Two humans meet, maybe on Tinder or at the Whole Foods salad bar or by way of an introduction from a friend. They make plans to go out together. They ask background-type questions, share appetizers, touch each other probingly to see if the reaction is positive or negative. They’re wondering, Will I sleep with this person, have children and enter into a contract to become lifelong companions?
Dating is pretty weird, man. Especially the first date, when you’re thinking about all of this while eating blistered shishito peppers and trying to hold a conversation. But while it’s strange and challenging, it’s also incredibly hopeful and ambitious to get out there and make finding love a priority, to finish a long work day and then put in another few hours trying to lock down a life companion.
First, though, you’ve got to plan the date. That sounds easy, but there’s more to it than hitting the pool hall with your buddies. The stakes are higher. Should you meet for a quick coffee before breakfast? A post-work cocktail? A live performance of Béatrice et Bénédict, 19th-century French composer Hector Berlioz’s opéra comique based on Shakespeare’s comic love story, Much Ado About Nothing? You make the call, but to lend a hand we’ve dumped our collective dating expertise into one place to bring you 25 great date ideas in cities across America.
Get out there and touch each other probingly to see if the reaction is positive or negative.
– Jeremy Berger
The Best Spots in America for a First Date
PORTLAND HUNT + ALPINE CLUB – Portland, Maine
THE ST. LOUIS ORCHESTRA AT POWELL HALL – St. Louis, Missouri
BUVETTE – New York, New York
LA CARTA DE OAXACA – Seattle, Washington
ARNOLD ARBORETUM – Boston, Massachusetts
HONEY’S SIT ‘N EAT – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
MUSE RESTAURANT AND WINE BAR – Charleston, South Carolina
FRANK – New York, New York
PRESCOTT PARK ART FESTIVAL – Portsmouth, New Hampshire
TENNESSEE BEER WORKS – Nashville, Tennessee
SECOND EMPIRE – Raleigh, North Carolina
HOLLER HOUSE TAVERN – Milwaukee, Wisconsin
MOUNT BONNELL – Austin, Texas
CHURCH STREET MARKETPLACE – Burlington, Vermont
PIZZA AL FRESCO – Palm Beach, Florida
STORM KING ART CENTER – New Windsor, New York
ZUNZI’S – Savannah, Georgia
BROA – Jersey City, New Jersey
NAMU GAJI – San Francisco, California
EAT. SEE. HEAR. – Los Angeles, California
RUSTY SCUPPER – Baltimore, Maryland
PARLOUR – Minneapolis, Minnesota
RED ROCKS AMPHITHEATRE – Denver, Colorado
WELLFLEET DRIVE-IN – Wellfleet, Massachusetts
DELTA BISTROPUB – Greenwood, Mississippi
Portland Hunt + Alpine Club
Hip Cocktail Club Is a First Date Safety Net
Planning a date in Portland is to be spoiled for choice. The restaurant scene has exploded over the past few years: Classic spots like Duck Fat and Fore Street paved the way for an army of celebrated newcomers like Eventide and Central Provisions. If you don’t know a Basket Cove from an Island Creek, the Portland Museum of Art’s carefully curated exhibits rival some of the best in the country, and the city’s vibrant live music venues have been well known for decades. So what to do? In a town where all of the first-date options are cobbled together as densely as its streets, there’s only one way to decide: over a bowl of house popcorn and a bottle of Champagne at the Portland Hunt and Alpine Club, naturally. Expertly staffed by ex-pat industry vets from all of those other cities, these folks have seen a first date or two, and they know what you need. Forget about the awkward back-and-forth cocktail menu volley. All you have to do is grab some low-pressure seating at the large communal tables, point wordlessly to the menu and feel confident knowing that the first impression is being handled.
– Lauren Friel
75 Market Street, Portland, ME 04101 ⇱ | 207.747.4754 | huntandalpineclub.com
