Posted in Dancing, Date Night, Drinking, Fishtown/Kensington, Friday, Good for a first date, Good for a friend date, Good for a group date, I asked you first! What do you want to do?, Let's do something outside, Monday, Thursday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Where should we meet?, tagged backyard, beer, beer garden, cheap date, cheap date idea, diner, Happy Hour, patio, philly, Silk City, tiki bar on June 1, 2011| Leave a Comment »
Summer means t-shirts, shorts, sundresses, sandals, and sunshine. It also means the spectre of the possible date disaster – SWEATING. That’s why every cheap dater needs a go-to spot to enjoy a cool drink outside, with equal parts shade and ambiance. Read my full review at drinkphilly.com and find out where!
Posted in Center City East, Date Night, Drinking, Friday, Good for a first date, Good for a friend date, I asked you first! What do you want to do?, Let's do something inside, Monday, Old City, Thursday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Where should we meet?, tagged beer, Belgian, Beneluxx, cheap date, cheap date idea, cheese fondue, chocolate fondue, Eulogy, fondue, Old City, philly, romantic, tasting room, wine on April 6, 2011| Leave a Comment »
The Beneluxx Tasting Room in Old City is easy to miss, but for those looking for romance on a budget, its wine, cheese, beer, and chocolate are well-worth discovering. Read the full review at Drink Philly and find out why!
Posted in Art, Center City East, Chinatown, Date Night, Exhibits/Museums, Fishtown/Kensington, Friday, Good for a first date, Good for a friend date, Good for a group date, Let's do something inside, Let's do something outside, Live Entertainment, Misc. Adventures, Northern Liberties, Old City, South Philly, Where should we meet?, tagged art scene in Philly, cheap date idea, first date idea, First Friday, highwire gallery, Old City, philly, philly art, PJ Smalley, Space 1026, Stupid Easy, trust gallery, vox populi on March 30, 2011| Leave a Comment »
On the first Friday of every month, Philadelphia’s art galleries stay open late and welcome everyone — from casual passerby to serious collectors — to come in and peruse their current curations. The aptly dubbed “First Friday” has been happening, rain or shine, since 1991, and has become one of the city’s most visible and popular events. Although historically focused on the 40+ galleries between Front and Vine and Market and 3rd streets in Old City, First Friday open houses are now hosted by galleries all over the city, from Space 1026 in Chinatown to the Projects Gallery in Northern Liberties to Highwire in Fishtown. The best thing about this expansion is that, even though every First Friday shares the same core elements, depending on who’s showing what where, you can have a radically different experience every single time.
How cheap we talkin’: FREE!
Why this will impress your date: Because you can show you are as comfortable around refined oil portraits as you are around avante-garde video art. This is a good thing, I promise.
The Inside Game: If you want to know who’s showing where, need to plan a route, or find galleries in a particular neighborhood, there are a lot of great resources for planning ahead, like this linked list of Philly art galleries. Another great resource is Phrequency’s “DIY First Friday” list, conveniently organized by neighborhood. The Philadelphia Weekly also shares its pick of noteworthy exhibitions each month in its Arts and Culture section.
Score Extra Points: By doing a little homework before hand (see above) and then leading the way. Strolling from gallery to gallery is perfect for hand-holding.
Next date: Friday April 1, 2011! And then the first Friday of every month, all year round (approximately 5-9pm).
Keep reading for highlights from First Fridays past, and where to find the galleries that still have free booze!
Posted in Anytime, Date Night, Drinking, Friday, Good for a first date, Good for a friend date, Good for a group date, I asked you first! What do you want to do?, Let's do something inside, Monday, Queen Village/Bella Vista, Saturday, Sunday, Thursday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Where should we meet?, tagged Bella Vista, Bella Vista Beer Distributors, cheap date idea, cheap date philly, couches, cozy, craft beers, Date, Fireplace, Fireside, Hawthorne, Hawthorne's, philly, shandy on February 11, 2011| Leave a Comment »
It’s that time of the season: the excitement of the holidays is over, the novelty of snow has worn off, it’s f*ing freezing outside, and it will be for the foreseeable future. Under these conditions it can be very hard to get excited about leaving the house for a date. Unless it involves curling up next to a fireplace with a perfect winter beer like I did on a recent date at Hawthorne’s in Bella Vista. Click here to read the full date review at drinkphilly.com!
Cheap Date writes a monthly column for Drink Philly featuring cheap dates for drink lovers.vOr for those of us (read: me) that drink on dates just so as not to throw up from nerves…
Posted in Date Night, Drinking, Good for a first date, Good for a friend date, Good for a group date, I asked you first! What do you want to do?, Lectures/Discussions/Readings, Let's do something inside, Northern Liberties, Saturday, Where should we meet?, tagged beer, beer and fudge, beer flights, cheap date idea, cheap date philly, environmental businesses, free tour, philly, tasting room, Yards, Yards Brewery tour, Yards Brewing Company on January 10, 2011| 1 Comment »
On Saturdays, the Yards Brewing Company offers free tours of their facilities. I went there with a date last weekend, and we enjoyed their tour as well as their tasting room. Read the full date review here!
Cheap Date writes amonthly column for Drink Philly featuring cheap dates for drink lovers. Or for those of you (er, me) that need to drink on your dates so as not to throw up from nerves…
Posted in Anytime, Center City East, Center City West, Dancing, Date Night, Drinking, Good for a first date, I asked you first! What do you want to do?, Let's do something inside, Let's do something outside, Live Entertainment, Misc. Adventures, Music, Saturday, Sunday, Where should we meet?, tagged Buskers in Philadelphia, Busking, cheap date ideas, cheap date philly, City Hall, I'm Seeing Other Blogs, PhilaDate, philly, Rittenhouse, street performers, Suburban Station, tator tots, Village Whiskey on January 3, 2011| Leave a Comment »
Meg poses with a Santa we encountered at Suburban Station
Blog: PhilaDate — Hot Spots for Great Dates in Illadel!
Age: Started blogging in October 2010.
Likes: Walking the city, singing, jazz and blues, and being the go-to source for her friends (especially her guy friends) for date ideas sure to impress the ladies.
Dislikes: Negative Feedback. (Who doesn’t?)
Little Known Fact: Also writes Songs That Won’t Make You Vomit, where she details the ups and downs of her dating life as it relates to, and reminds her of favorite songs.
Favorite Cheap Date: Brunch at Fitzwater Café.
Meg Mirzoff is a 27 year old “self proclaimed dating pro” and the author of PhilaDate, a relatively new (October 2010) blog that highlights fun date spots culled from Meg’s own extensive experience with both dating and Philadelphia. A lifelong area resident, her twitter profile quips positively that “Philly is a hotbed for the singles… you just gotta put yourself out there!” And that is exactly what Meg did when she agreed to meet me for a blind date after I pitched my I’m Seeing Other Blogs idea to her via email.
Of course, as soon as we met I realized that Meg really never had a moment’s hesitation – a spirit of adventure is just a part of who she is. Outgoing and enthusiastic, her fun-loving personality comes across in her blog as well. For example, for a date with “heat” she recommends following a meal of tacos with a night out dancing at a salsa club, and she isn’t afraid of proposing ideas for a 24-hour long date (for some “serious” quality time).
Her idea for our Cheap Date was equally adventuresome: an afternoon Busker-hunting in and around Suburban Station, followed by drinks at Village Whiskey. For those that don’t know (I didn’t), “Busking” is the act of performing in public while soliciting tips or gratuities (i.e. passing the hat). Those engaged in Busking are called “Buskers,” also known as street performers, street musicians, minstrels, or troubadours. I’ve passed by countless such performers before − on South Street, in Rittenhouse, and in the subway stations – but it hadn’t occurred to me that intentionally seeking out these performances could make for a highly entertaining afternoon and a great cheap date.
How cheap we talkin’: $1-5 in tips for the Buskers; Approx. $6 for a beer at Village Whiskey.
Why this will impress your date: Not only does Busking have a long history dating back to at least the 1860’s, but today’s Buskers have their own culture involving unspoken but understood rules and customs about who gets to play when, and where.
Score Extra Points: By ordering tater tots to share at Village Whiskey. They are only $3 and they are delicious.
The Inside Game: All Buskers are entertainers, but not all are equally entertaining. For a nice profile of various Philly Buskers and their stomping grounds, check out this article from Penn music blog God Save the Beat, or this blog by local Busker David Richenbacher.
Next Date: Anytime! But Saturday and Sunday afternoons are a pretty safe bet at Suburban Station, as well as early evenings weeknights (rush hour).
Posted in Center City West, Date Night, Drinking, Friday, Good for a first date, I asked you first! What do you want to do?, Let's do something inside, Live Entertainment, Monday, Music, Rittenhouse, Wednesday, Where should we meet?, tagged Bar 210, cheap date idea, classical music, Field Concert Hall, Fish, free concert, philly, Philly cheap dates, Rittenhouse, Student Recital Series, The Curtis Institute on December 1, 2010| 1 Comment »
Did you know that one of the world’s leading music conservatories is located in Philadelphia, and that their uber-talented students showcase their talents every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday evening throughout the school year at recitals that are free and open to the public? Neither did I, until I went on a date there a few weeks ago.
The students are from the prestigious Curtis Institute of Music, and their recitals are performed an intimate 240-person auditorium (Field Concert Hall) (handicapped accessible) located in the Institute’s “main building” – a gorgeously preserved 19th century mansion located at 1726 Locust Street, near the south-east corner of Rittenhouse Square park.
My date and I dressed up special for the occasion (think fine wool suit, cufflinks, swishy dress, pointy heels) and met for a pre-concert drink at the swanky Bar 210 at Lacroix across the park. The location was certainly convenient, and their happy-hour (5-7pm) of half-priced cocktails ($6 instead of the usual $12) is a great deal, but the ambience was a little sedate. Next time I’d go to Fish instead. Located a few blocks away at 1708 Lombard streed, Fish has an intimate bar that overlooks their open kitchen, filling the small space with the sights and sounds of the chefs at work, a nice prelude (and contrast) to the sights and sounds to be enjoyed at the concert hall afterwards.
How cheap we talkin’: The recitals are FREE! Happy hour drinks and/or snacks, $7-$15 (with tax/tip).
Why this will impress your date: Watching these amazingly able child-prodigies perform will impress anybody. And your date will appreciate you for being the kind of person who would think of such a nice way to spend an evening together, despite your having only average musical abilities.
The Inside Game: Make sure to get the the concert at least 10-15 minutes early to secure a seat. The recitals start promptly at 8pm (they won’t let you walk in once it’s started) and the auditorium is filled on a first-come, first-seated basis. But even if the recital does reach capacity you can still watch the live feed on a flat-screen television in the lobby.
Score Extra Points: By remembering to sneak in a water bottle.
Next Date: Student recitals are at 8pm (almost) every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday evening from October 11 through May. Have a favorite composer? Check the schedule to see who’s playing, as well as what pieces/instruments.
Posted in Where should we meet?, Let's do something inside, West Philly/University City, I asked you first! What do you want to do?, Live Entertainment, Good for a first date, Good for a friend date, Date Night, Thursday, Good for a group date, Drinking, Music, tagged Thursday, Live Music, cheap date idea, date night, philly, millcreek tavern, cloud entertainment, west philly bars, free bands, indie rock, philly music scene, millcreek lager, chris rossello, alcoholic faith mission, free music on November 24, 2010| Leave a Comment »
Read the full date review at drinkphilly.com! Cheap Date writes a monthly column for Drink Philly featuring cheap dates for drink lovers. Or for those of you (er, me) that need to drink on your dates so as not to throw up from nerves.
Cheap Date Philadelphia 