25 First-Date Dos and Dont's

A homemade meal, PBR and Guitar Hero might be a better way to get to know each other than the standard restaurant and a movie. Plus, are you really going to ask someone to take you out for filets, cocktails and the theater in this economy? —Tom Miller, Tango’s Daily Dish

Although heels can be super sexy, you never know where a first date will lead you. I’ve been on first dates that ended with a lovely walk around town (hello, blisters!) or a visit to a neighborhood playground (tripping all over myself!). Flats will let you feel open to anything the night may bring. —Joanna Goddard, Smitten

Even if you don’t shed your clothes, your non-Hanes undies will give you confidence. Plus, if you do end up stripping down to your skivvies, you DON’T want to end up wearing granny panties a la Bridget Jones. —Daniel Holloway and Dorothy Robinson, authors of Dating Makes You Want to Die (But You Have to Do It Anyway)

I tried to plan a really neat first date—something different. So I pick her up, and it’s cold out, and the restaurant I was going to take her to is closed. We’re in an abandoned area, and it’s cold; I’m not looking so good right now. Finally we find a place to eat, except the menu is all in Korean. We point to something and what comes out tastes like rubber chicken. Then, when we get to the bowling alley, it seems like we’re the only non-gang members there. But it was an amazing date because she was cool. Her positive attitude dictated how the date would go. —Evan Marc Katz, dating coach and author of Why You’re Still Single

No one wants to go on a first date with the human equivalent of a dead-fish handshake. If you don’t like where the date is headed, end it early. But if you are tired, hung over or depressed about the economic apocalypse, don’t let it affect your time together. Talk. Ask questions. Make eye contact. —Daniel Holloway and Dorothy Robinson, authors of Dating Makes You Want to Die (But You Have to Do It Anyway)

My friend Isabel just had the worst year of her life: She had foreclosed on her house and was in serious debt. Whenever she was out with a guy, she would unload all her frustrations right on his plate! No one wants to hear you ramble on about your sick cat, annoying boss or stalker ex-boyfriend. If she was hoping for a second date, Isabel should’ve asked more questions and done more listening than talking. —Jess McCann, author of You Lost Him at Hello

A guy once got all Freud on me and asked me if I had trouble getting close to men because of my relationship with my father. Totally inappropriate, considering we’d just met. —The Frisky

For some dos and don'ts on Facebook, sex, exes, and all 25 tips, check out the full article by Lindsey Unterberger over at Glamour.com.