Blind Date: John and Emily bond over duckpin bowling at Queen Park Social

First, there’s John.

He’s 30 and works in insurance. He describes himself as an “open-minded” person who loves hiking, playing games, trying new restaurants and meeting new people.

• He’s looking for someone who’s “kind, compassionate, open-minded, and intelligent.” John’s new to Charlotte and says even just meeting a friend would be a plus, as he’s looking to expand his network.

Then there’s Emily.

She’s 23 and is a Ph.D. student. She loves trying new restaurants with friends and exploring Charlotte.

• “I may be short, but I make up for it in sarcasm and bad puns,” Emily says in describing herself.
• She’s looking for someone who’s funny and intelligent. Ideally, she says, they’d be able to talk about more trivial topics (read: The Bachelor) just as easily as they could hold a more intellectual conversation.

When we chatted about what they’re looking for, both John and Emily placed an emphasis on intelligence and an adventurous spirit.

• I figured Queen Park Social would allow them to have a deeper conversation, while also infusing a little friendly competition into the evening.

Let’s see how it went, shall we?

How do you typically meet your dates?

John: Well, the pandemic has changed a lot of things. Normally either through friends or at an event, maybe a meetup of some kind.

• But since the pandemic, it’s been harder to get out and do stuff. A lot of regular events that I enjoy have been canceled.

Emily: I’ve used the dating apps on and off. I’m not a huge dating person as is, so it’s been tough during the pandemic to feel comfortable meeting people.

What was your date like? What did you do?

John: It was good! She was really nice.

• We went to Queen Park Social and got some food and a couple of beers.
• We did some duckpin bowling. I’d never heard of that before, so that was cool. I liked that place.

Emily: It was a lot of fun! We met at Queen Park Social.

• We got some food and drinks and just chatted for a little while.
• We did some duckpin bowling, which I was really bad at. 

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

John: I’d say probably like a six or a seven.

• She was really nice, very talkative.
• As far as interests, I’d say we had stuff in common.

Emily: Maybe like an eight. It flowed well.

• There weren’t any awkward pauses or anything and I think we definitely had a lot in common.

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

John: I’d say maybe a six or a seven again. I can’t think of many people I’ve met who I haven’t liked as a person, but as far as a spark … it’s a first date, so who knows?

• It can be hard to tell.

Emily: I’d say maybe a six. It’s always tough for me to feel a connection with someone on the first date.

• I think there’s something there, though.

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

John: I’d say a seven. It was good.

• I feel like on a first date there can be pressure sometimes, but she didn’t seem uncomfortable or anything like that.
• It was an easy conversation.

Emily: I’d say like a seven.

• I definitely had a good time. It was one of the best first dates I’ve been on.

• I think a lot of the hold-up was just me being me, in terms of just having trouble opening up to people at first.
• I had fun though!

So how did you leave it?

John: We exchanged numbers. I texted her afterward and said that I had a good time and we should do something again.

• I’m not sure if I see a romantic connection coming out of it. With a first date, it’s hard to tell.
• It’s a lot easier if people are open to friendship first because then there’s less pressure on it. You never know where something might go from there.

Emily: We exchanged numbers and he texted me afterward.

• I think we’ll try to meet up again.
• We haven’t planned anything yet, but I’d definitely be open to it.

Update: The two ended up going out again, but Emily declined a third date.

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• To see past installments of the series, click here.

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