This one is for my girls. Whether it was when we meet up talking late night over Earl Grey or burning up the celly, I hear you when you say you're missing that certain something.
These days, fellas are too often operating from a shopworn, one-size-fits-Every-Girl manual. Or maybe it seems like they barely scratch your surface. Missed connections, indeed.
I always thought Jill Scott had it right: When it comes to romance, a walk in the park after dark can be sublime. Starting with a simple spot to spark conversation can be both memorable and effective.
While I certainly appreciate a guy who'll whisk me off to the Griffin while it's still in previews or make reservations at warmly-lit Il Buco, one of my best (PG) dates ever started casually at a pub on the L.E.S. and wound its way to my companion's tiny downtown apartment, where the books were so plentiful they doubled as furniture.
He fed me left-over birthday cake from a pastry box and then thumbed through three compact photo albums' worth of his history. As nondescript music played on his MAC, we dialogued until morning began to knock at the windows.
***
When I was little, I used to watch after-school re-runs of "Three's Company" with my grandmother, who spoke no English. The sexual innuendo was mostly over my head (and hers?), but I loved what I thought was a reenactment of how grown folk dated.
You know?? [Laughs] Janet or Chrissy would be on the rotary phone 4, 5 nights a week like, "Okay, I'll meet you at 8 at the Regal Beagle." The lively bar was just up the stairs from their beachfront Santa Monica, Calif., apartment. They'd get off work, throw on the high-waisted skirt, tan wedge heels, and go.
The Regal Beagle was low-key atmosphere, no prix-fixe menus or hipster cred.
But now I think the Regal Beagle is a state of mind. It just means you're open to possibility.
Posts
