Tired of meeting people on Tinder? We sent two strangers on a blind date to see if we could spark some flames in real life.
HER:
Lindsay, 28
Hayes Valley
Restaurant publicist, writer, avid traveler
HIM:
Carlos, 29
Ingleside
Night wanderer, daydreamer, architect
Photograph: Ryan Young
THE MEAL
LINDSAY: “Dinner was great! We’re both adventurous eaters, so we shared oysters, salmon, calamari, scallops and duck. We actually lost track of time talking and were late to the next part of the date. Whoops!”
CARLOS: “Foreign Cinema is a great spot for a date. We chatted over delicious food and wine, and it was easy to forget we were being photographed in the center of a busy restaurant.”
Photograph: Ryan Young
THE FUN
LINDSAY: “The VR arcade was a totally new experience for me. I’m not super techy, but I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. We played a Fruit Ninja game and explored an underwater world.”
CARLOS: “The arcade was really entertaining. Only one person can play at a time, which sucked, but it was fun to watch the other player really go at it.”
Photograph: Ryan Young
THE DRINKS
LINDSAY: “The bar had a bunch of games scattered around, like shuffleboard and pool. We played giant Jenga (I lost). Carlos was totally willing to try different kinds of cocktails, which I appreciated.”
CARLOS: “The bar was fun. We agonized over which pieces to pull in a giant game of Jenga and then cozied up in the photo booth.”
Photograph: Ryan Young
THE VERDICT
LINDSAY: “I’ve never been followed around by a photographer on a date before, so that was a first! But Carlos was super easy to get along with, and I had a great time with him. I could see us hanging out again as friends.”
CARLOS: “Lindsay was smart, funny and easy to talk to—it felt like catching up with an old friend. I would definitely hang out with her again but without a photographer. I never figured out where to put my hands in the photos.”
Want to get set up on a blind date? Head to timeout.com/sfdate.