Seattle’s Best First Date Spots

By Rachel Belle

Listen to Top 10 First Date Spots in Seattle

My first date ever was very romantic. I was 14 years
old and I went on a double date with my best friend and
two guys who were also best friends. We went to the movies
and saw the most romantic movie one could imagine for a
first date: The Jerky Boys Movie. [insert sarcasm
here] That relationship ended four months later and I
can’t help but blame our crude beginning. But does the
location of a first date really matter?

The dating site HowAboutWe.com surveyed its
users and then announced the Top 10 First Date Spots in
Seattle. Number one on the list? Safeco Field.

Siiri Sampson’s first date with Harrison was at a
Mariners game. They met online, so the first time they
officially met was at Safeco. But the date did not get off
to a great start.

“This is last September 11th and so it was the 10 year
anniversary. There was this huge, solemn ceremony that
they did at the beginning that lasted 20 minutes. Which is
not a great way to start a first date. The night before
happened to be a girlfriend’s 30th birthday and we all
went out and had a little bit too much to drink. So I woke
up in the morning and I have, maybe, the worst hangover
I’ve ever had in my entire life. Oh, and I’m late, on top
of that, and I haven’t taken a shower, so this is going
really well!”

But despite an initial roll of the eyes from Harrison,
the date went really well.

“We ended up talking about all the things you aren’t
supposed to talk about on a first date: Religion and
politics and philosophy and past relationships and
marriage. All the things you don’t want to lay out on the
table, first thing.”

Almost a year later, the two are totally in love and
Siiri says Safeco Field definitely has a special place in
their hearts.

“For Christmas, I got Harrison and I these matching
bracelets. They have on them, the longitude and latitude
coordinates of home plate at Safeco Field as sort of an
homage to where we started. It did make it special because
when we go there, we think ‘That’s really where we did
first meet.'”

The 9th most popular place in Seattle to take a first
date: Dick’s Drive-In.

“It was really late one night and it was Halloween of
1987,” says Carrie Clogston. “I was 17 years old and I was
at Dick’s Drive-In on 45th.”

Carrie didn’t plan on having a first date that night,
but…

“Repeatedly, this very inebriated, slimy, man kept
stumbling over to me and I kept lying to him and telling
him I had a boyfriend.

Carrie & David Clogston

The next time he stumbled over,
after his fifth attempt, I turned around
and in line there were four men. I scanned all four of
them and I picked one and I said ‘You’re here!’ and he
gave me a big hug and I said ‘Pretend to be my boyfriend’
and he put his arm around me and that was that.”

They exchanged numbers and were married four years
later. This year marks 25 years since their accidental
first date.

“It’s such a silly sort of circumstance that turned
into such a really important event in my life. So, yeah,
Dick’s Drive-In is very meaningful.”

And they celebrate their anniversary accordingly.

“One Halloween, David and I dressed like Dick’s
workers. We had the Dick’s t-shirt and the little hats and
fake cheeseburgers. We’ve been back a number of times on
Halloween with the girls to take pictures.”

Carrie and David’s story even landed her a spot in a
Dick’s TV commercial.

“I was 23 and my lines were really silly. I mean, it
was like ‘Really late one night, I met my husband David at
Dick’s.’ Then I had to roll my eyes and say, ‘It was
destiny!'”

Top Ten most Popular First Date Destinations
(according to a survey done by
HowAboutWe.com)

1. Safeco field
2. Alki Beach Park
3. Pike Place Market
4. Discovery Park
5. Pacific Science Center
6. Bauhaus Books & Coffee
7. Pike Street Fish Fry
8. La Carta de Oaxaca
9. Dick’s Drive-In
10. Seattle Art Museum

Note: The Jerky Boys movie is not on the list.