by Pia K. Hansen


Starbucks


Starbucks won with pretty close to a landslide as the best place for that scary, first, make-it-or-break-it date. There are certain advantages to meeting at a coffee house, such as the ability to quickly sneak out without ever making contact (that's kind'a hard to do if you invite your blind date over to your house, as a few of you suggested). Also, if it's hard to keep the conversation going, you can always talk about the amazing number of coffee-related gadgets Starbucks carries, along the lines of "Gee, look at that special cappuccino foam spoon." For those who suggested meeting your blind date on the Internet, all we have to say is you never really know who you are meeting on the Internet -- we think it's way too easy to make up the profile of a superhuman, stunt-double date. And let's face it: How likely is it that a Pierce Brosnan look-alike with a doctorate and a new Porsche has to list his vital statistics on a chat site to get a date? Then again, maybe he's really shy in person.


Second place: Riverfront Park


Third place: The Onion