Alright guys, today I tried out what might be the absolute best first date idea ever, and lemme walk you through the whole mess from start to finish. Seriously, sick of those awkward coffee dates where you just stare at each other.
Why I Even Tried This
My buddy Dave got dumped after taking his girl to some fancy restaurant where the salad cost twenty bucks. Said it felt like a job interview. Got me thinking – first dates gotta be casual, something where you’re doing stuff, not just talking. Takes the pressure off. So I remembered this old fire pit spot by the river.
What I Actually Did
First, texted Sarah – matched with her last week. Kept it simple: “Wanna ditch the boring coffee and build a fire by the river Friday? I’ll bring the marshmallows.” Figured worst she could say was no. She actually replied “hell yes” in like two minutes flat.
Prep was chaos Thursday night. Grabbed:
- A busted old blanket from my trunk (washed it, kinda)
- Half a bag of charcoal from my balcony
- Marshmallows, chocolate bars, graham crackers – smashed ’em all into one grocery bag
- Two folding chairs I borrowed from my neighbor
- Cheap bluetooth speaker for tunes
Friday rolled around. Picked Sarah up – she showed up wearing actual hiking boots, which felt like a win already. Drove out to Miller’s Point, that gravel parking lot next to the old railroad bridge. Totally forgot the damn firewood. Had to stop at that gas station on Route 9. Guy charged me fifteen bucks for six soggy logs. Robbery.
Got to the river spot just as the sun was dipping. Wind was whipping though – nearly blew my lighter out ten times trying to light the charcoal. Sarah just laughed and grabbed some dry twigs while I wrestled the lighter. Finally got some flames going. We shoved the wet logs on top – smoked like crazy for twenty minutes before catching properly.
Where Things Got Real
Sat in those stupid flimsy chairs roasting marshmallows. Mine caught fire immediately – black lump. Sarah actually nailed hers, golden brown. We made smores, fingers sticky, laughing about how trash I was at fire stuff. Wind kept kicking smoke in our faces – had to keep shifting chairs. Got talking about dumb camping fails as kids. Turns out she set her family’s tent on fire once. Instant connection over being disasters.
Was dark by then. Stars came out crazy bright – no city lights. Threw some random Spotify playlist on the speaker. Didn’t even need to talk much. Just sat there, ate burnt marshmallows, watched the river flicker in the firelight. Total silence for like five minutes and it wasn’t awkward at all. She pointed out constellations. I lied and pretended I knew them.
Pack up took forever. Kicked dirt on the fire ten times – still glowing. Sarah stole my car keys and dumped her water bottle on it while I wasn’t looking. Genius. Found melted chocolate all over the damn folding chairs when we folded ’em up.
Final Result
Drove her home covered in dirt and smoke smell. Both starving ’cause smores aren’t dinner – stopped for greasy diner fries at midnight. Best part? Before she hopped out, she goes “Okay, you were right. Way better than coffee.” Got a second date locked in for Saturday. Might actually buy dry firewood this time.
Seriously, don’t overthink it. Fire pits > small talk every single time.
