Need a little love pick-me-up? As applications for our new Dating Diaries feature keep rolling in, we thought we’d share some great first date stories. Here are some highlights.

-"From the first moment of the date I knew I liked him. His smile, his joking demeanor with the waiter. I was hooked. We laughed the whole night. From just a dinner date it ended up being dinner, a movie, and drinks at a jazz club to hear the band. We dated for a few months until he left for his State Department post overseas."

-"I had a small birthday gathering ... but it didn't end with any cake. On the way home, I told him I was disappointed I didn't get to blow out any candles. Later that night, he came over and I opened the front door to him standing there with cupcakes and unlit candles while fidgeting with the lighter."

-"I think my best date ever was New Year's Eve 2003 when I went to New York with the guy I was dating at the time and we spent the entire day going around the city. That was actually when I got my first kiss, right after the ball dropped at Times Square.  How can anyone possibly beat that?!"

-"The last great date I went on was last spring. A nice man I met while on the Chinatown bus took me to Georgetown where we rented a canoe and paddled to Theodore Roosevelt Island on the Potomac. We explored the island together and talked the rest of the day away. It was refreshing to do something creative and active. It was also a great way to get to know each other."

-"The weird thing about that date was that it didn’t feel like a date at all. It was really our second date, I guess. I met her at her office after work and walked her home, and then we strolled down to the Mall for a few hours, checking out all the monuments, and ducking behind shrubbery to make out periodically. It was the simplest, yet best date I can remember in years. Walking around the monuments at sunset is great. We had a nice dinner afterwards, but I don’t even remember it – the first part was much more memorable."

-"Last great date was actually a first date. We had drinks at 18th Street Lounge, which went well, so continued to Cafe Citron for dancing and (too many for a first date) caiparinas.  Great chemistry and conversation with a sexy, smart guy, who could actually dance. (Who knew?) And don't tell my mother, but there may have been a little innocent smooching, too."

-"The last really great date I went on was in late April. I met this guy on the Metro—he had caught me reading his paper and started talking to me. Anyway, we restaurant hopped around Dupont Circle and were having a blast. Eventually we ended up at my favorite place, Bistrot du Coin. We shared a few plates and a bottle of champagne until he asked if he could kiss me. Best feeling ever— kissing in a French cafe over a bottle of champagne and passersby smiling at us. We dated for a while but went our separate ways!"

Earlier:
-Dating Diaries: What a Catch!
-Dating Diaries: Dating Disasters

-Apply to Dating Diaries