I don't just have a restaurant with bad juju - I have a "bad date corner." Arlington, VA has a great little neighborhood called Clarendon - it has awesome restaurants that are super fun and it a great little walkable area - perfect for a date! Rewind a couple of years ago, when I was much younger (and maybe a little bit more naive), and I had a series of three dates in Clarendon - all three went HORRIBLY wrong.
During my first couple years in DC, I made many trips back to Michigan. On one of these many flights, I saw a very cute guy in Detroit waiting for our connection. So cute in fact that the next day I even posted a missed connection on Craig's List. Low and Behold - Sean - saw the post and emailed me back! I was shocked - who knew that CL Missed Connections really worked. We talked over email for a couple of days and presto a date was scheduled.
Fast forward a couple of days, and we met at Boulevard Woodgrill. The date was great, conversation seesawed back and forth, there even was touching of the arms. The end of the meal, bill was paid for. Time to leave. Both of us head to the bathroom.
I exited the bathroom and he wasn't there. No big deal. I waited, and waited, and waited. I walked to the front door, looked outside - nothing. I tried calling and texting his phone - and no answer.
I waited 30 minutes, and nothing. He had disappeared. Yup, he went into the bathroom and never came out.
STRIKE 1.
Date 2, Whitlow's on Wilson (WoW)... not as exciting a story. WoW is actually directly diagonally across the street from Boulevard Woodgrill. I met a guy online, we connected and it was cool. He was fresh out of a relationship - but according to him he was ready to date again.
After a awkward date, we said good-bye. I didn't feel too badly about the date, there wasn't a big spark, but it was a typical first date. I could see him again.
But... the next day, I get the "Dear John" email. In black print I read the words that I still laugh about today, "Going out with you made me feel like I don't want to date again." Umm, really?!? Was I that bad? Apparently!
STRIKE 2!
DATE 3: CHEESECAKE FACTORY
Last, but certainly not least, is date 3 at the Cheesecake Factory, while technically not on the exact same corner as the last two, the Cheesecake Factory is only about a block away - so it counts (at least for me - I'm not great with directions!)
I have a bad habit of posting Craig's List ads when I'm bored, usually they go like this, "I'm bored, please email me and distract me from sitting alone and watching tv." You wouldn't believe the emails that poor in from men from all over the metro DC area. It's cheap entertainment for an entire evening! Now, usually I put conditions on my posts - for instance what age I'm looking for and typically that I'm also looking for someone to date. Not everyone follows these "rules" and date #3 has taught me to be very cautious!
I had received an email from an unknown suitor (that makes it sound good). We had corresponded briefly. Thinking he fit my criteria I had originally put in my email - general age, etc restrictions. I was feeling pretty confident about speaking to him via email. So when he asked me out for dinner I hesitated, but gave in when he pushed - BIG MISTAKE.
Arriving early, I sat there with my cell phone in an empty place. In walks a rather old, bald, fat man - coming RIGHT at me. Wait, WTF - THIS is my date. Yes, stupid me - I had never gotten a full history on him, never asked his age (43), his background (RETIRED from the fire department and divorced with 2 kids in college and 2 in high school), or why he responded to my ad (he was bored in class - training to become a fire trainer - or some BS like that).
I really wish I had made a backup plan, but I was screwed. I never ate dinner so fast. But he wanted desert and ate it S-L-O-W, and actually asked me to visit his hotel afterwards. Needless to say, I didn't.
Strike 3!!!
I like Clarendon, It's sad that I've been ruined. But I also think my bad date karma has been filled for a lifetime, and while all these stories did happen years ago, the big karma guy in the sky has let me live really bad date free for the last couple of years - lets keep it that way. I'm good with the general uncomfortable date, but bad dates - the only thing you get out of them is good stories!
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