~ Updated October 2012 ~

One Hundred Dates is a lot of things. At its core though, it’s a social experiment and personal quest. After spending years as a serial monogamist, I went on my first adult date in February of 2011 at the age of 25. It was a blast. It was fun. It was eye opening.

I’d always thought that you only go on dates if you really like a person and intend to date them seriously. That, in general, you already know you want to be with someone. And what I found was that it was amazing to not feel that pressure and to simply get to know someone new, and to flirt, and maybe if you’re lucky, even get a kiss out of the whole deal.

Shortly thereafter, I found while talking to a number of friends that loads of twenty-somethings had lost interest in dating and very few women were being asked out on dates. The term “hook-up culture” reared its promiscuous head often in these conversations, and while it may be well and fine to stumble home from the bar with someone you’ve just met, I thought it was a shame that so many people were missing out on the often exciting and awkward experience of dating. It also seemed that among those who had given dating a shot, they were often left frustrated and let down.

But that’s not what the dating world has to be. Dates can be for the fun of it. And dates don’t have to signify love. A date can just be a great way for two people who have some mutual attraction to hang out one on one and do something out of their regular routine.

So, inspired by Gaby Dunn’s incredible 100 Interviews, I created a list of 100 dates that I went on one year, between July 2011 and June 2012. That’s just under 2 dates a week for an entire year.  And now that it’s all over, I’m writing about all of them for everyone to read about.

It was a crazy ride and I’m excited to share the stories and what I learned along the way. Tune in to watch me stumble and fall on my way to manhood.

- Evan