See you at the laundromat!!
Breakfast and/or Brunch
We all lead busy lives. By the time you've caught up with your actual friends, your second-tier friends, your twice-a-year-but-somehow-they-always-have-amazing-gossip-about-people-you-know friends, and your former roommate's cousin who just really wants to Pick Your Brain about your place of business, there are no more drink or dinner slots left in your calendar until long after the Obama administration has ended.
Enter: found time, in the form of the breakfast date. It can be tricky to pull off — nobody wants to meet at the crack of dawn, and there are those pesky things called "jobs" to contend with — but the Brate™ can be surprisingly delightful.
You're not yet worn down by the grinding gears of society and capitalism; your makeup has not melted, your hair has not gone flat; you're not running late because your previous four obligations all backed up. It's like how booking the first dentist appointment of the day is always a good idea — everyone, in that moment, has the greatest possible chance of being their best selves.
Also, you have an easy out if it's bad (harder to sneak away to a faux-forgotten haircut at 11 p.m.) and a wonderful reward if it's good, which is morning sex, which is the best sex, fight me.
Andrew Richard / BuzzFeed
A Book Store or Library
Half of the conversational lulls on dates come from the fear of being awkward; the other half come from the inability to think of what to say. A bookstore will bridge those gaps. You can explore new sections! Laugh over irreverent material! Pore over life's most pressing questions! Find a bizarre recipe and hint at one day cooking it, together. If you're at a library, let them borrow your library card, or borrow theirs, or sign up for one TOGETHER. It's as romantic as sharing an Amazon Prime account.
Besides, buying someone a book is so much sexier than buying them a drink.
Andrew Richard / BuzzFeed
The Laundromat
Maybe you live in a civilized part of the universe (i.e., not New York City) where people actually have washing machines within their own homes rather than down three flights of stairs, half a block, and a roll of quarters away. That sounds nice!! But for the rest of us, laundry is a dead chunk of two hours where you have to remain in proximity to your tumbling underthings.
What better way to jazz up that slog than with some light tongue-kissing? Hit up the bar or coffee shop around the corner while you wait for the delicate cycle to whir to a halt, or play a card game under the romantically flickering single bulb swinging overhead. Or just annoy everyone else by making out up against the machines — you know, vibrations.
Also, there's nothing flirtier nor more vulnerable than showing a potential paramour your Truly Last Resort Underwear.
Andrew Richard / BuzzFeed
A Walk/Leisurely Run
How often have you actually explored your neighborhood, your town, your city? Pick a random place to meet and don't set a destination. As you walk around new blocks, you'll feel inspired to tell each other fond childhood stories. And when those run out, people-watch. Welcome the possibility of haphazard interruptions, and when things get weird, start "leisurely running"!
If you need to get away, tell them that you dropped something and that they should keep running ahead — you'll catch up. Then, run back, turn at a random street, and keep running. If you're a nice person, you can text them later that you had to find a bathroom and ended up getting lost.
Andrew Richard / BuzzFeed
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