Places to go on a blind date
You, dear single, have agreed to go on a blind date. So, now what?
We can only hope that you'll have a stellar time, full of well-timed laughs and fascinating conversation that ends with a smooch and the promise of another date. (We can't, however, rule out the possibility that you could end up with a humorless drone or an insufferable egomaniac -- and praying for a way out.)
So, in hopes of improving your chances of having a great time, we asked three Long Islanders -- a love coach, a singles event coordinator and a dating columnist -- for some ideas on where to meet for the first time.
Keep it light...
Milk & Sugar Cafe 49 W. Main St., Bay Shore 631-969-4430 milkandsugarcafe.com
A casual and comfortable atmosphere will help calm your nerves, says Gail Adams, who runs 7-in-Heaven Singles Events ( 7-in-heaven.com ). That's why she recommends Milk & Sugar Cafe. "It has couches and tables you can sit at, like a living room," she says. "It's small, it's intimate, cozy and fun." Try Sunday brunch or meet during the week for lunch, dinner or dessert. Theme nights range from "psychic night" on Mondays to trivia on Wednesdays.
The Cup Coffeehouse 3268 Railroad Ave., Wantagh 516-826-9533 thecupcoffeehouse.com
The Cup promises "music, caffeine and art" in a hip setting. "It's a little off the beaten path," Adams says. "They have poetry reading and songwriters there. The place is full of couches and candlelight."
More Long Island coffeehouses
Be creative...
Port Washington Water Taxi Port Washington Town Dock 516-767-169 portwatertaxi.com
Cost: $15 per person
Meet for a cruise around Manhasset Bay on this 47-foot Crosby tug, recommends "Love Coach" Robin Gorman Newman ( lovecoach.com ) of Great Neck. The Water Taxi's 6 p.m. "sunset tour" (Thursday to Sunday, weather permitting, through the end of October) is designed especially for adults and singles.
Owner Matt Meyran says you can bring your own bottle of wine and some cheese to enjoy the scenery of the ride, which lasts just over an hour. "There're so many other people, and on a blind date it's nice to have some distraction so you can have a lot of other things to talk about," he says. "It makes a blind date not so stressful."
ALSO TRY : If you want to show off your artistic side (or give the impression that you, in fact, have one), meet at a museum, says Gorman Newman, also author of "How to Marry a Mensch" (Fair Winds Press, $14.95). Her pick? The Nassau County Museum of Art in Roslyn Harbor (One Museum Dr., 516-484-9337, nassaumuseum.com ). Other options: The Cradle of Aviation Museum ( cradleofaviation.org ) or Nassau County Firefighters Museum ( ncfiremuseum.org ) in Garden City.
Keep your options open...
Garden City Hotel 45 Seventh St., Garden City 516-747-3000 gardencityhotel.com
Picking a blind date spot that offers multiple layers gives you the option to extend the date if you're having a good time -- or cut it short if you're not, says Jack Mandel, a Nassau Community College marketing professor and local dating columnist known as "Prof. JM Love."
He suggests meeting for drinks at a bar or lounge inside say, the Garden City Hotel, where you have the option of moving seamlessly into a restaurant for a meal. Similar setups can be found at the Huntington Hilton (598 Broad Hollow Rd., Melville, 631-845-1000, hilton.com ) or the Melville Marriott (1350 Old Walt Whitman Rd., 631-423-1600, marriott.com ).
Also try : Meet for coffee and a snack at the any Barnes & Noble Booksellers or Borders bookstores, which typically are teaming with patrons. "It gives you time to talk, time to look at each other and time to have a sense of whether that person is honest, has some integrity and is not married," he says. And if your date is circling the drain? "It's the best way to segue your way out," he says. "You can say, 'I have to go look for a book.'"
If you want to impress...
Louis XVI Restaurant 600 S. Ocean Ave., Patchogue 631-694-8970 louisxvi.org
Transport your date to "Versailles by the sea" as you dine on French cuisine either in the main dining room, decked out with 18th-century-style paintings, crystal chandeliers and floral bouquets, or have a view of the Great South Bay from your seat in the Marie Antoinette room.
Also try: Bring your wallet along for drinks or dinner at Blackstone Steakhouse in Melville (10 Pinelawn Rd., 631-271-7780, blackstonesteakhouse.com ) or Toku in the Americana Shopping Center in Manhasset (2014C Northern Blvd., 516-627-7121).
Get sporty...
Strike Long Island 1350 Union Tpke., New Hyde Park 516-354-1222 bowlatstrike.com
Gorman Newman recommends a game of bowling at this New Hyde Park spot, where you can also play video games or race go-carts. (Remember the millionaire who took his date go-cart racing in an episode of Bravo's "The Millionaire Matchmaker?") From 8 p.m. till midnight Thursday, you can get unlimited bowling and shoe rental for $16.
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