Dinner in the Park

The thoughtfulness and surprise of this date will delight anyone with but the hardest of hearts. It's a surprise dinner date in the park—when you arrive with your date, a romantic dinner is set up and waiting. This date is relatively inexpensive, but it does require the help of a friend or family member who will set it up for you while you are picking up your date.

This isn't the sort of date to plan with someone who is a known flake or unknown entity, as you will find yourself really angry if the person does a no-show or calls at the last minute with a sudden case of the flu or a last-minute need to work late. It's a date you do with a person who has a proven track record.

COST

From $15 to $50, depending on what you fix yourself and what you need to buy.

LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION

Let's pretend that your local park or recreation area hasn't been taken over by gangs, thugs and drug dealers. (For many of you, this may require a stretch of the imagination.) You will want to find a nice place with a safe, pleasant grassy area where you can put down a blanket and have a delightful dinner or leisurely lunch. Or maybe it will have built-in tables and benches that can be magically transformed by a tablecloth, candles and small bouquet of flowers.

Find the exact location ahead of time and reserve the area with the parks and recreation department if that is necessary.

Make sure the park is open late enough for you to have a leisurely dinner. The park may not have lights, so you may want to make it an early dinner. Bring a flashlight and something to put the dishes into when it's time to leave.

WHAT YOU WILL NEED

You will need a blanket or possibly two. If the ground is wet bring a tarp to put under the blanket.

If there is a table, find a nice table cloth.

Bring candles that are in a container so they won't blow out if a breeze comes up.

A small, unpretentious bouquet of flowers in a container with a solid base would be nice. Tall, elegant vases may look great on a table in your home, but your goal for the park will be a container that won't tip and won't spill water on the two of you. Check with a florist about using some of that green weird-feeling stuff that absorbs water but won't spill if the vase tips.

Decide what you will serve for dinner. A simple dinner of cheese, sliced meats, fruit and wine might be nice. Or maybe you'll want to score some fried chicken or pick up something with a name you can't pronounce from one of those new upscale take out places.

In addition to the food and drink, you'll need plates, glasses, napkins a bottle opener and maybe even a cool-looking bucket with ice in it for the wine.

You can bring everything with you and set it up when you arrive at the park, but for this date to have its desired impact, you will need a friend or family member to set it up for you ahead of time. That way, it will be waiting when you arrive and your date will have no clue about how you managed to pull it off.

ALTERNATIVE

The picnic and campfire dates that are described on the pages that follow.