First dates should almost always be simple affairs over drinks or tea. No dinners, no nights out on the town, no extravagant expenditures. You want to keep expectations at bay and create a comfortable zone of unzipped-lipped, nimble-tongued, playful jive. The two of you are reading each other like schematics to the bank vault and external logistics only gets in the way of those lingering looks and wily wordplay.
Second dates open up to more creative interpretation. If the first date has gone well, (but not so well that you closed the deal), the second date should amp the attraction with a mix of venues and locations that help build a foundation of shared experiences. You want to be in motion with her; give your bodies more room for expression and your senses more opportunities for stimulation. With that in mind, here are my reviews of some common Date 2 locations in DC.
Lincoln Memorial at Night
Cheesy, trite, and very effective. You don’t have to blow away your date with originality if the ambience is perfect as is. And the Lincoln Memorial, on the steps at midnight under a summer moon, shrouded in the glow of the reflecting pool, sets an unbeatable mood for encouraging closeness. After the early night drinks, surprise her with a car trip to the Lincoln. There’s plenty of parking nearby late at night.
Sculpture Garden Ice Skating
Unless your date can do triple sow cows and the Blades of Glory “crotch scissors”, skating with her means you’ll have plenty of chances to demonstrate your male protector role by holding her when she stumbles or letting her grab onto your arm for support as she struggles to find her balance. The crowd will always work in your favor; whether the rink is filled with canoodling couples that enhance the romantic mood or kids skating recklessly around you that provide an energetic boost and lots of humorous material, you can’t go wrong here. In the summer, there is an outdoor jazz festival at the sculpture garden. Drinks at the patio bar are overpriced.
Billiards or Darts
Playing pool with her means lots of good-natured teasing. Plus, most girls are not good at pool and will need you to show them how to properly hold the stick and shoot. You can only do this from behind. That is intimate body contact on the sly. The best places are small basement-level pool halls that double as dive bars. Bedrock Billiards and Kokopoolis come to mind. Stay away from auditorium sized pool halls, as they are too impersonal. Also, don’t bother with tiny bars that have only one pool table — what usually winds up happening is that other guys wait around to play next and you and your date get jostled all night by drunks trying to navigate the tight spaces between the table and the walls. Cautionary note: If your date is a shark (there seem to be an inordinate amount of DC girls who know how to shoot stick) then be sure not to let the ego-bruising show. Just tell her you let her win this time.
The Pleasure Palace
If your date is one of those freaky chicks you picked up at DC9, take her to this sex toy shop on Conn Ave in Dupont. Pretend to be walking down the street to a different location when you two just happened upon this dirty little place and oh, wow, wouldn’t it be cool to see what kinds of creepy things they sell in here! Once inside, act like you never saw this stuff before. [Examining glow in the dark clit tickler] “What the heck is this? Do you stir pasta with it??” Don’t loiter, it’ll start to seem skeevy. If she was really into it, take her across the street to the gay Lambda bookstore next to Kramerbooks for a good laugh. While browsing the educational material, ask her, “Do lesbians really do this?” This will smoke her out as a possible bisexual. Tailor your game accordingly.
lol @ #4.
“oops, we just happened upon this silly sex shop. Let’s take a look, shall we?”
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Shared experiences. Ambiguously intentional body contact. A little healthy competition. Some overt sexual references. The opportunity for a pint or three. Low-budget, casual atmosphere. More originality than cliche.
Roissy, I commend you. You’ve identified the perfect recipe for a great date. I’d go out with you a third time just reading this.
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you need to write Bang pt 2 – Roissy Style
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Wow. I’ve used all these ploys, except the ice skating. Let me tell you, as a chick, it doesn’t work so well.
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Sounds exactly like the first few dates I had with my boyfriend…but no glow in the dark clit ticker, how unfortunate. I also think you should write Bang part 2.
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I competely concur on most of the venues and I add the following:
Great Falls Park (MD side) on a summer weeknight. I think its open till sunset. If she is new to the area, you’ll dazzle her with your knowledge of the rock formations, dangerous currents, and species of herons.
Its almost empty on weekdays and the sunset near the overlook bridges is awesome.
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good places. ice-skating is great if the girl falls a lot, you can give her a lot of sympathy (or vice versa) and lead into the R&R segment of the date. so with the billiards, what if the girl can play, should she lose games out of fear of bruising his ego otherwise?
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“should she lose games out of fear of bruising his ego otherwise?”
if he is that ego-bruisable then her pity is the only thing he can expect from her.
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What’s great about low-key but pleasant date venues at the early phase of dating is that they help screen out women with impure intentions, and are good for gauging your mutual chemistry.
Too many guys are under pressure to “impress” the girl with expensive or overly elaborate dates. They have no idea how counterproductive that is. Expensive dates are for anniversaries, etc.
I’m married, but when I was single I always arranged a meeting at the DuPont Circle Starbuck’s for first dates. Within the first few minutes I knew if I want to pursue the girl further, and presumably she too quickly figured ourt her attraction level to me.
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