Blind Date: Evan & Cristian hope for a TopGolf date they’ll never FOREget

Our Blind Date series is proudly presented by Criswell & Criswell Plastic Surgery. Husband and wife team, Drs. Bryan and Kara Criswell, know how important it is to find someone who brings out your best features. Here’s to finding the Criswell to your Criswell.

We’re back with a new Blind Date, and it’s a milestone one: It’s the first in-person date since the start of the pandemic.

We sure hope it can stay this way, so if everyone can swipe left on the Delta variant, we’d be grateful!

PARTICIPATE: Want the chance to get matched?

Tell us about yourself in this quick Axios Blind Date Survey.

To see past installments of the series, click here. Responses have been edited lightly for length and clarity.

Let’s meet our participants!

First, we’ve got Evan.

He’s 29 and works as a teacher.

He loves flatwater kayaking and swimming, as well as trying new restaurants and spending time with family and friends.

He describes himself as “easygoing and perceptive” and is looking for someone who is confident in where they are in life, grounded and respectful of differing opinions.

Then there’s Cristian.

She’s 26 and works as an athletic trainer. She loves reading, visiting farmers’ markets, brewery hopping, and trying out new restaurants.

She describes herself as authentic and is looking for someone mature, comfortable with where he is in life, and well-rounded.

We sent these two to Topgolf’s new University location.

Let’s see how they fared, shall we?

Have you been dating during the pandemic? What has that been like?

Evan: It’s been kind of challenging to establish meaningful relationships from a distance. The opportunity to go and do an activity that’s outdoors and felt comfortable and to meet someone new was a great time.

Cristian: Not really. I’ve been using the pandemic as a time to kind of focus on myself.

How were you meeting people in the Before Times?

Evan: Typically, it was like, “Oh, I have a friend that might be you might be interested in.”

I did try dating apps, but they felt kind of superficial. Looking at someone based on a picture and going into it not knowing a lot about them was always a scary aspect to me.

Cristian: I’d say through friends of friends. I hate the dating apps, honestly.

What was the date like? 

Evan: We golfed for a few hours and then we grabbed another round of drinks so that we could sit down and chat. TopGolf was a really cool concept. I’d never done it before, but it was something I always wanted to try.

I really appreciated the opportunity to cross something off my bucket list. I had a great time socializing and meeting someone in a different way.

Cristian: It was good! He arrived before me, which surprised me because I’m always way ahead of somebody. He was sitting there and I was like, “Oh, this has to be him. He’s the only guy in a red polo.”

We hit some golf balls and it was a blast. I’d never been to TopGolf before. Truthfully, I’d never swung a golf club before. We played a couple of different games and it was really fun. Then, once our time was up in the bay, we sat at the bar and had another drink and chatted.

On a scale of 1-10, how would you rate your conversation?

Evan: I’d say like an eight and a half. We had a really good conversation and I felt like we had a lot in common. We’re both kind of tired of the casual dating scene and are looking for something with a little bit more substance.

Cristian: I’d say a nine. There were no awkward moments or anything like that.

On a scale of 1-10, how would you rate your chemistry?

Evan: I’d say like a seven. With our first time meeting each other, I felt like we clicked in a couple of different areas, especially with what we were looking for as individuals. So that was very comforting.

Cristian: I’d say an eight. There were good vibes. He’s a really nice guy.

On a scale of 1-10, how would you rate the date overall?

Evan: I’d probably give it about a nine. I had a great time and the activity was stupendous.

Cristian: I’d say an eight. The conversation went really well and flowed easily. We had a lot of things in common that we could talk about.

How did you leave it?

Evan: We exchanged numbers and I’d definitely be down to hang out with her again.

Cristian: He walked me to my car, which I thought was so nice. Then I gave him my number and he texted me the next day and we talked about meeting up in Plaza Midwood or NoDa sometime.

Update: They’re planning to grab coffee and walk around NoDa soon. Keep your fingers crossed for them!

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