Men - Great Ideas for a First Date

So you have a new girl in your sights. Sometimes getting the first date can be the hardest part. If you are having some difficulty getting an enthusiastic reception, you might try getting your foot in the door by offering her some irresistible bait. Appeal to her innate desire to redecorate the entire world to suit her fancy. Explain that you have been trying to improve your image, and really need a woman's touch. Offer to buy her lunch if she will assist you in a complete makeover (funded by you, of course). Now you are going to have to go through with the gig, so be prepared to buy some new clothes, get a new haircut, and possibly a manicure or facial. The good news is that even if this relationship doesn't work out, the makeover is going to help you land the next prospect.

But let's say you are secure in your image and your dream girl is showing interest. You still have a quandary-how to make the best impression you can in one social interaction. Forget dinner and a movie. There is nothing more lethal to a first date than sitting down to a meal and trying to make conversation cold turkey. To start a date off with a meal is suicide. You are also not going to bond with someone sitting in a dark theatre watching a movie. You can't look at them and you can't talk to them. A formal evening engagement can be a bit much for a first date as well.

The best plan for a first date is to pick an afternoon and plan an adventure followed by lunch or an early evening meal. That's right, an adventure. Try to find something that will create opportunity for interaction and natural conversation. What that adventure might be, will depend on your prospective paramour.

Some dates are easier to read than others. For instance if she is an athletic/competitive type, you can simply challenge her to the sporting activity of her preference. Or if she has a sense of humor perhaps an activity out of the ordinary such as bowling or go-carts. Make it interesting with the wager being who ever wins buys lunch. But of course, offer to buy lunch anyway even if you don't win, because no one likes a cheapskate-especially on a first date.

But not all women are so easy to please. You may have your sights on the socially conscious, "save the whales and starving children" kind of lady. Meet her where she lives. Nothing provides a better context for interaction than working together; that's why there are so many office affairs. So bring that knowledge along with her humanitarian tendencies together for some first date savy. Homeless shelters, the humane society, battered woman's shelters, clubs for inner city children - all of these organizations need volunteers to help upkeep and do a hundred odd jobs you might not even imagine. So find out what her interest are, and call ahead to plan a volunteering effort followed by lunch.

Creative types are their own world of funky. Good luck taking this wild ride. Museums are good, especially ones with interactive exhibits. But if you want to make some points, plan something creative like going on a photo shoot. Get your camera and go on a trip taking pictures that follow a certain theme. For instance windmills, gargoyles, or lawn gnomes. If you really want to make a supreme sacrifice tell her you will fix her lunch if she will come help you paint a mural in your bedroom. You can paint over the mural later if the relationship doesn't work out, and in the meantime the paint fumes might just compromise her senses enough that you could score. (I mean score a second date, what were you thinking?) By the way, don't actually try to cook lunch on a first date. Cater or order in.

Of course there are some other fun things you can try. A hike in the woods followed by a picnic lunch is always a winner. And it's hard to go wrong with a petting zoo, a carnival, or county fair. The important thing is to make sure that the activity planned for a first date provides a natural opportunity for conversation, is appropriate to the personality of your date, and creates a relaxed happy atmosphere for cupid to do his thing. Oh and try not to be a complete hound dog- wait for at least the second date before you make any big romantic moves.