At dinner at Firefly restaurant in Dupont Circle, two New Yorkers had a lot to talk about. After cleaning their plates,

freshman Jesse Casco and sophomore Nell Gluckman left the restaurant and continued their night at a local hangout.

Jesse: This was my first blind date. Since I always get to places early, I was there before Nell. She arrived at 7 on the dot. I was looking at the menu and was oblivious to the fact that she had sat down next to me at the table.

I had a 10 oz. steak with sauteed mushrooms that came with fancy potato chips.

She seemed very outgoing and she definitely wasn’t shy. Nell wasn’t quiet, but she wasn’t one of those loud and obnoxious girls.

We made small talk, but we also happened to have a lot in common. We’re both from New York; I’m from Long Island and she’s from the city, so we talked about how New York City compares to D.C. We talked about our classes, what we like and don’t like about them. One thing we spent a lot of time talking about was how we both got suckered into doing a blind date – she said her roommate set her up on it.

Since I’m a freshman we also exchanged stories about freshman year. I told her what I’m doing and she told me stories about her friends and how they partied last year.

My lasting impression of Nell is that she’s definitely a fun girl. She’s cute; she’s the-girl-next-door type. She acted comfortable and relaxed during the date.

Since we hit it off during dinner we decided to go out afterwards. She seemed like an outgoing girl, so I thought it would be fun.

I would give the date a B+. I would go on another date with Nell.

Nell: This was my first date. Jesse seemed like a nice guy and when I sat down we started some small talk. He was very easy to talk to.

I had a salad with walnuts and cranberries and a T-bone lamb with a good sauce. We talked about where we’re from and how we both liked being freshmen. He lives in Fulbright and told me how he has parties every Friday night in his room. I lived in Thurston so I told him stories about my friends and my experiences there.

We talked about what classes we are taking and how they are pretty random because we are both fulfilling our general curriculum requirements.

We also talked about how we ended up on this blind date. We were both signed up by friends and we both had the mentality of “Hey, it’s a free meal at a nice place, why not go?” We pretty much brushed the surface with everything.

I think it’s really interesting that Jesse DJ’s a jazz radio show (on WRGW) a few hours each week. He also plays a lot of instruments and he does EMeRG.

My lasting impression of Jesse is that he’s a nice guy, and if I were to run into him on the street I would say hi and strike up a conversation with him.

I would give the date a B- and I wouldn’t go on another date with Jesse.

Dater Bios

Name: Jesse Casco
Year: Freshman
Age: 18
Hometown: Bellmore, N.Y.
Major interest: psychology

Name: Nell Gluckman
Year: Sophomore
Age: 19
Hometown: New York, N.Y.
Major: anthropology

What characteristics do you look for in a person?

Jesse: The girl must have a good personality. She should be outgoing and be able to adapt to people that she is around. I don’t like a girl who sits in the corner. I look for a girl who is funny and ditzy, but not stupid.

Nell: I look for people who put themselves out there. I like when a guy is honest from the beginning. I also look for someone who is nice to others no matter who they are.

What are your own personal interests?

Jesse: I love having a good time. I play a lot of sports. Back in high school I was captain of the football and volleyball team. I love music in general and I play a lot of instruments such as the bass, harmonica, violin and saxophone, and I also sing.

Nell: I’m very into traveling right now. I also like fine arts, specifically art history. I like music and enjoy writing and spending time with my friends.

“GW Blind Date” is a regular feature in the Life section modeled after Washington Post Magazine’s Date Lab. If you would like to be set up on a blind date with another GW student, e-mail [email protected].