If you’re tired of the drinking that can sometimes make your liver pack up and move out of town, something a little low key can always make for a great date.  A coffee shop is a great place to stop, grab a non-alcoholic beverage, and relax with your date.  It allows for great conversation and is a great atmosphere to get to know each other without having to scream in each others ears as you would at a bar.

Instead of running the typical play and taking her to a Starbucks or Caribou Coffee, opt for a something a little less commercialized and check out these hot spots around town. (more…)

To piggy-back off of last week’s suggestion, this week’s date idea involves a spot downtown called Bin 36.

Bin 36 is a great American cuisine restaurant that holds an event about once a month called “Movies in the Loft”.  While dinner and a movie might be a little cliche, it is definitely a date that will occur at some point in your fresh new relationship.  If you’re going to do it, do it in style…

Instead of taking your crush out to dinner and cabbing your way to a movie theater, why not kill two birds with one stone?   These events have a 3 course meal coupled with some wine that will keep your belly’s pleased while your eyeballs are entertained.

They play classic movies, the two upcoming being ‘Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner’ and ‘Bottle Shock’.

The next event is coming up on November 22nd, for more details click here.

Overall – 4/5 Stars

What’s a better way to spend an evening than drinks and a movie?  How about drinks and a movie with a bunch of other people at the Vic!  This is a great way to hang out in a relaxed environment, not spend an arm and a leg, relax with a beer, and watch a great movie.

The Vic Theatre is typically a concert hall but on their off nights they’ll use the space to project a movie and fill your belly with cheap beer.

They play solid movies that range from new releases (the Hangover-which if you haven’t seen it, get out from under your rock and GO) to classics like Animal House and Office Space.

Here’s a link to their website: Brew and View

Overall – 4/5 Stars

Man alive, do I love Halloween.  So many fun memories come to mind when I think of this time of year.  TP-ing the neighbors house, back-yard football, and strategically plotting out the neighborhood like army generals to hit the best houses for trick-or-treating.  Those memories are now replaced with present times which are even better.  Women dressed up in scantily clad uniforms of delight (you know we love it ladies!).  Something about a room full of people in costume just brings an aura of wonder and excitement in the air.  It’s similar to that group camaraderie when everyone in the room is “getting a little bit softer now” to the Isley Brothers at a wedding reception.  SHOUT… Come on now!

So to keep with the theme of the month, this week’s date idea involves Halloween festivities.

This week’s date ideas include: Apple orchards, pumpkin patches, hay rides, and haunted houses.

Instead of doing my typical breakdown of pro’s and con’s, here are links to places to so you have a handy guide to take that special crush.

Apple Orchards

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So I wrote this post awhile ago, but I realize I should have timed it a little better because it is a little cold to do this now.  Maybe we’ll have a lucky day somewhere in here where you can actually try this out.  Or if you’re like those polar bear swimmers, you can just muscle through the cold and get after it.

Somewhere between that Architecture tour and dyeing the river green on St. Patrick’s Day, you’ve seen people floating down the river where it seems they have no business floating.  I’m not referring to dead bodies that the mob disposed (cement, remember?), I’m referring to the happy go lucky people floating in kayaks.

This week’s date idea is kayaking.

Let’s break it down:

Pro’s

Unique - This isn’t your typical dinner and drinks date.  Something fresh will keep you both on your toes, even if you’re both beginners. (more…)

Whether it’s on the table, in your stomache, or even in the bedroom (whipped cream anyone?), food is golden.  Even if sometimes you want to just lay around and have food delivered to your face, getting your hands dirty and acting like Emeril is a great way to change up the game.  If you’re clueless on how to make dinner yourself, take the lady to a cooking class and dazzle her with your “BAM!” skills.  Or just let the chopping off of the fingers commence…  just don’t brag to your friends about how your date ended up at a hospital and you can no longer count past nine.

This weeks date idea is cooking classes.

Let’s break it down:

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When I think of museums, one of the first things that comes to mind is this pleasant scene from one of the greats… Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.

We could all use one of these days every now and then.  While that movie has plenty of date ideas scattered throughout (ball games, obnoxiously fancy restaurants, and doing a rendition of Danke Schoen on a float), the countless museums around Chicago are all possible date locale’s for that first time encounter.

Let’s break it down… (more…)

In the spirit of Chicago summer’s, despite how short it has seemed this year, this week’s date idea is festival’s.

There are many different flavors of festivals out there.  From relaxed culture centric, wine festivals, to great opportunities to meet other singles at the Old St. Pat’s fest.  Whatever you are looking for, these festivals are a great place to take a date due to the high level of interaction, social aspect, and the relaxed atmosphere.

Here’s the breakdown:

Pro’s –

People Watching – Walking around at a festival rivals the entertainment walking around at an airport.  Somehow it always seems to draw the most interesting of people.  Whatever your style is, you’re bound to find the opposite at different festivals, and that always makes for great people watching. (more…)

For those of you who missed last week’s first date article, I’ll be doing a series of potential ‘first date’ options and breaking down the pro’s and con’s of each.  Due to the **sarcasm alert** impressive move by one of my species who asked a friend of mine to a wedding for a first date, I’ll continue throwing out ideas for first date options with a few venue locations at the end.

Today’s date idea: A Comedy Show

Pro’s –

Humor test - You’ll get a feel for their humor.  If you’re laughing at the same times, it’s a great sign that you’re both on the same wavelength when it comes to humor.  This can sling the doors open to favorite TV shows, movies, and embarrassing stories of the past. (more…)

Recently a friend of mine met a guy with whom she immediately felt the ‘spark’.  She said he hit home on all fronts of her mental checklist and they had a great vibe.

Once he had her hooked in, much like the underrated caliber of Subway Choco-Chip cookies, he threw down the surprise of a century.  He asked her to a wedding… for a first date.

Now I’m not too sure what was going through this guy’s head.  How does asking a girl to meet your family, entertain your friends, AND get to know you on first date help your chances?  If anything, something like this will get a girl running faster than if she had the hounds of hell nipping at her heels.

So this inspired me to come up with a weekly treat for these people.  We’ll come up with ideas for a potential date and discuss the pro’s and con’s.  Since I’m not creative with names, we’re going to call the series “Weddings are a Terrible First Date”. (more…)