I will likely be having my first date with a guy soon.

What are your ideas on what to do on a first date?

CycloneMatt and I just met for dinner. We met at a local restaurant in Iowa City and just got to know one another. It was fun to discover how much we had in common.

If you want to do something in addition to dinner, I would suggest an activity that both of you can do and still be able to talk to one another, like miniature golf or something like that.

Most importantly, just have fun and enjoy the process of getting to know one another. If it feels right, you'll know it and then can work on setting up a second date.

I agree totally with tbbucsalstott: do something where you will both be able to talk to each other. On the first date with my husband, we simply walked around his town and he pointed out various points of interest and we chatted, etc. I think we might have even ducked into a coffee shop for a bit, but we didn't do dinner. If you go to a restaurant, be sure that there won't be loud music or noise such that the two of you can't talk at a comfortable volume. Good luck!

You're getting wonderful advice already, Aaron, but I would only ask if there is an activity or passion that you have in common. Perhaps you could get tickets to a game or the theatre. Is there an art exhibit that you'd like to see? Go to that venue with him, and then go out to dinner together or for a cup of coffee afterwards, where you can have some reference point. There, you can get to know each other. As RanchHand said, make sure it's a quiet place.

Dress up, too. Even if you are going to a game, look your best. You don't have to wear a jacket and tie, if you are only going to a game, but dress better than you usually do. It gives the impression that you care. Be careful, too, not to over-indulge.

Most important advice, though, is to be yourself. Relax. He wouldn't be there, if he were not interested in you.

Have a good time.

If you both like sports, Aeros games are fun. Or UH basketball. Although both can get a little loud. And Rice baseball is just around the corner. Aren't you in Houston? A walk around Memorial Park is also good. The Menil Collection is great (and free!) if you like art, and the parks in the Med Center/Museum District are great places for walking and talking with a big cup of coffee.

I'm going to go against the grain here, but I recommend doing something so that the evening isn't dependent on the conversation. Concert, movie, gallery opening--something where the focus isn't necessarily how compatible you are. That way, if you're not, the evening hasn't been a total loss.

For the conversation (if all goes well), head to a coffeehouse. Cheap(er), simple, a lot less pressure that everything be perfect than dinner is.

Enjoy, enjoy, Aaron! Dating is supposed to be fun. Too often mine wasn't!

aaron, I'd certainly ask him 1st what does he like to do? Then plan from there.

I wouldn't call this a first date. But I met up with my friend and a few his friends. We just had a few beers at a local sports bar.

I was so freaking nervous, just to be around him, away from his workplace. BUt since his friends don't know he's gay, we played it straight - with the occasional rub of the leg, thrown in.

Again I was nervous and it took a few drinks to settle the nerves. Let me tell you how nervous I was. A friend of his offered to buy us an Irish Car Bomb. The waitress poured the Bailey's first and put it in front of us. Me thinking that was the Bomb, shot the drink. His friends were like "Nooooo, that's not it, we didn't even toast". What a bone head, I was.

The night ended okay. His friends left and we stayed out in the parking lot, just talking for a bit. He finally gave me the hug I wanted.

A good semi-first date. Looking forward to the night when it's just us though.

So go on a real date with him (without any friends) already! You should find that you're becoming less nervous around him, and the sooner you go the less time you have to think about things and find excuses to not date him. Believe it or not, there are times when thinking is bad.