Princeton in Love: Campus date ideas

Prepsters may be omnipresent on the Princeton campus, but "Love Story"-style, starry-eyed moments are far and few in between. Free beer and endless opportunities for casual social interaction apparently mean never having to rely on old-fashioned romance, leaving me with the existential conundrum of our campus and every episode of "Sex and the City": Is romance dead?

By all appearances, and with the confirmation of older and wiser Princetonians, the traditional dinner date has gone the way of trading class rings. Fortunately, you can still find romance on campus, albeit in slightly new and unconventional forms. Using personal stories culled from campus daters, here are some tips and date ideas for kindling romance (and keeping it alive).

1. Keep it simple.

Sometimes a "night in" is just as romantic as a grand, sweeping gesture. For example, one upperclassman couple, who wish to remain anonymous, enjoyed their Valentine's Day in spite of pouring rain. The boyfriend prepared his common room with roses, wine and music for his girlfriend. Their fire-code-flouting candlelit Italian dinner made for a night to remember.

"It was far more romantic than if we had gone out to eat, and we didn't have to go out in the bad weather," the girlfriend said.

While this boyfriend went "the whole nine yards," as his girlfriend put it, romantic interests don't even have to go that far to impress partners used to fluorescent lighting and dining hall food. Simply bringing that special someone his or her favorite Nassau Street food — such as Massimo's, Bent Spoon or Soup Man — will provide a much-deserved study break. He or she will be grateful, and you won't have to break the bank.

2. Enjoy the great outdoors.

As any cynical single person knows, springtime is when couples venture outside and put their happiness on saccharine display. With such beautiful weather in store, why not take your date outside? One freshman girl, who prefers to stay anonymous, particularly enjoyed walking the towpath with her new boyfriend, a fellow freshman.

"It was such a pretty day," she said. "And the walk was very relaxed, just a chance to get to hang out and talk."

Besides the towpath, Princeton has plenty of great places waiting to be explored. Walk down Prospect Avenue, past the clubs and into actual neighborhoods. Or walk past the town to the Princeton Cemetery — I swear that it's beautiful and not creepy at all.

3. Think outside the box.

If you really want to impress a new girl or guy, get creative. One freshman pair — who were willing to share the story of their date but not their names — ventured into the Siberia of Princeton campus: the Graduate College. After picking up some food at Forbes, they climbed up the bell tower for a picnic. Just presenting a University ID gets you a key and a "storybook view," the girl said.

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4. Escape the Bubble.

Some couples have exhausted the dating options around campus. Since you can only go to The Ferry House or Teresa's so many times, head to New York for the day if you both have the time. Take a walk through Central Park like one sophomore couple loves to do, find an intimate restaurant (I recommend Chikalicious or Trattoria Alba) or just wander around. But only go with someone you know well or who will keep the conversation going all day. You don't want to run out of things to talk about on the train ride into the city.

5. Have a backup plan.

Not every date goes perfectly. After being set up on a blind date, one anonymous singing pair found that every restaurant was closed after their respective rehearsals. Instead of giving up, they had chicken fingers and fries at Burger King.

"He felt so bad about the cheap food," the girl said. "To make up for [it], he brought me back to the Rocky common room and played gorgeous songs for me on the piano."

It must have worked, since they stayed together for three years.

6. Express yourself.

Dates don't always have to cater to the other person's favorite activities or foods. If you incorporate a bit of your personality into the date, your partner will get to know you better.

"My date for Houseparties last year was a huge golfer, so he took me to the golf course," one sophomore said. "He taught me how to putt. It was unconventional, cute and really fun!"

If you like a certain band, go to a concert. If you love a sport, go to a game or share your expertise. Even if it means revealing your inner geek, you'll both end up having more fun if you're having fun.

7. Indulge in old-fashioned romance occasionally, pulling out all the stops for a classically romantic date really impresses. Take a cue from Fitzgerald and recreate a scene straight out of the Jazz Age. Two years ago, one senior girl recalled, a guy in her precept surprised her when he drove her to Turning Basin Park on Alexander Road for a boating picnic. With a Greek meal packed away in a bag, they rented a boat and eventually found a place to dock. "We had a tough time tying the canoe because the afternoon was a bit windy," she said. "But it was possibly one of the cutest dates I've ever been on."

Ultimately, the most important thing to do is to make the date personal and unique. Get creative and start asking because some of us will always want romance.