Seattle Times ‘cheap date’ ideas to avoid

The Seattle Times put out a list of 13 ideas for cheap dates and I’d like to bring some attention to the ideas if only to shame folks who actually go through with them. Why? Seems rather callous to some of you, I’m sure. But you should never be on the lookout for cheap dates. Dates shouldn’t be treated cheaply, but I get the appeal — times are tough for a lot of us. But if you’re going down the route of saving money on these dates, you should come up with the ideas yourself; if you’re going to be a cheap date, don’t be lazy and have someone else come up with the idea for you. Use the creativity I know you all have.

Here are some ideas on cheap dates from the Times:

-“A coffee date is the safe fallback. But how about revving it up, by sharing a venti with a view? Meet at the Starbucks on the 40th floor of the Columbia Center, 701 Fifth Ave., downtown Seattle. It’s open 5:30 a.m.-6 p.m. Mondays-Fridays.”

Respectfully, you shouldn’t want a “safe fall back,” and, frankly, getting coffee isn’t a date. It’s a pre-date. It’s what you do when you’re not sure you’re into someone. You get coffee, spend a few bucks, and offer just a little bit of your time.

Also, I don’t think dates can happen during the week, before 6pm; that’s the earliest most dates should start. It seems too casual.

-“What Seattle Center modestly calls ‘The Best Damn Happy Hour Ever’ busts out at the Armory, 5-8 p.m. every third Thursday. Cheap drinks, food specials, plus Giant Jenga (teams of three), raffles, free old-school video games and board/dice games for the borrowing. Sounds happy, yes?”

Okay, this is just plain inconvenient. Can you imagine saying, “Hey, Sally… Hey John… how’s about we go out on a date… I’m thinking the third Thursday of the month… maybe play a game of giant Jenga?” Yeah, that’s not happening.

That Jenga game also requires a team of 3, which means you have to recruit someone, and there’s no winning! You’ll pick an attractive person and then you’ll end up paying attention to them and your date will be mad. Or you’ll end up picking an attractive person and your date will be more into them. Or you pick someone who you don’t think poses a threat via their looks but they may have a great personality and then your date and them will hit it off and everything will turn platonic.

-“A meander around the roses at the Ballard Locks, a peek at the fish ladder, some yacht envy – oh, and a free concert by quintet Dukes and Diva at 2 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 9 – fit the bill (seattle.gov).”

Yeah, well, I broke up with someone two days after I did this very date so I can’t, in good conscience, recommend this. But maybe I’m just a really bad date.

What say you? What are dating ideas YOU have? Post them below. -Jason Rantz