ARI OFSEVIT
34 / urban planning graduate student
First thing people notice in his home: An old trail sign from the White Mountains. Prized possession!
His perfect mate: Someone who wants to go on an all-day hike/trail run in the mountains
LILY COHEN
29 / robotics technician
Her perfect Saturday: A hike or a bike in the woods
Her hobbies : Once biked from New Mexico to Washington by herself
8 P.M. CAFé DU PAYS, CAMBRIDGE
GEARING UP
Ari My dad reads the column religiously, and it will be fun to give him a surprise.
Lily I love eating bougie food, and I usually learn from someone new, even if we aren’t soul mates.
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Ari I looked in a mirror to make sure I wasn’t totally disheveled. What are you supposed to do?
Lily I left a movie screening early so I would be on time.
Ari I told Cupid that they’d get 10 points if my date showed up on a bicycle, and she did! She was attractive and had a warm, open smile and demeanor.
Lily He mentioned something about hoping we were “on the same page” for this date, and I’m thinking, Well, I have no idea what page you are on, but said “yes” anyway.
CRUISING SPEED
Ari We touched on our backgrounds, jobs, New Haven pizza (this is important), and how long we’ve lived in the city. She had just gotten back from a business trip to Japan so her body wasn’t sure whether to order dinner or breakfast.
Lily He is a strong advocate for public transportation and safer bicycle infrastructure. I really appreciated this since I bike everywhere and think I’m going to die pretty much every day.
Ari She spent the last four years studying snow and permafrost in Fairbanks, Alaska. How cool is that? [Hers] is way more interesting a life story than mine. She mentioned that biking below -30 degrees is difficult because the freewheel locks up, not something I’ve experienced in Boston . . . or anywhere.
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Lily I looked up the menu beforehand, so I was extremely excited for poutine.
Ari The poutine was excellent, as it should be at a Québécois restaurant.
Lily He has peach trees in his backyard that go into overdrive every fall and produce way too many peaches, while he tries to make as many pies and preserves [as he can] before they rot. It sounds like a delightful problem.
Ari We had an acquaintance in common, someone in my grad program whom she’d met in Sitka, Alaska. Small world.
Lily He’s been to Sitka, a town of 8,000 people, which happens to be my fairy-tale favorite place in the world. Any time anyone mentions Sitka, I get a little swoony.
BACK PEDALING
Ari We’d gotten a late start on a weeknight, so it was bedtime.
Lily I was quite jet-lagged, and didn’t want to fall asleep face down in my pie.
Ari We stood chatting and putting on layers for the ride home. It wasn’t interior-Alaska cold, but it wasn’t balmy.
Lily I said, “Nice meeting you,” and walked to my bike.
SECOND DATE?
Ari I would want to give it another go-round. Maybe something simple like a sunset bike ride.
Lily I would gladly go skiiing with him, but probably not in a romantic way.
POST-MORTEM
Ari / A-
Lily / A+
Go on a blind date. We’ll pick up the tab. Fill out an application at bostonglobe.com/cupid. Follow us on Twitter @dinnerwithcupid.
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