70 Dates in 70 Days
Indie Girl Tracker
Bye bye Halifax and hello St. John's.
Indie Girl is now in St. John’s, Newfoundland, the last stop on her Cross-Canada Dating Frenzy! Will there be love found at the Screech-In? Will she finally meet her man on The Rock? Read all about it here!
Getting Pedicures at Spirit Urban Spa
Halifax, July 28 – He can cook. He’s secure enough in his manhood to get a pedicure and he loves all things Wilco. I’d say those are some pretty solid credentials.
My first date was a setup through a mutual friend. She clearly knows what she’s doing in the matchmaking department. Even if there were no immediate sparks, I feel like if I lived here, my date and I would end up being great friends.
A chef by trade, my Halifax hookup is a devout music fan. He invited me to a singer/songwriter gig this Thursday at a local venue. But it’s not his love for alt-country that impresses me the most. It’s the fact he was up for a pedicure, even though spending the day at the spa isn’t really his bag. Call me crazy, but there’s just something sexy about a man who isn’t too set in his ways. So long as he’s open-minded about new experiences, the man for me doesn’t have to share the exact same interests, tastes and hobbies as myself.
So there we were getting our feet done at Sprit Spa, the best urban spa in Halifax. And let me tell ya, there’s nothing like getting pampered to break the ice. It just seems to loosen up the usual social anxiety one feels on a blind date. As we talked about our top three favourite concerts of all time, he tapped into his inner metrosexual with a paraffin treatment and I got my toenails painted.
After our pedicure, we grabbed a quick coffee, but I had to shove off early to meet a deadline back home. Before I could stress about being under the deadline gun, he was cheering me on: “I’m sure you’ll just fire it off and make your deadline.” They were just the words I needed to hear. I do believe this eligible bachelor warrants a second date.
Single Dad and I on Victoria Row
P.E.I., July 26 a.m. – I had lunch with a super sweet single dad today. His friend set it up through my blog. I’m not sure if it was Single Dad’s first blind date, but I’m pretty sure it was his first blind date with a woman on a cross-country man-hunt.
Anyway, Single Dad seemed like a pretty traditional guy. But at the same time, he was open to new experiences, which I like. For instance, I introduced him to sashimi for the very first time, and I think he actually liked it. So we may not have had a thing in common from the outset, but at least now it can be said that we both like raw fish. That’s gotta count for something, right?
P.E.I. July 26 p.m. – I didn’t have a date for my last night in town. I had something better: A ticket to see Stompin’ Tom Connors at the Charlottetown Civic Centre!!!. Yes, I saw the legend himself play in his home town. What a perfect way to say goodbye to this great province!
Next stop: Halifax
Last supper at Sims
P.E.I., July 25 – Shopping with a woman on a mission for a new outfit takes a special kind of man. And I found just such a man in P.E.I. Bachelor # 1 (I dated him my first night in town).
At my request, we hit the Charlottetown Mall, so I could look for some cheap new threads. An outdoors enthusiast, he was totally out of his element, but what a sport!
After a couple of hours of fast and dirty bargain-hunting, we headed back into town and had an amazing dinner at Sims Corner. Fun was had by all. But since it was my second to last night in town, there’ll won’t be a third date. Still, it was nice getting to know him. He’s a sweet guy…. and he cooks too! So I have no doubt that he’ll make some lucky P.E.I. lady a most excellent husband one day.
McDreamy
P.E.I., July 24 – Well, I found out the sexiest bartender east of Montreal (imagine Patrick Dempsey with a thick Maritime accent) is in fact married. I didn’t notice his wedding band the first time I sat at his bar. So for a minute there, I thought I was slipping.
See, everyone has a special gift and mine is spotting a wedding ring on a man five miles away. When I called him on it, he reassured me that it’s not my fault – he wasn’t wearing his band the first time he served me. So yeah, I still got it. Now, if only that special gift of mine could keep me warm at night.
Anywho, I turned my attention to my fellow pub-crawl participants, who were all there to do their bit for some sort of baseball tournament fundraiser. I tagged along ’cause it was a good cause…well that, and I thought there’d be some sexy older Bull Durham types just waiting for the right woman to come along. But after scanning the room, I realized that there was a serious age gap between me and the average attendee. And I like I’ve said before, nothing makes a woman with a ticking biological clock feel older than trying to keep up with a bunch of 20-year-olds on a bender. So I didn’t even try. I finished up my wine, bid a final farewell to P.E.I.’s answer to McDreamy and hit the sack early.
P.E.I., July 23 – I dated my first military man. Well, that’s not all together true, there was a marine in Japan. But you know what they say, what happens overseas, stays overseas. Anyway, this sailor was a gent through and through. He even dropped me a text before our date to let me know he was going to be a little late. Apparently, he was running approx. 2.2 minutes behind– give or take a millisecond. I didn’t bother telling him that I hadn’t even started putting on my makeup yet and would be a good 20 minutes late. I guess that’s just one of the many differences between civilians and a servicemen.
He greeted me with a gift of P.E.I. bath salts, which sort of set the tone for this seaside date. It was, hands-down the most quintessentially Charlottetown outing a girl could ask for. All that was missing was a Stompin’ Tom sighting and a pit-stop at the Anne of Green Gables gift shop.
After dinner, we caught the Stan Rogers show at the Mack theatre for a little Atlantic folklore and song. Then we went out for some Cows ice cream, which is dubbed “Canada’s the best ice cream.” We enjoyed our dairy delights on the dock of the Charlottetown Harbour.
But you know what they say, it doesn’t matter how sweet the dessert or how scenic the view, no sparks is no sparks. And that’s exactly what we had. He confirmed this with a text saying as much. No hard feelings though. He was only telling me what I already knew: The search continues.
My first BBQ/Kitchen Party
P.E.I. July 23 – I’ve spent the last two nights scoping out the scene in Charlottetown. On Tuesday, I went on a one-woman pub crawl to no avail. Although, I will say this: Charlottetown is home to one of the cutest bartenders east of Montreal. But I’m not about to make a move on him, as I don’t know his relationship status. He never volunteered it. I never asked. So I guess that’s that.
Then I attended my first “BBQ/kitchen party” last night. The Delta-sponsored event was a blast: Great food. Good tunes and some of the friendliest people I’ve ever met.
Alas, the men at this gathering seemed to fall under one of two categories: Married or Way to Young. But I haven’t given up yet. There must be more eligible bachelors in their 30s on this Island.
Why in their 30s?
Well, I had two well-meaning guys ask me out through the blog. One was 48-years-old and the other was 23-years-old. I wrote them both back saying something to the effect of, “Sure I’ll go out with you. But just so you know I want kids. Can you say the same?”
The 48-year-old’s response was simply, “Best of luck in your search!”
And the 23-year-old was never heard from again….
That’s why I give the age perimeters.
As for tonight, I’ve got a last-minute date with a single P.E.I. man who just happens to be in his 30s. He seems like a pretty easy-going guy and that’s good enough for me. With that in mind, I think I’m going to take a different approach in this town: quality over quantity. To be honest, I don’t think I really have a choice in the matter. The numbers just aren’t here. But like I always say, I don’t need a many – I’m only looking for the One.
Last Chance for Romance in Saint John
Saint John, July 19 p.m. – My last eligible bachelor in Saint John was a nice guy, but the date itself was fairly non-eventful. We had dinner, we exchanged online dating experiences and then he walked me back to my B&B.
"We're not your Mr. Right, baby."
Saint John, July 20 a.m. – They say it always happens when you least expect it. And I can honestly say that when I was eating my breakfast at the Mahogany Manor, I did not expect to meet two lesbian nuns from Chicago. But I did, and they were fabulous! Not only that. As luck would have it, these two former sisters were en route to PEI that day as well, so I hitched a ride with them. Anywho, there I was driving across the Confederation Bridge with two convent renegades from Chicago when it dawned on me: I only have one date set up in PEI. And these two Mrs. Rights are certainly not going to be any help in the department. They’re from Chicago for Christ’s Sake! I needed a local – STAT. So I called up Charlottetown’s premier rock DJ to help hook me up. He’s on the case.
Talk to the hand John. I'm trying to have a conversation here.
PEI, July 20 p.m. – I met a PEI guy through Lavalife. He picked me up from the Delta, where I was thoroughly enjoying the spectacular Harbour view from my hotel room. To be honest, my expectations weren’t all that high for this guy (his profile photos don’t do him justice). But he seemed like a nice enough guy, so I went for it.
I’m glad I did.
He’s a total doll. I have a friend back home who grew up in PEI, and it’s uncanny how much they remind me of each other. It’s not the accent per se – it’s the way they tell a story, their facial expressions, their sense of humour – everything.
We had a really delightfully mellow night. We walked all over town, (an elderly lady invited us in to meet her cats – too sweet). We dined on some the legendary PEI mussels, checked out the John A. Macdonald statue. And then he walked me back to my hotel. If all goes right, I will definitely be seeing him again.
Strapping Young Irish Lad
Saint John, July 18 – After dating that cheeky kid in Saskatoon, I decided that I wouldn’t date any more guys in their 20s. But I made an exception simply because I liked the confidence this one particular 28-year-old demonstrated when he made a bid for the big Opera Bistro date.(See June 16 entry to see how my first-place pick panned out).
We met at a little Mexican joint near King Street for lunch. He’s a strapping young Irish lad with a strong work ethic and a big set of tattied biceps on him. On first impression, I thought he was nothing more than a cocky, “party-on” surfer-type. But he’s so much more than that. He’s a really sweet, funny and surprisingly insightful artist-type. Very easy to be around. We had a few laughs, polished up our burritos and fajitas, checked out some art galleries and went our separate ways.
Ultimately, our age difference was too great for anything to go beyond this one afternoon together. But I’m glad I got the chance to know him. I’m telling ya, this guy will make a great husband for some lucky 20-something girl one day.
Later that day….
Saint John, July 18 – I went out for dinner at Thandi’s with a guy who had also been nominated for the Opera Bistro dinner. And I can totally see why his best friend’s wife nominated him. Who wouldn’t want to this guy to find someone special? He’s a straight-up, easygoing kindhearted man who totally deserves a woman that will appreciate those endearing qualities. That said, I am not that woman. No sparks. Then again, I was totally knackered from my afternoon of beer and burritos. I think it might be in my best interest to just date one man a day. This pace is killing me.
A Delightfully Awkward Moment Captured on Camera
Saint John, July 17 – I dated yet another Saint John man who wishes to remain anonymous due to his high-profile job, which is fine. I can respect that. So I can’t give out too many deets. But I will say this, he has pretty good taste in men….
After a lovely seafood dinner at Billy’s Seafood Company, my date took me to the funkiest little wine bar, where he introduced me to the proprietor – who just happens to be a strikingly handsome single man with a sexy Euro accent.
But, being the classy lady that I am, I would never openly flirt with a guy in front of the man who just bought me dinner – just old fashioned that way.
Turns out I didn’t need to. In an unexpected turn of events, my date tried to pimp me out to the Hot Euro Man. I’m not sure if he was just eager to share the good times, or he sensed that I was interested in getting to know the Hot Euro Man better. But for whatever reason, he half-jokingly said, “You should go out with Sarah”
Truth be told, I couldn’t have agreed more. He should go out with me! But that didn’t make the moment any less awkward.
We both just tried to laugh it off and nothing came of it.
Shortly after that, my original date walked me home and that was that. He was a nice guy and I may even stay in contact with him on a friendly basis. But I don’t see any real romantic future for us. And since he tried to pass me around like a hot potato, I’m guessing he feels the same way.
Saint John, July 16 – Earlier this week, a local radio show asked listeners to phone in or write the station and suggest some eligible bachelors who might make a good match for me. Once they compiled the nominees, it was my job to select one lucky fellah to join me for a complimentary dinner at the celebrated Opera Bistro. Every single nominee sounded like a really great catch. But one local fellah had three different people singing his praises. So I went with the popular vote and picked him.
Big mistake.
It was a set-up. And I don’t mean that in the cupid sense of the word – I mean I walked into a trap. Apparently, his friends thought it would be hil-arious to fix me up with someone who seems to oppose everything my “archetype” stands for. I’m guessing their mission was to psych me out and bring me down a peg or two. Who knows.
All I know is a big part of his schtick was to grill me about my motives, methods and belief systems. He also seemed determined to unnerve me with erratic behaviour. Overall, I think he fancied himself a head tripper extraordinaire.
What can I say – they got me. Their little practical joke left me genuinely concerned for my personal security for the first time on this trip. So kudos to them for scaring a single woman travelling alone. Funny, funny stuff guys.
Having said that, let me be clear: I in know way, lump the men of Saint John with this one guy. Everyone in this city has been very hospitable toward me and I’ve met some really beautiful amazing people here.
And the night wasn’t a total washout. Thankfully, my date was a little late, so I had time to sip on some bubbly and take in some of the elegant, but laid-back, Opera Bistro ambiance before he got there. I also had a lovely drive to the restaurant courtesy of Gerry Holden limousine services. So if nothing else, the first 30 minutes of my big night out were pretty damn enjoyable. Thanks to everyone who helped in that department.
