First date ideas aren’t easy to conjure up when your heart is racing and you’re still wondering just a little about why they actually said they’d go. You’re amazing, we know, but it’s still mind blowing that the person of your possible dreams said yes! You don’t just need some regular first date ideas. You need some first date ideas that will help you make a great impression in Boston!

We’re here to help. We scoured the web, harried our friends, called upon Emma’s enormous body of knowledge (Emma, I said your knowledge is huge, not your body. Seriously. You get first dates with knowledge that big? Ha!) to give you the best first date ideas in Boston.

Provided neither of you is sketchy and you’ve had at least a few minutes of conversation prior, meeting up for dinner can be a nice first date idea. Boston has loads of great places to go on a first date and we’ve selected 10 places that are interesting, fun, and will impress at least in a quirky way.

1. Kaze Shabu Shabu – Boiling broth on a table makes for an interesting meal experience!
2. Cuchi Cuchi - Oh, Tapas!
3. Pho Republique – Amazing Vietnamese
4. Meyers & Chang – Asian Fusion
5. Addis Red Sea – Ethiopian
6. Finale – Dessert’s a win!
7. Tapeo – Tapas is an easy first date idea and delicious variety!
8. Bacco – Italiano! Taste Boston’s North End in style.
9. Mike’s Pastry – Pair with with coffee after Bacco or get sugared up directly!
10. L’espalier – French. Oh, the French! Emma, this is for you.

If you’re broke or full, walking along the minuteman trail, finding a quiet spot along the Charles, or splashing in fountains atop the Big Dig all heap together as some great first date ideas to try out in Boston.

If you’re a local and would like to add some insight or even more ideas, please check in with a comment! Thanks!

Image: Zitona

by Simon Cole

The woman I love is marrying another man this weekend.

I met Mariska at the start of our final semester in college. I’d made a mistake on my schedule and showed up for the wrong class. I walked through the lecture room door, surprised to see about 20 chairs arranged in a circle.

She sat there. It was just us. Her hiking boots shed melting snow into a slowly growing puddle at her heels. She didn’t care. She was jut there, present, waiting. There were 19 available seats.

I can’t tell you what it was that made me long to know her but I did. I chose the seat directly to her right. I sat and turned toward her.

Hi, my name is Simon.

Wow. You’re very friendly. I’m Mariska.

Not all the time. I just wanted to meet you.

There’s nobody else here to meet.

That’s true. Tell me why none of the buttons on your sweater match and I’ll leave you alone.

She did. I didn’t leave her alone.

We kept talking. Continue Reading

by Amelia Holzapfel

My 13 year-old cousin recently asked me what I thought to be the right age for her to start having sex.

Cousin: What’s the right age to start having sex?

Me: What’s the right age to start having babies?

Cousin: Um, probably 20 years old. At least not until you have a job you like. Continue Reading

Sleeping alone is nothing more than a necessary evil.

There are few things more comforting in life than surrendering yourself to sleep in the arms of someone who loves you. If you’ve suddenly found yourself alone after being used to sharing your bed, the simple act of falling asleep can become a dreaded affair.

Still, you gotta sleep. Continue Reading

by Zeke Hillyard

A lot of people think HIV is simply a “gay thing.”

Therefore, a quick bit of mind candy: Over half the world’s HIV/AIDS cases are women. A simple math deduction demonstrates that there are a lot more heterosexual people with HIV than not. Because of that, this topic needs a more universal treatment. A great magazine called POZ (found at www.poz.com), does a great job of this, but its usual audience is people who are already HIV positive.

I’m 36 now, gay, and married (or not, depending on the current status of Proposition 8). It wasn’t always that way. Once I was 28, alone, insecure and afraid the day I got the phone call during which I was informed I was HIV positive. I’m still insecure and sometimes afraid; however, I’ve learned I’m never alone.

Because we so rarely talk about HIV in a casual sense, the acronyms become a series of scary letters one associates with disease and death; the discrimination is insidious, and yet clear. Dating advertisements request “drug, disease free” people for dating. Continue Reading

By Simon Cole

It was our fourth date when Coleen popped the question. She was smart, funny, beautiful, and confident of her talents. We’d had a lot of fun hanging out and I, classy dude that I am, hadn’t pushed for anything physical… yet.

Coleen just had something about her that said, “don’t touch me quite yet” that I figured was a good idea to respect.

That changed when she slipped from her side of the table in the softly lit corner of the restaurant and scooted into the seat beside me. (Irish pub, booths, yep.)

I thought, “Yes! She’s finally over whatever is bothering her. Snog time!”

Instead, she leaned toward me, paused, and popped the question: Continue Reading

by Simon Cole

Step 1 – Listen
Step 2 – Listen more
Step 3 – Keep listening

At no point in this process should open your mouth to speak. If you have trouble keeping quiet (most of us do) then have some crackers and a nice glass of wine to keep your mouth occupied while you listen. Continue Reading

by Emma Frisoni

I recently had a girlfriend ask me for advice. A guy she met through work asked her if she’d meet up with him for dinner at a new restaurant opening in his neighborhood.

There’s just one issue: The guy seems pretty interested but my girlfriend isn’t especially attracted to him. I see two options for her:

1. She asks if it’s okay if a friend comes along. (kinda smarmy – I know)

Continue Reading

Being single during the holidays, frankly, sucks. From ancient relatives asking about the whereabouts of childhood crushes to advertising that consistently depicts joyful couples, winter holidays are chock full of reminders that being single isn’t “cool.”

Instead of griping that you don’t have a darling to risk purchasing the wrong gifts for, why not take some time this holiday to give yourself some needed “me-time”?

With the assumption that you’re taking at least basic care of your body, here are 5 ways you can improve the way you treat your inner self over the coming weeks (and beyond):

1. Make a pact. Find a good friend you can call whenever you’re feeling an urge to call one of your exes. Agree to make time for their call when it comes as they’ll do for you. This trick has saved me from following through on numerous bad decisions that could have really brought a lot more pain into my life. Walking in the woods on a snowy Christmas eve by yourself? Call your friend. Just a moment or two of conversation will do a lot to help you kick your mood and get back to the fun stuff.
2. Seek out sustainable friendships. If you’ve only got time for quick phone calls and a get-together every few weeks, find people who understand your schedule and are glad to get what time they can from you. Trying to maintain relationships with time-hungry people will leave you feeling like you’re a bad friend. The reverse applies. If you’ve got lots of time, don’t chase the jet-set! Continue Reading

The server I met at a nearby Thai restaraunt this past weekend joined me today for some pre-Thanksgiving ingredient shopping. (Guys, food shopping with a beautiful woman will do wonders for your culinary creativity.) In the course of our shopping we fell into conversation about what Thanksgiving actually means to us.

Jenny’s family will be enjoying a meal traditional to her Thai heritage. To her, Thanksgiving is a time to celebrate how far her family has come since moving to the US. My Thanksgiving will include the regular Turkey and elderly relatives discussing how we are related to the Plymouth Pilgrims. Though the smells, tastes, and traditions differ greatly, both our families are gathering to share in how grateful we are for what we have. Continue Reading