This article was originally published in January 2021, during the height of the pandemic, so social distancing was top of mind for choosing these ideas. Regardless, they're all very much still worth doing.

As we near almost a year of quarantine, you'd be forgiven if you're running out of creative date ideas. The Portland Book of Dates, out this week from Sasquatch Books, may be able to help.

Written by real-life couple Eden Dawn (an editor at Portland Monthly) and creative-about-town Ashod Simonian, the guidebook covers restaurants, getaways, hikes, shops, and over 155 other date ideas throughout Portland and Oregon at large, plus a few spots in Southern Washington.

Though it was written pre-COVID, many of their ideas are still social distancing-friendly or adaptable to takeout or outdoor dining. Plus, as the authors write, "Oregon will likely look different at the end of all of this, but it’s clear love and togetherness are here to stay and that is really what this book is about."

To give you a taste of the Portland Book of Dates, we've picked out our favorite COVID-friendly date they recommend in each neighborhood below, but we definitely recommend buying the book for yourself—there are so many more places to explore than we could possibly fit here, and the illustrations are gorgeous.

Downtown

Fancy That
Participating in Dry January? tThe book has two tea-centric date suggestions that are very doable. First up is Lan Su Garden Like List : "It's a fanciful wonderland of orchids, speckled koi, and traditional architecture. Explore each thoughtful corner before entering the teahouse inside the two-story Tower of Cosmic Reflections for a cup of oolong and a moon cake," the authors write. They also write that you should "plan ahead to get tickets to the garden’s always-sold-out Chinese New Year festivities Past Event Like List , where red lanterns glow and a dragon procession marvels the crowd." Option two: "Tea and a beautiful walk sound just right but money is a little tight? Try grabbing a steaming cup of coconut milk chai from modern Tea Bar Like List and taking a saunter through gurgling urban springs in tiny Tanner Springs Park Like List ." 

Northwest

Walk It Off
"Chicago has deep dish, New York has bagels, and Portland’s got brunch," the authors write. "The shiny new spots are doing a great job of expanding our city’s palate, but sometimes it’s best to remember the attitude of Old Portland that’s on full display at Stepping Stone Cafe Like List ." "The breakfast-all-day menu begins with the statement 'You eat here because we let you,' ends with 'Go Blazers,' and offers all the basic low-key diner grub from sugar-coma- inducing French toast to hefty three-egg omelets oozing with feta, mushrooms, and artichokes. Nothing is shiny or new, and that’s the best part. Once you’ve consumed your weight in hash browns and coffee, you’ll want to channel the motto of gym teachers everywhere and 'walk it off.'" At this point, the authors suggest a visit to the Pomarius Nursery Like List , a "stunning oasis" that accepts walk-ins and takes shopping appointments. There, you can "wander around the perfectly coiffed Dr. Seuss–like topiaries, admire the succulent-strewn container gardens, or pick out a low-commitment air plant if you’re too busy to water." 

North

Parks & Rec
"The treasure trove of NoPo" is the perfect spot to plan a handful of park-centric dates—as the authors write, they're "the F-word times two, meaning 'free and fun.'" There's the bikable, picnic-able Skidmore Bluffs Like List ("the spot in town to watch nature provide an award-winning sunset"), Peninsula Park ("with its rows and rows of sweet-smelling roses in every shade of pink, orange, and red imaginable [it] has been a go-to location for romance for over one hundred years"), Kelley Point Park (whose "driftwood-scattered beaches at the confluence of the Columbia and Willamette Rivers make for a lovely dog-date afternoon"), and Cathedral Park, which, aside from its famous jazz fest, "is good for a leisurely stroll or some sweet Frisbee action all year round." If you feel like a challenge, they're close enough that you can visit all of them in a single date.

Northeast

Dinners & Drinks
One of the book's suggested itineraries for "bringing your own pizzazz to an existing infrastructure" of dinner and drinks involves starting with dinner and cocktails at sister restaurants Angel Face and Navarre. Cozy up to the "hanky-panky-inspiring candlelit marble-horseshoe bar" then, "if you’ve saved room, or heck, even if you haven’t, a coconut-lemon-saffron ice-cream cone from Fifty Licks Like List across the street makes for an extra-sweet final course." (You can also grab a pint or two to take home.)

Southeast

A Wonderful Day in the Tabor-hood
The Book of Dates recommends lots of cute vintage shops and dessert hotspots in this neighborhood (including Tōv, the double-decker coffee bus), but the Southeast date we think is especially COVID-adaptable centers around Mount Tabor, "a surprising volcanic cinder cone jutting up in the midst of the city, [which] houses a park known for its spectacular sunset views." They suggest you "linger over a long French brunch of yeasty barley waffles at Coquine before taking an invigorating walk up the Tabor Steps."  

Southwest

Garden Variety
Washington Park's "410 acres of secret gardens, wooded paths, and play areas carved into the steep hillside" lend themselves perfectly to socially distanced dates. The International Rose Test Garden ("a Mr. Darcy in Pride and Prejudice level of charming"), the Portland Japanese Garden Like List ("where an hour’s stroll will result in peace, harmony, and tranquility"), Hoyt Arboretum ("nearly two hundred acres with twelve miles of hiking trails perfect for aimless meandering with your crush") and the Magnolia Trail (where springtime pink petals create "the perfect setting for a first kiss, the 'let’s get a dog together' convo, or saying sorry for hogging all of the nachos") are all worth a visit.

The 'Burbs

North of the Border
The authors write, "A cute mix of recently restored historic buildings makes downtown Vancouver perfect for a meandering stroll. It’s always taco time at Little Conejo, where the team grinds masa daily for the freshest tortillas and the walls of windows offer a sunny setting to sip on one of their hundred different mezcals, either as part of a curated flight or in a smoky margarita. Help that digestive system afterward with a walk over to Esther Short Park, the oldest public square in Washington State. There are bronze sculptures, a little water feature to splash in on a hot day, and the impressive sixty-nine-foot-tall Salmon Run Bell Tower—a glockenspiel diorama that comes to life thrice a day (at noon, two, and four), telling a story of the Chinook peoples while dozens of bronze bells ring. Finish off with the handcrafted libations at The Grocery Cocktail & Social." 

Further Out

Tube the Light Fantastic
Looking for something a little different? "The sun sets disturbingly early in the winter, but Mount Hood Skibowl’s Cosmic Tubing Past Event Like List is there to help combat your seasonal affective disorder with a trippy alpine rave and live DJs. Grab a tube for two and fling yourself down the mountain surrounded by six hundred thousand LED lights, black lights, and lasers." 

The Portland Book of Dates is available at Powell's or wherever you buy your books.