Willo: My ideal date would be a trip to Mackinac Island for a weekend in the fall.  I want to horse-back ride the island, eat dinner by the water, take a sunset cruise, and cuddle up in a hot-tub at the big hotel. Mackinac Island is between Michigan's peninsulas.  You have to take a ferry to get there and there are no cars allowed on the island.

Aimee: My ideal date (with my husband, Leif) would be an all-day affair.  We�d start out by having breakfast at our favorite place, the Black Forest Bakery and Caf�.  Afterwards, we�d go on a bike ride around the hills of Northwestern Connecticut, taking in the beauty of where we live and enjoying the adrenaline rush!  After coming back blissfully exhausted, we�d make lunch together and listen to music.   Later in the evening, we�d eat at one of our favorite local restaurants and maybe catch a movie.  Sounds like a slice of heaven to me.

Nondi: My ideal date......is getting dressed up, having dinner by candlelight, in a cozy corner booth, filled with great food, wine and meaningful conversation.  And after dinner not immediately getting into a car just taking the time to walk around the city and enjoy the company.

Nicole: My ideal date would consist of getting to know someone while spending the day doing various activities. I've never been on an "all-day" date before, but I think it would be fun to incorporate activities that both myself and my date would be interested in. One example would be meeting up for breakfast at a nice cafe, followed by maybe going to a museum, spending the day at an amusement park, or maybe do some sight-seeing. We'll have lunch, followed by taking in a movie. Finally, to top off the date, we'll have a picnic dinner (weather permitting, of course.) I think it would be fun to go several activities that not only allow us to get to know each other, but don't cost an arm and a leg either.

Lindsay: A picnic on the beach (where my partner cooked dinner!) with a bottle of wine while watching the sunset.

Lani: My ideal date must include: train tracks, a cemetery, imagination, and dark beer. Bonus points would include: bikes, squash, drag, board games, or a body of water.

Bianca: My ideal date is simple: fast food and a good conversation. I love just hanging out and sharing some good laughs. And, of course, there�s gotta be some dessert! ;-)

Tiffany: First, we go out to dinner at a restaurant on City Island.  Then, we drive to Manhattan and see a concert featuring one of my favorite artists. Next, we go to a lounge/bar to get drinks and enjoy some nice music.  Our last stop of the date is the Brooklyn Promenade to watch the sun come out.

Shelby: My best date ever would definitely take place at home, eliminating choosing an outfit, blow drying my hair and navigating the NYC transit system. The night would start in a warm bubble bath, with a glass of white wine and yellow and blue candles flickering (evoking creativity and peace of mind) and Paul Schwartz playing on my iPod. After lazing in the tub for a while, a well-timed Thai food delivery would urge me from the tub and onto the living room floor, where my date has been waiting patiently for my attention. Zie (thanks, Lani, for teaching us genderless pronouns!) would deliver the news of the day, alert me to pressing deadlines as well as any new exciting speaking/travel opportunities, and then, slowly and sexily, open up the Word document titled book.doc. I'd stroke zie's buttons for a while, getting up for more wine and dried peaches for dessert, and finish a whole chapter in a couple of hours (hey, it's my dream!) Then I'd move upstairs, put my trusty date to bed on the charger, and pull out my Rabbit for a mind blowing orgasm - no mess, no fuss, and no pesky person to have to deal with!

Nora: My ideal date is on a beautiful spring afternoon in San Francisco.  We meet in Golden Gate park (on bicycles, of course).  I have a picnic in my bicycle pannier, my date has a blanket and a bottle of wine.  We ride over the Golden Gate bridge and on the way, we stop to climb around the old military installation in the Presidio.  Magically, someone has installed slides, and we spend a while sliding giddily down the old turrets. We roll out to the beach and spread our picnic blanket next to the Pacific, lounging around all afternoon as the sun slowly sets. Then we crawl over treacherous tidepool rocks to soak in the natural hot springs that the ebbing tide has revealed. Delicious.