The Blacksheep List of Alternative Date Ideas That Don’t Suck Pt2

*All of these ideas are Cape Town specific

Going to your local mall and watching a movie is over-rated, uncomfortable and damned expensive for what it is. Ster-Kinekor has just raised their prices to R50 - R62 for a 2D movie and R66 - R79 for a 3D movie (EXCLUDING GLASSES)- add popcorn and a drink to that price and you may as well cancel all future dates and declare bankruptcy.

In my last instalment, I was adamant that if you asked me on a first date to the movies, I’d instantly judge you and unceremoniously decline. I have since learnt that there are some exceptions to that rule. The following movie venues don’t suck and would make for a pretty above-average date idea.

The Pink Flamingo Cinema

The Grand Daddy Hotel is known mainly for its luxury themed rooftop trailer park but it is not the only epic thing about this quirky hotel. Among their seven vintage Air-stream trailers, conveniently located right next to their sky-bar, lies the Pink Flamingo Cinema.

This 35 seater cinema is a fool-proof way to score major points all year round as it is cooled in summer and heated it winter with blankets to snuggle under also added into the mix. It's swanky as hell and a great place to bring someone if you have little personality and need to impress someone into liking you.

For R100 rand you’ll get a welcome drink, a bag of sweets and popcorn which is significantly cheaper than a shitty movie at a commercial movie house. If you are looking to get a bit fancier then R250 will get you all that and a picnic basket full of gourmet treats.

Check out their cult movie line-up and book your spot here

The Gallileo Open Air Cinema

Besides the fact that I still hold a grudge against them because they cancelled their Star Wars Marathon last year, Gallileo Open Air Cinema is still a firm favourite date option of mine. As well as being able to watch movies under the stars, you are also sitting in gorgeous outdoor venues making it a tough decision whether to watch the movie or the scenery or just furiously make out with your date because it's just all so damn romantic. 

The cinema has set up shop in four different places which host movie nights on different nights of the week.

• Tuesday evenings at Hillcrest Quarry
• Wednesday evenings at Kirstenbosch Gardens
• Thursday evenings at V&A Waterfront Croquet Field

Watching a classic under a ceiling of stars at the V&A Waterfront Gallileo Open Air Theatre ,

A new venue has now opened up on in the Winelands which is open one Saturday a month. I would incorporate this into a leisurely (read: boozy) weekend trip to the Winelands (Check out Fairview for well-priced wine and cheese tasting). Everybody loves a good mini-break although it may be a bit overwhelming for a first date.

At R80 a ticket, it's not going to break the bank and is on a par (price-wise) with uncomfortable commercial movie houses. There are a couple of sneaky extras which I feel could be included in the ticket price, like the R10 for a blanket or R20 for a chair. The good news is that you are more than welcome to bring your own food and drink and if you forget, there are food vendors that supply a variety of different  tasty treats.

You can book and check out their website here.

The Labia Theatre

I am an absolute sucker for old school charm and alcoholic Slush Puppies, both of which can be found at The Labia Theatre on Orange Street in Cape Town.

The name is, in fact, NOT a tribute to female genitalia but instead an homage to Princess Labia of Italy. She turned the former Italian embassy ballroom into a venue where plays could be performed. The Cinema was then turned into an independent theatre and for the last 65 years has been a haven for a more alternative crowd of movie-goers.

The vibe and passion of this old cinema more than makes up for the not-so-great sound and less-than-comfortable seating. Did I mention the Chocolate bar which serves all the normal movie treats as well as alcoholic Slush-Puppies (I highly recommend the Orange Cocktail Slush Puppy), the cosy coffee shop and fully stocked bar?

The Labia Theatre, 68 Orange Street, Gardens, Cape Town.

The best part is the price. Students get in for R25 and the rest of you will pay just R30. It gets better though: the theatre offers many movie and dinner specials in conjunction with Societi Bistro, Divas, Kauai and The Ocean Basket. A dinner and movie for two will cost you just under R100!

Fun fact: The owners wanted to call the bigger and smaller theaters Labia Majora and Labia Minora respectively but decided against it when they realised that there are a lot of righteous old prudes in Cape Town that would probably boycott them.

Check out the movies and specials here. 

If you don't bore the pants off your date with a lousy choice of activities, dates can be the gateway to a myriad of wonderful things. Keep your eye on my blog for the next installment and please comment with your date ideas that don't suck.

The Blacksheep List of Alternative Date Ideas That Don’t Suck Pt1

*Some of these ideas are Cape Town specific

You only live once; it is on the lips of all the most obnoxious teens and used ironically by way too many a Twitter account. But just like all the most annoying clichés that we have thrown at us on a daily basis- it has its merit. In the spirit of this annoyingly overused acronym, I will be damned if I waste another two hours of my life in a less-than-comfortable movie house wondering whether or not my date will dig up enough courage to do the yawn and reach.  No, I choose to do things that are a little less predictable. These alternative date ideas can be used for first dates or even just to add a little life to your weekly date night.

Small disclaimer: I suggested going metal detecting to my last prospective date and I haven’t heard from him in 3 weeks so suggesting these ideas MAY result in you being forever alone.

Geocaching

Geocaching, simply put, is a modern day treasure hunt or a game where grown-ups use multi-billion dollar military satellites to look for Tupperware hidden in the woods. But seriously, with 6 million Geocachers and 2,408,406 caches worldwide, this hugely popular pastime is actually really enjoyable and addictive.

People hide caches (usually a Tupperware box filled with cool shit) and then post its coordinates on the Geocaching website. There are many different types of caches but the most common ones are containers that have small items that people can take and replace with a new object- sometimes these are themed, like the book cache. There will also be a logbook to sign.

Geocaches can be filled with anything, recently there was a philanthropist in California who used Geocaching as a way to give away money- read about it here

To get started you will have to sign up on the website and download the free app on your phone. Use the online map to find caches in your area and then use your smartphone to find the spot that the coordinates lead to. Your smartphone will only take you so far (within a couple of meters of the cache), you will then have to work out the hints or puzzles provided to find the actual treasure.

This is a great idea for a date because you both have a shared goal to work towards together, coupled with the fact that the thrill of the find will secrete oxytocin- which will make that victory kiss all the more magical (and probable).

Get drunk and go to the museum

The only semi-socially acceptable museum for you to do this at in Cape Town is the Iziko South African Museum- (definitely not the Holocaust or District Six museums). Between the Crappy Taxidermy worthy stuffed animals and the truly laughable dinosaur models, you are sure to get a few photo gems to document your date. Find dark corners (of which there are many) to make out in and maybe even learn a thing or two about the history of our country while you’re at it.

One of those inexplicable photo opportunity gems that I was telling you about

Opening times: Monday - Sunday: 10am to 5pm, closed on Christmas Day and Workers Day.

25 Queen Victoria Street | Gardens | Cape Town | +27 (0)21 481 3800

Sunrise Picnic

I have been dreaming of making this particular date a reality for a while now. You wake up moerse (read: very- for the non SAffers) early so that you can  fry up some bacon and eggs and deposit them into a couple of croissants. Then fill up your flask with life-giving coffee and bundle up with your sexiest blizzard-proof jacket so that you can head out to the beach (or rooftop) before the sun rises. Bring along a lantern or one of those magical Consol light jars and a gigantic, snuggly blanket and you can start your date while reveling in one of those most spectacular sights that happen to occur every morning (usually while you are still dead to the world).

The Half-half Date

One of you gets to organise the food/restaurant and the other organises the entertainment. The catch is that neither of you know the other half of the date until the day/night in question. You could also decide to each pick something you've never done/ somewhere you've never been. Dates are about getting to know each other and the best way to do that is to go through a “first time” together. You get to impress your date with your ingenious ideas and superior taste while simultaneously getting to know a bit more about them.

Cereal and Cartoons

I once read a thread on Reddit about pick-up lines and a woman told her story about how she was sitting at a bar and a kid with Down Syndrome asked if she wanted to hear his pick-up line, she said yes and he then delivered the smoothest line I have ever heard: “Do you want to come to my house to eat cereal and watch cartoons?”. If a guy asked me that I would find it very hard to resist. Make a date out of it by arriving at 9am in your pyjamas and a box of your favourite cereal and a hard drive full of your favorite childhood cartoons.  You can tell a lot about a person by the cartoons he/she watches and the way they react when you slurp your cereal milk in front of them.

I spent 20 minutes on this homage to cartoons and cereal.

 All these ideas insure that, even if your date doesn't end up being right for you, at least you didn't waste your time getting to know them doing things that weren't interesting. You can’t sit back waiting for adventure to happen to you- you have to make it happen. Please comment if you have any other alternative date ideas that don’t suck or if you have successfully (or disastrously) tried one of my suggestions and you want to share your experience. Part two coming soon!