Choosing the perfect location for a date can be a nerve-racking task, so here are some recommendations from Berkeley High School students David Goldstein, Luca Vicisano, Vaiee-Talia Tu’ua, and Emmett Price to help ease the decision.
If you both enjoy art, the San Francisco de Young Museum is a great place to go. “I mean it’s just nice to look at art,” said Vicisano, a BHS junior. “I feel like you get to know a lot about the person based on their interpretations of art. I’ll ask whoever I’m with what their thoughts are on certain pieces of art, like what they think the meaning is. It’s also fun to just joke around.”
Also in San Francisco, the Exploratorium is a great place to learn about various topics with your date. “(At the Exploratorium) there’s this one activity where you test your reaction time in different scenarios,” said Tu’ua, a BHS sophomore. It’s really fun to see your reaction time especially when you’re in the booth with your partner. There is also another exhibit where you test walking on rocks to see how quietly you can walk. I think those two activities were definitely my favorites.”
Whether you’re an ice skating amateur or you’ve ice-skated a hundred times, it’s always fun to get to know your date on the ice. At Oakland Ice Center, you and your date can both rent your skates there and enjoy their snack bar.
“I really enjoy ice skating (on a date) even though I’m not particularly good at it,” said BHS sophomore Emmett Price. “It’s a fun thing to do together. I feel like it’s an icebreaker because you’re falling and getting bruised together. But it’s still fun.”
Blake Garden, owned by University of California, Berkeley and located in Kensington, is the perfect place to go on a picnic, take a walk around, and enjoy nature. While it’s only open on weekdays during business hours, it has completely free admission.
“I really like the gardens,” said Goldstein, a BHS senior. “It’s definitely a good picnic spot. They also have a big chess set, and a creek area with redwoods. It’s very nice, I’m a big fan.”
Goldstein also added that since not a lot of people go there, it’s a great secluded spot.
Victory Point Cafe has shelves full of games to play inside.
Sanam Rozycki-Shah
At Victory Point Cafe you can enjoy food and snacks while playing any board game from their huge collection.
Goldstein appreciates Victory Point Cafe for its casual and fun environment. “If you don’t know your date that well, it’s a good way to get to know them through doing a fun activity together,” Goldstein said. “Or you’re both learning the game, and you have an excuse to sit next to each other. If you do know your date, it’s also super fun because then you’re comfortable enough with each other.”
According to Goldstein, sometimes great dates don’t need to be at one specific location.
“I mean really my best idea for a date is to kind of like wander around,” Goldstein said. “I’ve had plenty of dates where we’re exploring UC (Berkeley) campus or going into Oakland or something. Just kind of wandering around, going to different thrift stores or to different kinds of things where it’s not just one specific place.”