Top 10 spots for a great first date

By Carrie Caine
Collegian Staff
October 4, 2006

As the awkwardness of freshman year begins to wear off, and students settle into new routines and responsibilities, it’s not impossible for friends at La Salle to develop into something a little bit more. If you or someone you know has had this experience, you may be thinking, “Where is the perfect place to take someone on a first date?” Collegian reader, ask no more.

10. If by some miracle, your date loves video games more than you—Dave and Buster’s. Most women wish that the men in their lives would chill out with the Xbox for 10 minutes, but a rare and precious exception should be rewarded with a trip to the arcade capital of Philadelphia. Dave and Buster’s is a great time even for people who aren’t obsessed with video games, and pure magic for those who are. At the very least, when you trade in your tokens at the end of the night, you might be able to get a cheap glass that says “Dave and Buster’s Seattle,” so you and your date will always remember your special time together.

9. If you’d like to bring out the child in you—The Please Touch Museum. You may want to explain to your date ahead of time that this is a children’s museum and not one of your stipulations for dating, but the Please Touch Museum is a great time, especially if you have younger siblings on hand to enjoy the many different exhibits and activities available for children. Men, you must know by know that babies are the best ways to score dates.

8. If you or your woman are seafaring folk—The best Philadelphia can do in the bodies-of-water department is Penn’s Landing on the Delaware River. It’s no sparkling Atlantic Ocean, but the city lights and the honking horns from I-95 are sure to make any evening magical.

7. If you love to be whimsical and spontaneous—Ice cream shops are statistically the number-one place that women say they really get hooked on a guy. Researchers have found that because women associate ice cream with good memories and the people who get them ice cream with fun, ice cream is a scientifically proven way to secure a second date. Just kidding, I made that all up. Still, enjoying one of the many ice cream shops in Philadelphia and splitting a sundae is almost definitely a surefire way into a girl’s heart (unless she’s lactose intolerant).

6. If your date can bench press more than you, and you think that’s bad—The Rocky Statue. The return of Rocky to the steps of the Art Museum is cause for celebration, and the best way to celebrate athleticism on a first date might be to visit Rocky before stopping off at a game down at the Sports Complex. If you’re not in good shape, don’t even try to run up the steps. Most girls don’t like watching their dates huff, puff and collapse a half-hour into the date.

5. If you’re looking to impress that A-student who tutors you in math—The Rodin Museum. Sure, she may have mad math skills, but show off your art savvy by strolling around this romantic Parkway museum. It’s a good place to wander around and enjoy statues of thoughtful people, but make sure to study up on Rodin before you pretend to be an art expert and embarrass yourself in front of your lady.

4. If you’re dating someone taboo, like a boss or a second cousin—Forbidden Drive. Fairmount Park, in addition to providing Philadelphia with the open spaces and clean air that make our city so good looking, offers several different locations for first-daters. Forbidden Drive is a secluded area in the Wissahickon section of the park, not far from La Salle, that will offer you and your colleague the privacy you’ll need to keep your job.

3. If you like to commit quickly—LOVE Park. This famous Philadelphia landmark is a great place to watch the fountain water change color, to hold hands and gaze at city lights or to throw pieces of your street-vendor soft pretzel at some pigeons. Make sure you bring a camera to capture your date under the LOVE statue and looking like she can hold up the letters, and for remembering her shocked (and slightly uncomfortable) face when you drop a first-date L-bomb.

2. If you like to commit really quickly—The Art Museum Azalea Garden. When a man came into the bank where I worked over the summer and said he was buying an engagement ring, one of the tellers told him about this garden, apparently the perfect place to propose. If you’re looking to find a wife on your first date, then the azalea garden behind the Art Museum will pretty much seal the deal, but if you just want a nice place to walk around while the leaves on the trees turn colors, you’ll at least score a second date.

1. If you’re (insert celebrity name here)—City Hall. Getting married on a first date is a pretty rock star move, and you can be sure that you’ll make a memorable impression. Plenty of nearby locations will have cake for your reception, and the Broad Street Line is a good alternative to a limousine. If all goes well, enjoy your lifetime of happiness. However, if your date says “Are you kidding? Of course I don’t want to marry you—we’re on our first date!” be ready to laugh it off and take her to a movie

cainec1@lasalle.edu