaronovitch, I highly recommend it.

Go on your own OP. I'm in the NW, and I love going on my own to London. It's the only way to do it. Love shopping on my own. Just be aware of your surroundings, personal safety.

Not that I'm ageist, but I'm 62 if that makes you feel better. Does wonders for your confidence. I always find someone who likes a brief chat, even on the tube. My Dd thinks I should be locked up.

Get the tube - central line - from Queensway to Oxford Street to go shopping on Regent Street (avoid Oxford Street itself, that would cause anxiety in the hardiest of tourists!)

Op I'm assuming you paid for the hotel and train/concert tickets as a gift for your friend? (Your op doesn't mention anything about asking friend for money)...

So if it IS a gift, the you would still be down the same amount of money if the friend went or stayed home,

Your friend obviously isn't doesn't this deliberately, sickness bugs are nasty and can come on quickly, that last place she needs to be is at a concert or on a crowded train...she does right to stay home so she can rest and get better quicker,

Ask around friends and relatives and work colleagues and neighbours and see if anybody wants to go..

Op you sound more bothered about how this is affecting you (the cost, and you wanted to go shopping) than how your poor unwell friend is feeling

Sell your ticket on stub hub if you are not going - its specifically for late notice tickets

You might be able to sell the ticket at the theatre if people are clamouring for tickets. If you have your friend's train ticket you can get a refund. I don't know about the hotel, depends on the booking but they do have last minute cancellations for which they can arrange something.

Go and have a lovely time! Who knows, something really interesting might happen as you're on your own.

I’d go alone but I think all the shrieks of how lucky op is are a bit misguided.

*doing this... not doesn't this

Definitely go! I live in London, it's not at all scary especially somewhere like Bayswater which is very well to do. If you'e unsure just ask a member of staff at a tube station / someone in a cafe. It will be fine. I'm guessing your friend has already paid for her own ticket so it's not like you need to worry about recouping the money for it.

There are lots of cool places you could eat alone at the bar (Barrafina, Bocca di Lupo to name a couple) and be very inconspicuous, plus think of the peace! I have a 1 and a 4 year old and it sounds like actual bliss, I haven't had an uninterrupted night's sleep in forever.

The meetup is a great idea!

If I liked musicals, I'd be up for it, and I'd happily throw a sickie tomorrow to see the sights with you, OP (even though I live in London for 36 years and have seen them all at least once, there are some that bear visiting over and over again).

I worry about stupid things like if I was ill at the hotel alone and then how would I get home.
My bag is packed anyway so I'm going to have a cuppa n let you know
Il keep you up to date
Thanks for chatting to me

Op I'm assuming you paid for the hotel and train/concert tickets as a gift for your friend? (Your op doesn't mention anything about asking friend for money)...

I assumed op was talking about losing her own share if she wasn't going to go by herself.

Victoria Station (the main train station) has loads of shops and there are some fast food type restaurants up the small escalators too behind where the train information screen is, if you want to eat somewhere more casual before the show.
Otherwise if you are feeling a bit braver, there is a lovely trendy pedestrian only food area called Nova, couple of minutes from where Wicked is on where all the restaurants have tables outside.
You just use your credit or debit card instead of a ticket on the Tube now, you'll see where to tap it on the Contactless yellow things to open the barriers. Make sure you use the same card for each journey as it records the start and end to calculate the fare. Don't buy a cash ticket from the machine it's much dearer.

Definitely go! You could use Google Street View to familiarise yourself with the locations and plan how to get around.

A few years ago I made a conscious decision not to agree to go anywhere or do anything unless I’m prepared to do it alone. Illness is prevalent and so is flakiness, so I assume I’ll be on my tod, and then there’s nothing to worry about when the inevitable cancellation text comes in.

Go, I saw Wicked last weekend and it's a great show. You will be fine, just plan out your route to the theatre and back to the hotel (theatre is literally right by the tube station). Also London at that time of night in the busy areas isn't scary. When you are there you won't even miss your friend 😊

Hi OP I really hope you get to go and enjoy it! It's so disappointing when plans go wrong or people let you down (believe me I know this just happened to me today - different experience but still!) But....you never know who you will meet/chat to. I went to a festival last summer the weekend after I split with my long time (20years) partner. So just me and DD went as it had been planned. I bumped into someone I knew (but they were too snobby and I didn't tell them my situation as it was very raw and I didn't feel like it) Anyway, another lovely woman behind me with her daughter and I got chatting and I spent the rest of the evening enjoying the concert with her. We were both a similar age and had a real love of the music and had a great time. So go with an open mind and don't think everyone else is with a partner or someone because they are not in my experience xx

Definitely go on your own even if it's out of your comfort zone. You will probably surprise yourself and enjoy it.

@pippy002 - I PMed you 🙂 x

A bit late to the conversation, but I do hope you come to London! Yes, it's the unknown. But most people are kind and helpful. I was recently on crutches, and decided to make my way home on the tube rather than by Uber, as I was beginning to get a bit more confident on them. Until I came to the top of the escalator and realised that I had to step onto them on my crutches... I stood there like a lemon, gazing at the escalator, knowing that I could do it, but just plucking up the courage - and a really sweet couple spotted me, one held my crutches, the other took my arm (which was all that was needed), and they completely supported me all the way down. Yes, everyday rudeness and impatience is common, but nice stuff that restores your faith in human nature happens in London far more often than anything else, in my experience.

@MrsFezziwig

Why do words fail you? My post said the same as yours. The bit you quoted was referring to the OP's disappointment at being let down last minute.

I'd totally go on my own.

If you’re ill at the hotel they will have a doctor contact who can help you (have needed this for kids before).

Or just post on this thread - someone here will know how to help you.

I spend a lot of time in London on my own for work and just last night I went to see a show by myself (Motown the musical - well worth seeing for anyone interested) so I urge you to go regardless of your friends illness. Nobody looked at me strangely or probably even noticed I was there solo (other than the people say either side of me who were LOVELY and I ended up chatting to briefly (Canadian, very friendly!))

The more time I spend on London the less arsed I am about being on my own there, yes of course things would be more enjoyable if DH were there or even the kids as there is so much cool stuff I see that I’d like to share with them but still, London is an ace place to be solo.