December is the time for reflection, which in the blogosphere means: Best-of lists! Here are my Top 5 Cheap Date discoveries of 2011 (in no particular order). These are the dates that stood out in terms of providing the most unique and fun activities, the best atmosphere, and the tastiest food and drink. If you didn’t get to try these last year, make it a resolution!
A trip to the taco truck can be a delightful cheap date. But as winter sets in, the prospect of waiting outside and then hunching over to eat before it all gets cold seems decidedly less pleasant. Enter new Fishtown pub Loco Pez! I spent a lovely date there recently, relaxing at the bar with an oversized margarita and fish tacos – for less than $15! Read the full review here, at Drink Philly (now Drink Nation!)
The lunch date should not be easily dismissed. And no one in Philly knows that better than Jamie, who runs the Philly arm of the blog Midtown Lunch, a review-based site focused specifically on, you guessed it—lunch! First started in New York, the site but has now expanded to the lucky cities of Los Angeles and Philadelphia. Jamie was tapped to run the Philly site, which she now does in addition to the small job of being in law school. Petite and pretty, and wearing some of the coolest pink plastic-frame glasses I’d ever seen, Jamie does not look like a woman who can or does put away a lot of food. But don’t be fooled. On our date, Jamie ate everything with gusto, as well as with a large store of experience and knowledge to size things up against. It is obvious she loves her job and being...
Museums make great dates. And the Philadelphia Museum of Art is world-class. But at $16 a head, it’s sadly out of range for this cheap dater. And though the museum kindly offers pay-what-you-wish admission on the first Sunday of every month, those days are predictably crowded – not necessarily the laid-back atmosphere you’re looking for on a date. What most people don’t realize, however, is that the Art Museum is not just the big building on the hill; it also includes the Ruth and Raymond G. Perelman Building just across the street. With a stunning art deco facade outside, and sleek modern exhibit spaces inside, the Perelman is plenty impressive in it’s own right. The Perelman has showcased many of the museum’s collections, sometimes for the first time, yet it’s hardly ever mobbed. And because it is a smaller space, you can see everything in one visit without feeling...
Going to see a band play can make for a great date. It can also make for a very expensive date, depending on the venue and the band. There are times when it’s fun to splurge on $50+ tickets to see a band you love (Phoenix at the Tower last year, anyone?) but that’s certainly not a cheap date. So where can you see consistently good bands at affordable prices that also has a decent date atmosphere? My go-to venue is Fishtown’s Johnny Brenda’s. How cheap we talkin’? Look for a show that’s $10-$12 at the door. True, that won’t leave much leftover for eating or drinking, but there’s always at least the $3 Kenzingers. Why this will impress your date: Show off your good taste by introducing your date to a new band that you think they will love. That’s what happened on this date, and I was definitely...
I admit that I was a little hesitant at first (ok, resistant may be more accurate) to the idea of trying “disc golf,” “frisbee golf,” (or “FROLF” as my date likes to call it). But after a few hours spent flinging discs, tramping through the woods, and feigning a competitive edge, I was sold. This game is really fun! And being that it’s totally free to play, it’s also a cheap date! In fact, the Sedgley Woods disc golf course is actually one of the oldest free, public pole-hole disc golf courses in the United States. A more detailed history of the sport here in Philadelphia can be found here. Disc golf also has the benefit of being an outdoor sport that takes place mostly under the cover of trees — a definite advantage for hot summer afternoons. And much like standard golf, you can go at your own...
