By Jim Sulski

After meeting Roxanne via an online search, Scott was truly smitten. The two set up a first date a week or so away and Scott was in charge.

He wanted this first date to be special, memorable and extraordinary. No routine dinner-and-a-movie for them. No noisy bars. “I wanted to plan something that she had probably not experienced,” Scott says.

On the other hand, Scott did not want Roxanne to think money was no object. “Even if I was rich, I didn’t want her attracted to me because I had deep pockets,” he says.

So he took stock in what he was good at (gourmet cooking) and thought about where he lived — in a fourth-floor condominium with a killer view of the city — and came up with what he considered was a fantastic idea: A rooftop dinner under the stars on the top of the his condominium building.

The night of the first date, Scott transformed the rooftop over his home into a nighttime garden: There were flowers, twinkling lights, music, comfortable chairs and his signature grilled seafood and lots of wine on ice. [$MSN.ARTICLE.CTALINKS$]It all worked, Scott says. “She was ecstatic that I wanted to make the date so memorable,” he says. “She was anxious for a second and third date.”

First impressions can easily make a difference; here are a few other ideas on how to keep her wanting more.

• The cerebral first date. Impress her with the fact that you truly are interested in her mind. For example, how about taking in a lecture by an author at a local university? Or, an engaging discussion of Shakespeare’s classics at a local bookstore?

  Don’t go over the top, however. Detailed discourses on quantum physics have little to do with romance. Instead, choose those topics that are going to engage, not distract.

• The outdoor first date. As with Scott’s rooftop dining experience, being outside adds a special something to any first date. A reserved al fresco table at an out-of-the-way restaurant, a picnic on the lake at sunset or an outdoor concert at a city park are just a few good date ideas for warm weather months.

  When the weather turns chillier, events can range from visits to outdoor celebrations, such as Oktoberfest, to ice-skating at city rinks.

• The conversational first date. Consider hosting a small dinner party with four of the most interesting people you know. Here, you can impress your date with not only your ability to converse about a range of topics but the type of friends you keep.
• The special event first date. This one is going to take a bit more planning than the rest, but can produce wonderful results. For example: Rich, a twenty-something marketing manager, wanted to wow Peg the first time they got together. So he arranged for a light supper in a restaurant that had a full view of his city’s summer fireworks display. “When the fireworks went off while we sipped our after-dinner drinks, I could tell she was very happy,” he recalls.

There are numerous other events to take advantage of: Maybe a picnic during a lakefront regatta or drinks at a beer garden while a holiday parade passes by?