First dates are like the firsts of anything: exciting, nerve-wracking and slightly awkward. Throughout the course of my nearly nonexistent love life, I’ve encountered only two real first dates. The first one? An awkward two-hour coffee date at a local café. The second one? An incredible day spent throughout Williamsburg in Brooklyn. Because of this lack of dating experience I found my task to be quite humorous: go on one blind date a day for a week. Initially, I was surprised that blind dates still occurred. With dating sites and the ability to easily navigate social media platforms, the concept of blindly dating is almost unnecessary. However, I asked everyone I knew for help with finding seven eligible bachelors for the social experiment. What ensued was one of the most stressful and interesting weeks of my life.
Date 1
Unsurprisingly, I was running late. Arriving home from work, I frantically bustled around my bedroom. With my jacket in hand, I made my way to the door and stopped when I received a text from my date, “Sorry, I’ll be 10 minutes late.” Two hours and several New Girl episodes later, he arrived. Finally. After awkwardly stumbling into his pickup truck and landing face flat on the seat, I stuck my hand out and introduced myself. Our first stop was a bowling alley. During the drive he apologized for being late while I reassured him that it happens (but usually not two hours!). Upon arriving at the bowling alley, he realized we were the only ones in attendance above the age of 14. He asked to leave and proceeded to ask Siri where to take a girl on the first date.
We ended up at Applebee’s and I finally got a good glimpse of him. He was 21 and the younger brother of my manager’s boyfriend. During the meal the conversation was easy. His stories ranged from bar fights to his experience with a catheter and the battle that ensued between him and several doctors. Oh, and he’s been pulled over 156 times. We left Applebee’s and decided to go to Sonic for dessert. Making our way through the parking lot he remarked, “Did you see that? All the guys sitting there just turned to stare at your butt while you walked out.” Did I instantly feel uncomfortable? Yes, yes I did.
The date began to take a turn as, once at Sonic, he claimed that it was the best date he’s ever been on. Not knowing what to do, I lightly chuckled and stuck a spoonful of cookies ‘n cream ice cream into my mouth. During the drive home he, once more, mentioned wanting to go on a second date. Again, I stuck a spoonful of ice cream into my mouth. We hugged goodbye and I promptly scurried up my driveway with yet another guilt-ridden spoonful of ice cream in my mouth.
Second date? Nah. What did I learn? Ice cream does not solve awkward silences.
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Date 2
Meeting in front of our mutual friend’s house, my date and I spent the first few minutes talking to her. While deciding where to get dinner, she quickly departed and teased, “Have fun you two!” He soon drove us to a vegetarian restaurant which had, quite possibly, the best vegetarian cuisine I’ve ever had.
As we talked, I learned that he was 23-years-old and into yoga, healing crystals and even ran his own business dedicated to them. He then showed me one around his neck: a small, black crystal wrapped in gold wire meant to aid the wearer’s intuition.
What struck me the most about our date was our conversation on relationships. He briefly told me about his romantic history and I told him mine. He questioned why I’ve only had one boyfriend (trust me, it barely counted) and why I’ve been single ever since. And yes, I reevaluated my love life as soon as I got home.
Second date? Nah. What did I learn? I don’t know myself as much as I thought. Also, tofu’s pretty good.
Date 3
Because I’ve always wanted to get brunch as a date, I suggested we do so at 11. My alarm went off at 9:30 and I instantly regret that decision. Quickly doing the math in my head, I figured I could sleep for another 50 minutes, have 10 minutes to get ready, and still have enough time for the 30 minute drive there. Those 10 minutes gave me enough time to throw on the first clothes I found on my bed and some dry shampoo in my slightly unkempt hair. This is what happens when you have three dates in a row.
He was half an hour late and I was falling asleep at the bar. When he finally arrived we grabbed a table in the back. He mentioned he was sick and couldn’t hear out of one ear… we were a literal mess. He seemed to be nervous which, in turn, made me nervous. While waiting for our food I mused over the unofficial drinking game of the table: one sip of water for every time he didn’t know how to answer a question and two sips for every awkward silence. We got through several glasses of water.
Afterwards I suggested we walk around since the weather was nice that day. Walking around proved to be much better than brunch. I learned that he recently turned 21 and was going to community college. My favorite tidbit of information was that he played the flute for a week in sixth grade. He walked me back to my car and on my windshield was a glorious parking ticket. I accepted it as karma for going on seven dates with seven different men.
Second date? Nah. What did I learn? Never forget to refill your parking meter.
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Date 4
By the fourth date I was beginning to grow wary of the same pattern: show up, get to know them, make them laugh a few times, and leave. First dates can be fun, yet with one a day and a deadline coming up, the procedure quickly went from an enjoyable social experiment to an endless cycle of having to be “on” for the date and worrying about each of their feelings. Trying not to be too discouraged, I blasted Taylor Swift’s “Shake It Off” during my drive to the sushi restaurant where I was meeting my date for dinner.
We met outside and introduced ourselves. I learned that he was 26-years-old and worked as a wedding videographer while also doing freelance work on the side. Our conversation revolved around his love for film, Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones. His look of disappointment when I told him I had only watched the first Lord of the Rings movie was priceless.
Second date? Possibly. What did I learn? I need to watch the remaining Lord of the Rings movies and the last three Star Wars movies because the prequels were that bad.
Date 5
After work, I headed to the restaurant where we were meeting for brunch. If you can’t tell already, brunch, and breakfast, are my favorite meals of the day. Anyways, I texted my date that I had found a table in the back. After a few minutes they replied, “Here.” I looked around, only to find a young woman walking towards me. “Hi, Sabrina?” I froze and my eyes widened with the realization that I had been set up with a woman. I’m not sure if I was more surprised, amazed or simply intimidated by the fact that I was going to be on a date with her. She laughed, “Don’t worry, he told me it was just for a project!”
Well into our meal, I learned that she was 25-years-old and also attended the same university as me. She spoke fluent Russian and I was in awe when she talked to her mom on the phone. Surprisingly, the two semesters of Russian I took came in handy after all.
What I loved about this date was the conversation and how broad the topics ranged and her engaging demeanor. As the date came to an end, we humorously acknowledged that it was my first date with a lesbian and that it was probably the best date out of the four others I had been on that week.
Second date? Nah, but I’d love to be friends with her. What did I learn? My Russian accent is terrible.
Date 6
Because of his schedule, I had to meet up with him right after the previous date. I got a few weird looks while frantically running across the street to the coffee shop to meet him. I stood in line and he texted, “turn around,” but I had accidentally forgotten his name. I refused to turn around until I scrolled through my text messages, found it, and also received my jasmine green tea. Hey, this was my sixth date. It was bound to happen with one of them.
We ended up walking around town, both of us clutching our green teas for warmth. He took me to the train station and we sat there for a while watching people and trains go by. He told me he was 24-years-old and that he also attended the same university as me. His job? Writing computer software for UPS. He’s also the drummer of a band and my inner marching band kid did a fist pump.
After the train station, we continued to walk around and I enjoyed how easy it was to talk to him. As if on cue, my sister called and asked me to babysit my nephews. He understood, also having several nieces and nephews, and planned a second date for us. A million things went through my head, “Wait…what? Really? Is he sure about this?” but I simply nodded my head and agreed. I’m totally good at acting casual on the outside.
Second date? Yup. What did I learn? I shouldn’t go into computer software.
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Date 7
My excitement for the fact that I would soon be done with this experiment was indescribable. Don’t get me wrong, I love meeting new people and first dates can be fun. However, being thrust into a situation like this will take a toll on you. The morning of I rolled out of bed, threw my hair up in a ponytail, and headed to the bakery where we were meeting up.
I sat at a small table and instantly recognized him in line and called him over. We hugged and introduced ourselves. He told me he had already ordered for us: one ham and cheese croissant, a crepe with Nutella, bananas and strawberries, one cappuccino and one hot chocolate. A round of applause instantly went off in my head.
As we talked I learned that he was 25-years-old and worked in the city. I’m not sure what I loved more, the fact that we pretended to have t-rex arms during a large portion of our meal, the amount of laughing we did, or the food itself. I swear, that guy could get along with anyone and I’m happy to have ended this week with a very good date.
Second date? Maybe. What did I learn? Sook Pastry has the best hot chocolate I’ve ever had.
In summary, I don’t suggest going on one date a day for a week. Meeting people and figuring out what you like will take some practice, but enjoy your time with whoever it is: laugh, have fun, and be yourself to the fullest. You’re both setting aside time for the other to see if you’re romantically compatible, so why spend most of the date worrying about saying something stupid? Say something stupid! Tell them you love Lord of the Rings! Embrace awkward silences! And the biggest thing I learned from this? Never settle for anyone (especially those who don’t make time for you) because trust me, there are plenty of people out in the world waiting to find someone just like you.