• Suggest the first meet-up be at a health food supermarket, and each arrive with three or four recipes written down that you enjoy and fit your dietary needs. Try to pick something fairly easy and without too many ingredients. Find one another and share a snack or coffee at the store’s deli or coffee bar— most have them—and get to know one another a little. While you’re doing that, let the other person look over your recipes and have them pick one. When your coffee or snack is done, co-shop for your ingredients, with each person's picking up their own tab. Once purchased, switch bags, then agree for a meet-up for date #2, and using what you bought, prepare the recipe according to the card, as a treat for the other person. You know they’ll like it because it was their recipe. (Don’t shy away from no-bake recipes, if that’s what best meets your needs.) Maybe this will be a picnic at a local park or inside at a mall where you can find tables, so it doesn’t have to include going to the other person's place just yet.
  • Do either of you have a dog? Or does one of you have a service dog? Suggest a dog park or a dog walk, but only with one of you bringing your fur-buddy. That way there’s no chance of the dogs' not hitting it off well enough for you two to be able to enjoy the human hang-time. Next time, switch and let them meet your fur-pal. Dogs bring out our best usually, and they’re instant conversation pieces. Maybe switch it up after a couple dates and opt to bake homemade Pet Treats with one another.
  • Meet up for breakfast and each of you bring a board game. You’re fresher in the morning typically, and no matter how the first interaction goes, you’ll still have the whole day afterward to switch gears. (*Note: Consider avoiding games that include spelling out words. It's not everyone’s strength.)
  • If what you have is time at the end of the day, find a coffee house or other setting with some free live music, and again, bring a board game. They really are great ice- breakers and facilitate your interaction with each other.
  • Consider doing a GROUP date to dinner, a movie, or a comedy club. Some talk, some laughing, and no real pressure to dive into anything other than some easygoing companionship. Besides, it makes for good perspective seeing how each other's friends relate to you both. (Note: This may not be your number one choice if you’re an introvert, have noise sensitivities, or struggle to focus. The group dynamic, along with a potentially louder atmosphere, may add too much stimuli, instead of allowing room for you to connect.)
  • Whatever atmosphere you mutually think would be a great place to get together, bring along the ole' laptop or use your cell phones, and make the evening’s entertainment rehashing the top old Super Bowl commercials. They’ll make for some laughs and groans as you get to know one another, and that’s never a bad way to spend time.
  • Again, pick a mutually agreed upon venue, and build something out of Legos together. Someone will need to agree to bring the Legos; if they have to buy some, the other person then picks up the tab for whatever food & drink you order. If you don’t own any, call around to your friends with kids to see who might have some you can borrow for a day. Craigslist is often helpful in finding volume Legos for less. And the great thing about Legos is that they can go on more than one date, so you might want to be the one to pick some up. If your partner for the date has small motor skill considerations, there's no shame in getting Lincoln Logs or Duplos. Don’t forget to grab a “baseplate” for this one, as it makes building something much more stable and portable. For those who may have sensitivity to sound, sponge blocks or a deck of cards to make a house of cards would be doable, as well. You could play a card game before or after, too.
  • We discuss paper airplanes in another date section, but we think it merits a place in this slot as well. Its low-key but fun. Just go somewhere with plenty of space to test out whose will fly the farthest. Print out some HOW-TOs prior to meeting up. Make sure there’s a good stack of paper along for your adventure (Consider taking along extra paper for bystanders who will undoubtedly end up watching and enjoying your antics, to build one or two along with you. You’ll awe and inspire any kids around you!).
  • Meet up and ride the local mass transit carrier. Just ride and get to know one another. Share what you know about places you pass along the ride. You'll have plenty of things to stir conversation.
  • Dye some hardboiled eggs together. Agree on a meeting venue. We like parks with picnic tables for this one. Dye the eggs while you get to know one another. When you’re done, pat them dry if you are still wanting more hang time, then pull out a couple Sharpie pens and put some faces on them eggs. Exchange the boxes before you part company. Colored eggs aren’t just for holidays. Yeah, there are some supplies to pull together to prep this one, but it’s still cheaper than a dinner and movie gig, and leaves more room for getting to know one another. --- Maybe on your next date, you can look up additional ways to dye eggs using flowers, leaves, spices, etc., then get together somewhere that allows you to pull those off.
  • Go somewhere there’s Internet, and YouTube some different Poker “How Tos”, or maybe just some fancy ways to shuffle cards. Watch for a while, then try your hand at using those skills. No bets, just fun, easygoing competitions. (No fair showing up for this date if you’re already a card shark.)
  • Agree to meet at a book store or library. It doesn’t matter if either of you is an avid reader. This is a quieter atmosphere for initial talks without being totally alone. Plan to choose a book or a book on CD, maybe a DVD or music CD, for each other that will tell them something about yourself. Meet the next week to return the book if it’s the library or for a follow-up on what you thought of the other’s book for date number two.