HIGH LIFE : It’s a Date: Places to Go to Get Out of Romance Rut

Are you stuck in a dating rut? Do you find yourself lacking in creativity when it comes time to decide what to do or where to go on a date?

Well, worry no more. The following are some dating suggestions, each creatively labeled and assembled to appeal to those who know that a common date just isn’t that great.

The Intellectual Date

Take your date out for an early supper at a quiet and small yet comfortable restaurant. Skip all the small talk--the weather is fine, college applications are a pain--and focus on life’s more important issues: nuclear war, space travel or your most successful chemistry experiment.

After dinner, you and your date may want to tour an art museum, attend a college debate, listen to a poetry reading or view a play.

Make sure you still have time for a leisurely cup of cappuccino and a gourmet dessert to top off the evening.

Non-Intellectual Date

Take your date out for an evening of fun and excitement at the local mall. Treat him or her to a seven-course meal and begin your dinner with free sample hors d’oeuvres at Hickory Farms. A variety of entrees can be found at McDonald’s, Carl’s Jr. or Hot-Dog-on-a-Stick.

Patronize Orange Julius for your beverages and go to Mrs. Field’s Cookies or any of a million frozen yogurt establishments for delicious desserts.

The mall certainly isn’t lacking for entertainment. You may choose to pet the bunnies at Pet World or play with toys in The Karl’s toy store. For spicier enjoyment, check out the party games at Spencer’s.

People-watching, walking backwards up the down escalator or checking out the surfing videos in Fins & Flippers or music videos at Sam Goody’s are all entertainment options.

And remember, this is the non-intellectual date, so be spontaneous.

Don’t think twice about what you’re going to do, what you’re doing or what you may just have done. Try not to think at all.

Crossing the threshold from non-driver to driver is a monumental transition for every teenager. Not only does it mean more independence, it also means the start of serious dating.

The Driving Date

The creative dater, however, is not satisfied with merely driving, because he or she knows that many a date will be impressed if the drive is as exciting as the main event.

Start your creative drive the moment your date steps into your car. As your date pulls the seat belt across the body, he or she will notice the beautiful banner you’ve attached to it. This is always a fun and flattering way to make someone feel like Mr. or Miss America.

If you happen to be driving in southern Orange County, make a point of hitting the Dana Dips. By following Selva Road north or south in Dana Point, you and your date can pretend you’re riding on a roller-coaster. Don’t drive too fast, though; being pulled over by the police isn’t on the menu.

If you’re driving in Newport Beach near Balboa Island, you may want to float your car across to the peninsula’s Fun Zone via the Balboa Ferry. Be sure to inquire if your date gets seasick, though, before embarking on this brief voyage.

And try ending your driving date with a cruise through the tunnel of love. Any car wash will do the trick, as long as you get to stay in the car. You may want to re-evaluate this idea if you’re on a first date or driving a convertible with a leaky roof.

But driving on a date is not always possible, bringing about a tricky situation: How can you impress your date with an exciting evening without driving anywhere?

This can be accomplished in two different ways--with a car and without one.

The Non-Driving Date With a Car

Out of gas money? Lucky for you, Rod Stewart, Motley Crue, M.C. Hammer, or even “The Phantom of the Opera” will be performing tonight, and you have two prime seats.

Arrange for a private concert in your car.

You won’t have to pay a scalper three times the regular ticket price, and the padded and reclining seats are far more comfortable than those orange plastic amphitheater ones. There will be no security guards or weird fans to spoil your fun, and you are in control of the music’s volume.

Any number of edibles are available, and there’s no waiting in food or bathroom lines.

OK, so not being able to see the performers live may be a drawback, but with a little imagination--maybe even pictures from Rolling Stone taped to the windshield--this can evolve into a very hip date.

The Non-Driving Date Without a Car

Invite your date to come along for an evening of dining and dancing at the new local hot spot--Mi Casa.

Your garage or carport can be converted into a contemporary nightclub in a matter of hours. Borrow the strobe light that your neighbors use every Halloween and lay down the carpet that used to be in your living room before the house was redecorated. Set up the patio table and two chairs in one corner and the stereo in another. Stock the workbench with cold drinks and bribe your brother or sister to serve as club bouncer.

Mi Casa is open for business.

While you may be busy playing waiter, bartender and DJ, be sure to set aside some time to dine and dance with your date.

Let’s talk food. More specifically, let’s talk about eating before and after attending one of your school’s formal dances.

Because everybody spends literally months priming themselves for the big event--the dance itself--often the time before and after is allowed to pass without much fanfare. Therefore, in order to avoid the pre- and post-formal blahs, here are a few dining suggestions.

The Low-Budget, Low-Class, High-Grease Dinner

Dressed in your formal finery, you and your date will find cheap cuisine at the nearest hamburger joint. OK, it’s not new and it’s not exciting, but at least it’s not expensive. You can sit and eat and watch your friends in their expensive limos pull up to the drive-in window.

The Traveling Picnic

Picnics are always fun, but this suggestion is also convenient for the perpetually late couple. Have dinner on the floor of your limo. Invite a lot of friends to share the chauffeur’s cost as there is more than enough room on the floor. Open the window in the roof and cover the seats in red-and-white checked tablecloths. Glasses will probably be provided in the limo, but you’ll have to bring your own food and ants.

It is hoped you’ll be able to break out of your ho-hum dating slump with a few of these suggestions. Who knows? Maybe these ideas will spark some inventiveness on your part.

With some fun dates on your resume and a little luck, you may even become known around school as one great creative date.