Seattle Dating Scene

I know that I can be a bit old fashioned: I expect to be courted. I don't tend to date multiple people at a time. I like writing letters rather than texting. But the dating scene in Seattle is a very odd place. I know that the city is a passive city in comparison to the blunt conversations in which I partook in Los Angeles.  That passivity blooms out of the identity crisis of Seattle: it's a big city that wishes to behave like a small town. And I love Seattle. I enjoy the gloomy skies, the waterfront, the skyline, the obsession over being "green", and the fixed gear bikes that take over the streets.  But it's not without fault and where I notice it most is within the romantic interactions in the lives of my friends and I.

I have been on several dates with men that start out as seemingly normal whether it was dinner and a movie, a comedy show, concert and some cocktails, or whatever dinner and entertainment combination the testosterone-wielding component had come up with. But the supposed goodbye is where things turn out differently than I would expect. I would expect an awkward kiss goodnight after a first date or maybe even just a hug. But it's usually assumed, in Seattle at least and not just in my experiences, that now is the time when I go into his apartment and spend the night.   Now why is this the assumption? It might not even necessarily be for sex, but spending the night is a bit advanced for just after the first date. I am a female with morals and standards and integrity. I wish to part ways and wait for you to call me the next day to make future plans. But you want me to come over and sleep in your bed which basically equals sleeping next to a complete stranger.

When did this become the norm? To share such an intimate space before your even sharing secrets and entire life stories? What happened to second dates and aligning two schedules?

Just my thoughts. And my criticisms. Maybe this is what it is like now for people in their mid-20s? I, for one, miss the days of butterflies and phone calls and will gladly leave behind text messages and possible one-night stands of cuddling and awkward false intimacy.

xo

Gosh! Delilah is so simplistic but I can't deny that it's fantastic. And who doesn't love a song written about a housecat.