“My boyfriend of one year took me to the Eternal Flame because it was our anniversary, and he blindfolded me there. We ended up on the Quad, and I opened my eyes and it was there. He said something like, ‘The tradition is that this gives couples a good fortune.’ Like not get married or anything, but just good fortune. And then he kissed me … and it was very romantic.”

Madeline Gross,

freshman in FAA

“The best date that I have been on in Champaign has probably been to Boltini. It’s this really cool martini bar that is up in downtown Champaign. It’s just a really neat atmosphere in there. It’s kind of dark and you can have a nice date night there, and their martini selection is awesome.”

Kati Przybylski,

graduate student in ACES

“I think the best date I have had is at the bar Clybourne’s. I mean, it just really has a nice atmosphere. You have the dance floor and then there is a second level where you can just sort of chill. You kind of have like the mix of both worlds, so you’ve got options. I think that’s pretty cool.”

Jarrell Boykin,

sophomore in ACES

“The best date I had on campus was at Canopy during Piano Man because it was my first time in Urbana over the summer, and it was my first time getting really drunk. I had a lot of fun singing and the first date led to our relationship.”

Zaynaib Giwa,

senior in LAS

“I went to Radio Maria for Valentine’s Day, and the reason why it was good was because they take good care of you so well. They had a flower for the girl. The food is really affordable. It was like $30 with entree and dessert.”

Rishi Ratan,

senior in Engineering

“A good date place would be Seven Saints in downtown Champaign because you can chill, have a beer, it’s intimate enough where you can have a good conversation and it’s definitely good all-round food which everyone can kind of enjoy.”

Paul Dayton,

graduate student in Business