RSS FeedCrazyBlindDate Includes PQ
There are lots of dating sites on the Internet with Match.com being one of the most popular. We thought we’d seen it all until we heard of CrazyBlindDate.com which sets people up on truly blind dates. You can’t get “winked” at virtually and no e-mails pass directly between you and your date before the date actually happens. CrazyBlindDate uses a combination of text messaging and e-mails to set up a pair or a double date. It also allows you to select regions of the city where you can have your date with the Chinatown-Penn Quarter being one of the downtown selections. C, a woman, wrote in to the PQ Living mailbag asking for some help on the PQ. Maybe we can all help get opinions out there for good first date locales in our ‘hood and help C out too!
Hey guys,
I need some advice. I signed up for crazyblinddate.com, and they set me up for a blind date next Saturday evening. I get to pick from a list of places to go, and they’re all in Penn Quarter:
1. Gifford’s Ice Cream & Candy – Never been, but it seems like an odd place for a date.
2. Footnotes Cafe – Never even heard of it.
3. La Tasca – Never been here either.
4. Teaism – I like Teaism, but I think it would be awkward for a first date.
5. Zaytinya – Love it, but I know it gets crowded on weekends. Would I be able to find her? The description she gave of herself is vague.
6. Gordon Biersch – Never heard of it.
7. Starbucks – I know it sounds crazy, but it might be easiest to meet here. And I can chill there with a book if she’s late or stands me up.
I don’t hang out in Penn Quarter that much, so I don’t know what would be the best place to meet. Suggestions? Thanks!
C
If you enjoyed this post, please consider leaving a comment or subscribing to the feed and get future articles delivered to your feed reader.
Comments
Footnotes? Seriously?
It’s a good enough place to read a paper on Saturday morning but for a date? Particularly a blind date?
Unless you want to sit in a bookstore with a slight mildew smell (come on olsson’s, I love you, but get some new carpet), where everyone walking by can see you, skip this option.
Stay away from Zaytinya as a choice. Tom Sietsema just did an article on noise levels in restaurants, in the Washington Post’s Sunday magazine this past weekend, and Zaytinya was high on the decibel “can’t hear a thing” list. Gifford’s is too “let’s get a cone after a movie date,” Teaism is too zen let’s chew bark vibe if that makes sense. La Tasca would be ok. But for a blind date? Starbucks might be a good neutral starting point. You can always shift.
Eek! Online dating meets russian roulette. My vote is for Starbucks. If the date ends up being awkward or uninteresting, you can end it after you’re done with your coffee. Or if it goes really well, you can follow it up with an actual meal.
I think Giffords would be great for this. Potentially quick, non-stressful and different than the typical coffee. Plus the ice cream is quite good.
I would go La Tasca or Zaytinya, probably in that order. Just meet at the bar. Gordon B. is fine too, although not a big fan.
Starbucks is a fine place to start, I guess, if you are going to move on. But you have to get a table, wait for her, then leave her to order a drink at the counter, wait in line, wait for the drink . . . I’d rather be waited on by someone during a first date so I can concentrate.
BTW, Starbucks was closed last night at 10:30, are they no longer 24hr?
Call up La Tasca and find out if they have a band! On the nights when they do, they’re even louder than Zaytinya. Personally, I think you should meet up earlier on Saturday so that you can tour the Portrait Gallery, but hey, that’s what second dates are for! 
I’ll vote for Teaism. It’s inexpensive, but has good-quality food and drinks, you don’t have to get a full dinner but can just have a tasty snack.
Go for La Tasca. It’s fun and gives you options depending on how the date goes. You can stay at the bar and people watch, get a nice table by the window, or go to a quieter table in the back.
So how is this different from going out with a complete stranger you meet on a bus? Oh yeah, you get to pay a fee!
yeah, this is just weird, or a spoof. If C is a woman, she’s planning to meet another woman, which is fine by me if it’s ok with both of them. Second, is anyone truly that ignorant of the places in DC [most of the places mentioned are chains]? The only places she knows are Teaism & Starbucks.
weird – who would want some set up like this? just go to a bar or a museum or walk around & meet someone… but then again, different strokes for different folks…
I don’t believe it’s a spoof. CrazyBlindDate is a beta service meaning they probably are looking to test the concept and not generate revenue right now. personally, I think it’s an interesting idea. it’s all anonymous and other dating sites ask you to write a college application’s worth of information before even trying to make contact with anyone.
CrazyBlindDate does not charge for their service and I believe the places to meet for dates are preselected by the site (which might explain Gifford’s being on the list!?!). maybe someone who’s used it successfully can enlighten readers.
the CrazyBlindDate FAQ is here.
P.S. PQ Living has no official connection with CrazyBlindDate.
Gifford’s is just a bad choice IMO in terms of safety. There are hardly any seats which increases the possibility that you’ll have to go on a walk with them with ice cream in hand. Don’t you want to be in a busy, social public place, preferably with a server or bartender present, if you are going on a “crazy” blind date, just in case? I don’t have THAT much confidence in their vetting procedures.
Just read the FAQ . . . is the Mayflower a venue for the Downtown area? This website seems a bit sleazy IMO.
P.S. dave has no official connection with any of CrazyBlindDate’s competitors.
I haven’t used it, but I played around on their site. It’s not completely like meeting a stranger on a bus… you can set a few basic criteria that may be important to you (religion, for example), and they claim to use answers to questions to create better matches.
As for Footnotes, it looks like they won’t be around much longer anyway… the latest BID newsletter mentioned the “rumor” that was posted here a while back, that Olsson’s will soon be a Wagamama.
Gordon is a great place for a first date. Interesting architecture, decent food, great beer. You can have a quick meal or stay all night if it goes well.
so…. what happened with her/her? if it wasn’t an ad/vertisement? 😉
interesting idea. I always wished i could run my own hurrydate. but then I remember, there’s no guys in dc :). no offense, boys.
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.
If that’s all you can choose from I’d ask for an upstairs table at Gordon Biersch. Upstairs is not as loud, they have great beer and food and it’s not too formal. Since its a blind date, I wouldn’t want to spend the money at a place like Zaytinya. If you can select something not on the list, I’d go for District Chop House – again, not too formal but still nice.