Unpopular Dating Advice: Mr. "Meet Me Halfway" Is A Pain In The Arse
Location, location, location. What's true for real estate is also true for romance.
I was looking forward to my date with Mr. Bean.* Our texts were feisty, and he had a subversive sense of humor that intrigued me. But then we hit a common first-date stumbling block — where to meet.
I prefer not to Google men before a first date because it feels inorganic and kills the mystery. My approach is unorthodox and utterly old-fashioned. It's also unsafe.
Consequently, I have one rule regarding first dates with online strangers — I insist our date happen in a bar near my home where I know the bartenders.
Mr. Bean lives 30 minutes from me in a rough part of the city. I live in a suburb where a newsworthy tragedy is teens feeding the local ducks joints.
Mr. Bean suggests I come to him.
I respond, "I don't feel safe driving to (x city). I don't know you yet. Would you mind coming to my neighborhood? If we hit it off, I promise to come to you on the second date."
He responds, "But I know all the good restaurants here."
I have stated my boundaries clearly to Mr. Bean. I am not comfortable meeting a stranger in…
