300 Dates

February 22, 2009 by Editor At Large
Filed under Advice, Dating, Entertaining, Family, Lifestyles, Relationships

How many coffee dates can someone have in a week, really?

With all of the morning, noon and & afternoon coffee introductions, I’m sure my friends can get a caffeine buzz just standing next to me! Between that and happy hour, I’m not so sure I know whether I am coming or going. I got to thinking the other night about what it is I really learn from these introductions. I mean, aside from the obligatory, “I was born in (insert city, state), I went to (insert school) and love to (insert hobby),” I want to know if the guy can handle himself on the fly. I was reading a great book 300 Creative Date Ideas and was inspired!

What happens when the unexpected happens? I want a date like that, a date where I can see this guy’s true colors. So, I decided to put the next poor guy to the test.

After a few back and forth Match mails, I wasn’t going to bite on Cafe Laddro this time. I got assertive. Yep, I went for it and suggested he come up with ANYTHING but coffee or drinks. Well, to be completely honest, the response was not what I had anticipated. The guy was completely flustered. It did however, open the door to some interesting conversation because we got talking about the most interesting dates either of us had been on just to get the creative juices flowing. Of course I didn’t want to get trapped on a canoe or anything with a guy I had never met before but going wine tasting could be fun and an interesting spin on the whole happy hour thing. I’m really watching my calories but when he suggested going to Beeche’s Cheese at Pike Place Market, I had to admit that told me a lot about the guy. This guy cares about cheese and not just any old cheese but the kind with the peppercorns in it. Neat I thought! It made me wonder if he read this great e-book that I just finished .

Aside from feeling a little pushy in asking for a different kind of date, this could really work! So I want to share with you a few of the book 300 Dates that I just read about. You can learn a whole lot more about a person in a real life situation as opposed to just the telling of our stories. Below are some of the ideas and I would love to hear any others that have worked for you!

Wine Tasting
Perfume Shopping (and cologne) : scent is a wonderful way to connect!
News article or book sharing; the date is structured around your perspective on a shared reading
Chess, Checkers, Scrabble; 1 game at a park or at coffee
Rock Climbing Introduction Class or any activity where the man can be in the position of catching or directing you! A Self Defense class might also work!
Trivia Night
Dog Walk and/or picnic
In cities where they have them – a ferry boat ride
A short hike with a beautiful lookout
Saturday Market shopping
A bike ride