On line sites can open pathways to people you or anyone you know might not ever cross paths with which is kind of risky business. Where are some places you would find a workable choice? Do you think some places suggust something about the person you are meeting?

It is indeed, one of the best things about
the internet..that it can open your world.
It offers access to people from every
walk of life. Fascinating.

However, this site has made me xenophobic,
to answer your question :-)

the very thing that makes it risky is what also makes it interesting and worthwhile

the beauty of the internet is the doors it opens

we can have a very positive impact while learning that people from all walks are little more than ...human

yes I am not certain that I understand the questions part of this...

I was wondering about places for first meetings?
Are there places that would make you more or less comfortable? What kind of places have made for good first meetings? Or really bad ones? With venues getting so expensive what about places that don't cost big bucks? Do guys have preferences different from gals?

Oh OK

I'd say keep it inexpensive - to the benefit of all

That would seem the most considerate to me. I was thinking a Mall was a good choice. Lots of peole, lots or things to see, you can get up and walk around in a secured area, usually food and drinks available, usually music or some kind of free entertainment, easy parking, nuetral territory, security guards . I had a guy say he thought it was terrible. omplied he had to to pay for the shiopping? I was kind of like you must be kidding?

When it said 'people you might never cross
paths with' I assumed it referred to foreigners,
as they are the only ones I might never run across.
So I indicated I would not go there.
--
Now I see it is nailed it down a little.
Restaurants I like, for security reasons.

Resturants are nice but can be expesnive or hard on the wasist line. Thankfully I can eat most things but it seems like a lot of people have diet problems in my age rainge.

he thought u wanted a shuga daddy

but I think a guy needs to wanna be one

LOL I am way past needing any kind of "Daddy' and since I make at least double what he does I think the likely hood there would be really remote.

1.Always meet in a public place.
2. Take a charged cell phone with you.
3. Let friends/family know where your going and what time you plan to be back.
4. Have fun

Yes I think all those ideas apply in dateing almost anyone. FOr women or men. Men are not as likely to admit it but I am finding out through insurance and ER room chatter that male victims of dating violence are growving,

Humm I have met in Restaurants, coffee shops, and even a fast food place just for a soda......one date was a gun range and actually had a good time...Anyplace is good as long as one is comfortable with it......

The cafe/restaurant nearest to me.
It's public, so i feel safer with others around.

I also prefer this. And I usually tell them they can bring a friend (I'll pay for it) if they want to.

Please go on - this is very interesting for me, even though I haven't heard much yet that would be different here in Germany. I know life is much more public here, with places where you can meet without the "consumer" touch of a mall (for me, a mall is still a place where you go shopping and little else... malls american style do grow here, but are still rare)... cities here are much more open as a place to just stroll around and have a good time just windowshopping, having a coffee in a small café; for those of you who know Pier 49 or Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco, even Cannery Row in Monterey, CA, or the riverfront in Savannah might have an impression of what I'm talking about...

Apart from that, I absolutely agree with pennyg's points, plus always and ever have other people know what you are doing and with whom, as good as you can describe... being able to take someone with me would probably be a confidence-builder, too. Still doesn't prevent you from bad experiences, but hey, whenever you play, you may lose - if you don't play, you already HAVE lost!

There was only one time that i had no choice, but to camp at a stranger's apartment, because i'd lost my house keys (nightmare), my so-called boyfriend at the time, had abandoned me, and left the nightclub to go home (he did this a lot), and it was dark outside. It was 4am. It was freezing. I couldn't sleep on the street, so i accepted his offer. We'd just been to a nightclub, so yeah. lol. That kind of situation still makes me feel scared. Thinking what he COULD have done to me, but luckily he just went to sleep. What with being brought up by a very vigilant mother, i have my emergency numbers with me at all times. Just incase. I'd rather be safe than sorry. As overrated as safety might seem, you never know. I'm trying not to sound like some paranoid freak, too. lol

:) I see the picture, and I understand what your problem was...

Always helps to have the money for a taxi home in your handbag...

Worst experience for me was a night with some "guy" I met and went clubbing with... ended up in the local police station for me, and the hospital for him :-/

Sorry that you had to go through that. Sounds quite bad. I was worried about needing the bathroom during the night, aswell, so god help me if i ended up sleep outside that night. lol. It's amazing the risks we take, sometimes.