New Yorkers -- Date ideas needed (Non NYC'ers probably can help too)

[b0000000000m]

Hey,

I'm in New York city for the summer. I have a date tomorrow night with a chick I met in a grocery store. We have hung out once since then, and had coffee for about an hour.

For context, I'm 24 and she's 21. She is a student, as am I, but I do nicely from poker and am also paid very well in my job this summer, so cost isn't the biggest issue.

We're meeting at around 7:30pm, but that is a bit flexible (could be up to an hour earlier or whenever later).

So a problem is that I'm not from New York. I absolutely do not want to do something like a movie, comedy club, or whatever, where we're not going to talk at all. Dinner is out, for unimportant/coincidental reasons.

I need ideas. A friend suggested taking the gondola across the 59th street bridge to Roosevelt island, but other than that and the standard "walk in the park" or getting desert at Veniero's, I can't come up with anything.

It doesn't have to be anything grand. I personally would be pretty happy playing backgammon at my apartment, and she is the type of girl that is cool with just sitting at a cafe for a while and people-watching/talking, so low-key or stuff that isn't normally considered date-activity is fine.

Help! thanks.

p.s. It's not that I need help in terms of the relationship, or knowing what's good/not good to do on dates "in general." More, I can't really get a handle on NYC and what exactly there is to do. Telling me to look in Time Out New York is not helpful, because 90% of it is stuff that falls into the "movie/comedy club/no conversation" category, and it's also very hard to tell what's quality and what's not from the listings.

[TStoneMBD]

go visit central park and grand central. make sure to go hang out where all the pigeons are with the benches. im not exactly sure where it is though. go to the top of the empire state building and the statue of liberty. youre gonna want to see these things anyway if you havent and shed probably like that too.

if youre the type to find interest in these types of things then shell probably find you as very passionate and thats much better than matching tastes in comics or movies.

[b0000000000m]

Thanks, that's a great suggestion. The twist is that she's lived in New York for three years and has probably done all that stuff, but that's fine: I can spin it as "take me to all of that touristy stuff in New York." She'll feel special because she gets to "show me" stuff (insert bad joke here about her "showing me" "stuff" later), and she also will start thinking more that she's into me (because she observes herself "helping" me by showing me the city, and this will likely be processed by her mind in such a way that leads her to like me more. strange, but true--there's a lot of psychology research out there applicable to everyday life). And it's both light-hearted and gives us a chance to talk.

[Leo99]

Right accross the street from Churrascaria Plataforma
316 W. 49th St. (Midtown West)
between Eighth and Ninth Aves. is a courtyard with restaurants, bar and a starbucks. There are outdoor seats and it's very nice place to sit with a coffee or a Margarita from the little Mexican place and nibble on some chips and salsa.

Go down to Washington Square park and watch tic and tac or some other street performers. Walk through Central Park, there's lots of places to sneak in that first kiss.

[NutzyClutz]

Staten Island Ferry, South Street Seaport.

[Hal 2000]

Take her to Hogs n' Heffers, she'll love it. Just in case you don't like that, Central Park is an ideal place for the type of date you're talking about. Go online tonight and look up any interesting facts about the park; things that will segue nicely into other conversations.

[The Armchair]

Hayden Planetarium, if it is open. It's short and you can walk around the museum afterward.

There's a bar near there called Evelyn Lounge, but I think it's on 78th and Columbus (or CPW?) and the upstairs is basically a martini lounge. (The downstairs is really loud.) It's dark and not so loud that you can't talk, and is otherwise conducive to a good date atmosphere.

Don't go near a horse-drawn carriage. It's the ultimate tourist cliche and the horses smell awful.

If you end up doing the Roosevelt Island cable car thing (which I don't suggest, because it's kinda dumb and loses its luster once you turn five), you'll find yourself in a 'hood without much nightlife except for a Scores (which is not a good idea!). And the R-Island side is worse.

If you see anything in TONY and want to know more about it, post it and I'm sure someone's done it.

[gorgeous]

[ QUOTE ]

If you end up doing the Roosevelt Island cable car thing (which I don't suggest, because it's kinda dumb and loses its luster once you turn five), you'll find yourself in a 'hood without much nightlife except for a Scores (which is not a good idea!). And the R-Island side is worse.


[/ QUOTE ]

I actually liked the Roosevelt Island cable car thing a lot the first time I was on it. It was really exciting. Only problems are that it only takes 6 minutes each way and it's out of the way of anything else you might want to do.

I would NOT recommend the tourist thing (Empire State building and the Statue of Liberty) unless you want to be waiting in line for several hours. I also think Central Park is out of the question since you're out of town. It's a huge park and if you guys get lost or simply exhaust yourselves from walking too much, that could really turn the date to [censored], especially in this humid weather.

Find a couple of air-conditioned places in West Village where you can sit down and talk over gourmet snacks. The NY Craigslist food forum is a gold mine when it comes to this stuff. Good luck

[Luv2DriveTT]

Diner at Megu for 2. Its the nutz, and will cost more than you earn playing poker this year.

TT /images/graemlins/club.gif

[b0000000000m]

Thanks for the great suggestions.

I'll write a trip report if things are at all interesting.

[freekobe]

Go to Bryant Park and get drinks (42nd and 6th). Or got to Luna Park (Union Square). Both are outside bars with great people-watching. If you get bored, there's plenty to do in each neighborhood.

Could go bowling at BowlMor - 12th and University. Expensive, but it's air conditioned, and the humidity right now is a disaster.

You can take the Roosevelt Island tram until you're blue in the face, and those few minutes might be fun, but what the hell are you going to do once you get to Roosevelt Island? I'll save you the trouble of thinking - nothing.

And please don't sit in your apartment and play backgammon. Unless you don't like girls. Then you should play.

[colgin]

Divine Bar is a fun, not too pretentious wine bar with midtown east and west locations. I used to go there on a lot of first dates. In fact, it is where I took my wife on our first date so I am somewhat partial to it.