1. Neighborhood Strolling

I did this a month and a half ago, and it was one of the better highlights of my summer. This is the prime activity for a couple who’s been dating for awhile for the following reasons:

• It’s one of the few spontaneous ways to imply some sort of permanence. You’re not officially looking at apartments or future neighborhoods, but it would be kinda nice to live here, wouldn’t it?
• You could walk into a bookstore because it looks nice, and could definitely turn into your bookstore.
• When you’re hungry, there will probably be a cool Mexican place that you can dip into. It won’t be too expensive, but it’ll be moderately priced enough to make you guys feel like this is a full glimpse into the next stage of your relationship.
• The guacamole will be very good, allowing you to talk about how good it was for the next 2-3 weeks.

2. Workout Date

I was in Washington, DC this past weekend, doing various “24-year old visiting his friends in another city” things. The friend whose house I was staying at was in transition mode , so his cousin, the new tenant, was also staying in the apartment.

Both days I stayed over, the cousin and girlfriend spent the late afternoon doing dual workouts at the gym. By the second day, it seemed that this routine was something they had done thousands of times — from the coordinated way they got ready to their “we work out a lot, but are not obnoxious about it” clothing, I couldn’t help but deeply admire their commitment to being a “fitness couple” — AKA, one of those couples who is gonna feel incredibly superior to everyone else when they’re in their 50s.

While not every couple can be a fitness couple on the reg, it is definitely a good hat to try on.

3. Cooking Class

I once took a pickling class with my girlfriend. To answer your next question, it did indeed take place in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

The class, which primarily consisted of couples, was a pretty great time. Not only did we learn about the preservation process of pickling, but we actually learned — in depth — about how to be incredibly insufferable on social media.

Kidding aside, these sorts of things are tailor-made for ‘ships that are getting pretty serious. Not only do you learn a skill that you can brag about at dinner parties, but these sorts of classes reek of impending domesticity. It’s impossible to leave a cooking class and not dream of one day owning a kitchen island.

4. Park Date

As part of my aforementioned weekend in DC, I attended a picnic in Meridian Park. I had never previously been to Meridian Park, but, as discussed with a fellow picnic attendee, the place felt straight out of a tourism commercial — there was a vibrant drum circle, a bunch of dudes juggling bowling pins, and just enough tranquility to allow a hungry reporter to draft up his trend piece whilst sitting on a bench.

There were a fair amount of couples doing couple-type things (yoga, eating berry-type foods, compulsively making the most of their Sundays), but honestly I was disappointed in the turnout. As soon as the fall foliage hits, I expect parks like Meridian Park to be completely ruined by 26 year-olds in windbreakers.

5. Dual Purchase Date

On of my favorite places in New York City is what I (and I’m sure other people) call “The Chess Block.” If you’re not familiar with the Chess Block, it’s portion of Thompson St. just south of Washington Square Park, where there are a few shops devoted entirely to chess.

The chess sets in these shops range from nice, to exquisite, to King Louis XIV.

While I’m not saying anyone needs a $400 chess set, nothing says monogamy like buying an accessory that makes it that much more difficult to even consider breaking up.

6. Try Out An Obscure Sport/Activity Neither Of You Have Done Before

Be it surfing, skiing, horseback riding, or mini-golfing, simultaneously experiencing a high-caliber activity as newbies is a bonding experience like no other. It’s a rare sort of love, one that you don’t even need a calculated instagram caption to commemorate.

(Though of course, it never hurts to have one of those.)

7. The “Done By 1pm” Date

I’ve never really done this, but this feels like the pinnacle of fully embracing long-term commitment. The ideal done before 1pm date would look something like this:

7:00 – 7:30: Lie around in bed. Revel in the fact that you’re “sleeping in.”

8:00 – 8:15: Put random fruits in a really loud blender. Use the blender to passive-aggressively shame any roommates who drank alcohol the night before.

8:15 – 8:45: Chop random vegetables on a cutting board while listening to Norah Jones.

9:00 – 10:00: Go for a scenic walk. Contemplate getting a dog. Disagree on the breed of dog — playfully, but aggressively enough to impede any real progress.

10:00 – 10:30:  Get bagels. Spend 5-7 minutes theorizing as to what the cashier does in his/her spare time.

11:00 – 12:00pm: Go to a museum that neither party is necessarily interested in. Spend the entire time trying to outdo one another in terms of feigned interest. Call each other out at the exact same time, and leave immediately.

12:30 pm: Eat ice cream. Note that eating ice cream at 12:30 pm is both “so awesome” and “so bad.”

1:00 pm: Salivate over the fact that you have the entire afternoon to “work on your projects.”