What in the world is Elevator tag? Well, have you ever seen the movie Serendipity? There’s a point at the beginning where Kate Beckinsale and John Cusack are in a hotel. I think it was the Waldorf, but it doesn’t really matter where they were, it matters what happens there. You see, Kate’s character believes in fate, and John just wants to get her phone number because he had the most incredible night of his life with her. Kate says to John as she is in one elevator and John goes to another, “We each pick a button, and if we wind up picking the same floor, then we were meant to be together.” If you’ve seen the movie you know what happens; if you haven’t, then watch it—it’s a great one.
Movies are always great for inspiration
My inspiration for this date idea came from that movie. This date is designed for at least two people unless you’re really lonely and want to do it by yourself, but that might be a bit odd and would backfire big time. It is really simple and similar to the movie above. You and your date go in one elevator, and another couple goes in the other. Or, you are by yourself and she is by herself. Then each group picks a floor.
Now, there are two scenarios: the elevators can be facing each other, or they can be at each end of the building. If they are facing each other, you just ride the elevator up and down until you hit the same floor the other couple is on. If you happen to be in a building where the elevators are at opposite ends of the building, then you need to walk around a bit on each floor to find your competitors.
You can even mix things up and after each floor, and try and switch elevators without getting tagged. Once you’re tagged, you’re “it,” or “out,” depending on how you want to play. The thing that matters is having fun and being with your date. Hopefully, said date will watch you pressing elevator buttons like a child and think it’s attractive and totally not immature.
What you need for this date:
You will need two different elevators on the same floor in the same building. More than a few floors are best, because then there are more options, with more shiny buttons to press. Elevator Tag can last for quite a while, or it could wind up being short, so you may want to plan something else to go with it.
My experience with this date:
It was a crisp spring evening when Lisa, a girl with whom I had been trying to get in touch with, finally called me back. We had a great conversation and decided to do something fun the next day. “What are we going to do?” she asked. I told her that I would surprise her.
The next day she called and wondered if I could find someone to hook her friend, Kelly, up with so we could all go out. I told her that I would and asked one of my good friends, Tony, to go with us. He agreed. We still didn’t know what we were going to do at this point when I thought of Elevator Tag. It’s really good for a blind date atmosphere and, being poor college students at the time, the cost was always a consideration.
We picked up the girls and they both looked incredible. They were eager to see what the surprise date was going to be. A deli sandwich place was first for dinner, cheap and very good. It had a fun New York-themed atmosphere and our sandwiches were tasty.
My date, Lisa, was nudging my arm, being flirty throughout dinner. I liked that—all very good signs. After eating, we guys let the girls know we were going to play Elevator Tag. They both looked at each other like we were nuts; it was pretty funny. I explained the date to them as we drove to the seven-story building where we would play the game, and Lisa kept up with the flirtatious behavior the entire ride. I couldn’t help but smile every time she looked at me or pinched my leg. Queue slow-motion sequence, the music fades up, “This magic moment . . .”
The Elevator
After we arrived at the building, we split up as couples and the game began. My butt was grabbed a few times on the walk over to the elevators. Wow, this girl wants me, I thought and stood a little straighter. My strides became more cowboy-like.
One of the elevators was out of order so, trying to be sneaky, Lisa and I went to the other one and waited there until Tony and Kelly came back to that same floor. They immediately thought we had cheated. We did cheat, but technically we didn’t, so they didn’t have to know that. We just smiled at our “ability” to pick the right floor.
Lisa sat almost on top of me in the car on the way back. It’s always nice when a cute girl sits close to you. I was in and I could feel it. My creative date had worked like a charm, and both girls absolutely loved it. However, it wasn’t to be, after all.
I’d like to say that Elevator Tag changed my life forever but . . . Lisa never talked to me again. Straight up ghosted me. Why she’d go from grabbing my butt one night to ignoring my calls the next is beyond me, but it’s cool—it just meant I was able to hone my creative date skills even further. Silver lining, people. Silver lining.
Watch the video that I created for the Elevator Tag date idea
Do you have experience with this creative date idea? Let me know in the comments how it went. You can buy a copy of the book 101 Creative Dates: ideas, tips, and personal experiences from the life of a hopeless romantic here or visit the shop.
Here is of my all-time favorite group date ideas: