Get me a second date!

September 7, 2008 3:45 PM

First date activities in Houston...a couple of caveats, though...

I've got a first-date-meetup-type thing with a person I met on $InternetDatingSite, and while I've been in Houston for two years (and she lives in Conroe/works in Houston), I am racking my brain trying to find something unique enough that she probably hasn't done it, but nothing to involved or complicated.

I want to stay away from the "go out to eat+movies" type things, though, interesting food places near activities are welcomed suggestions.

Another caveat: it's gotta be available after 6PM on Monday (tomorrow).

Thanks in advance, Mefites.

posted by chrisfromthelc to society & culture (14 comments total)

bowling? skating?
posted by anitanita at 4:09 PM on September 7, 2008

I don't know how many ice skating rinks you guys have down there but if you know how to ice skate and she doesn't its a fun first date to teach someone how to skate.
posted by Sgt.Grumbless at 4:16 PM on September 7, 2008

@Sgt.Grumbless: I have NO FREAKING CLUE how to iceskate. Plus, the only accessible rink is in the Galleria. Not a place for a date.
posted by chrisfromthelc at 4:45 PM on September 7, 2008

Is there any Korean BBQ in your area? That's a great date activity because it's smoky, messy, fun, and there's lots to talk about. I guess you could appear to be quite creative and culturally interesting if you take your date somewhere interesting too.
posted by lottie at 5:04 PM on September 7, 2008

If she works in Houston but lives in Conroe, I'm assuming you two are meeting in Houston after work, correct? This is why you're meeting after 6pm? If so, I wouldn't plan for more than dinner and maybe a quick coffee/dessert afterwards. If your date lives in Conroe, she's facing a 45 min drive home in the evening....I can't even imagine what her morning commutes down I-45 are like.

My suggestions - if she works in Downtown, meet for dinner in the area.....like Midtown (T'afia, Farrago's, The Fish), Montrose (Nippon, Baba Yega, Osaka) or the Heights (Onion Creek Cafe, etc). These areas are also close to I-45, so she can easily hop onto the freeway. If you want to grab coffee or dessert afterwards, maybe Brazil, Empire Cafe, Agora or Baba Yega's in Montrose. There are also lots of coffeehouses in the Heights that I'm not as familiar with.

If you're up for an actual activity, maybe a stroll along the Sabine Promenade (starting at Sabine Bridge and heading east towards the Aquarium and Wortham Center). Discovery Green is also a great place to wander around, with lots of cozy benches for chatting....but I'm not sure how lit it is at night.

Good luck!
posted by yeoja at 5:09 PM on September 7, 2008 [1 favorite]

Rollerskating works too. It is kinda cheezy, but surprisingly lots of fun, even if you are a novice. Nice and public to.
posted by silkygreenbelly at 5:13 PM on September 7, 2008

BTW - if you go the Korean BBQ route, know that you and your date will possibly smell like BBQ for the rest of the night (though it depends on the quality of the ventilation system at the restaurant and how well you grill the meat....just keep the heat low and you'll be fine). Some people are bothered by this, others not so much.....depends on how easy going your date is, I suppose. Korean food isn't messy at all, though.....unless you start flinging things around with your chopsticks. :)

If you choose Korean, stay in the Koreatown area (Long Point, between Bingle and Gessener). I recommend Seoul Garden or Korea Garden. These restaurants are good options for first-timers who aren't Korean.....the staff speak English well and the menus have the standard Korean fare. Seoul Garden has the nicest interior design....but Korea Garden has the best BBQ (they're the oldest Korean restaurant in Houston).

There are a few Korean restaurants popping up in Bellaire Chinatown, but I wouldn't recommend them. I'm not impressed with the quality. Outside of my mom's kitchen, the best Korean food in Houston is on Long Point. :)
posted by yeoja at 5:29 PM on September 7, 2008

Oh lord. You're setting yourself up for a possible world of awkwardness. First internet dates should never be more than coffee/drinks/dessert. You have no idea what kind of chemistry there might be, and getting locked into a long evening might end up being painful if you don't click. That said, miniature golf is always fun, especially in the evening when the weather is nice.
posted by kimdog at 5:32 PM on September 7, 2008 [1 favorite]

Seconding kimdog, all around. Miniature golf takes about as long as any coffee date I've been on, and if all else fails you can talk about the game.
posted by knile at 5:34 PM on September 7, 2008

Seconding yeoja on Baba Yega, a fun restaurant, decent food, great people watching, a great patio, if it's a pretty night. (Caveat: It is in the heart of Montrose. If she is not artsy and/or gay friendly and/or thinks that you're probably too gay friendly by going to a cool restaurant in the Montrose, re-think this one. And no, I'm not saying re-think Baba Yega, I'm saying re-think the gal.)

At dinner, sound her out, does she like books, bookstores. If yes, you can walk to Half-Price Books, right across Westheimer, a short walk.

Else, I cannot recall the name of that sweet jazz/blues bar on top of a building, also walking distance -- ah, Cody's. (Google is my friend.) Apparently it is now called Scott Gertners Sky Bar; not at all sure what it's like anymore, it used to be a fun club, live music, great views of Houston.

Last. A short drive to The Museum of Fine Arts, and while I'm guessing the museum will be closed, I've often wandered in the statuary until maybe nine or ten pm; it's fun, cool, great if it's a pretty night.

I haven't lived there since 92, I know lots has changed -- I get there maybe once, twice a year. And god no, I'm not suggesting you do ALL of this; pick and choose.
posted by dancestoblue at 6:43 PM on September 7, 2008

@kimdog + @knile:

I agree, which is why I want to stay away from the dinner+movie idea. I just would like the option if it comes up, you know? I have always erred on the short side to be safe.

All these are good suggestions; keep 'em coming!
posted by chrisfromthelc at 6:47 PM on September 7, 2008

There are two places I can recommend that are small/romantic/cozy and quite enough for conversation, nice enough to let the night progress, yet casual enough to call it a night after an hour or two. One is Brasil, which serves dinner but is also a coffee shop. It is in the Montrose area. The other is the tiny bar downtown, called La Carafe. Both are well-known, popular, yet never really packed. Both are near other fun stuff, just in case the date is great.
posted by Houstonian at 7:59 PM on September 7, 2008

Minigolf.
posted by ChabonJabon at 2:46 AM on September 8, 2008

This is generic, but take her doing something YOU want to do in Houston -- indoor rock climbing, ball game, racing go-carts, concert, bar-hopping..., or just coffee if that's what you enjoy. (Sorry, I don't know you.) Gives her a little better opportunity to learn the Real You, rather than some "date version" of yourself.

I realize my suggestion flies in the face of conventional guy wisdom ("try to impress her", "do something SHE wants to do", etc.), but if she really hates the things that you love, better to know sooner than later -- for both of you.

Along those same lines, but getting off-topic, you'll do well to shift your internal mental frame from "Please date me" to "Please be somebody I want to date". Go get 'em, champ!
posted by LordSludge at 12:21 PM on September 8, 2008