8 March 13 , 2022
J
osh Sims and Allie Halleck walked into Duck Duck Goose
in Bethesda one freezing night, not knowing that they had
several things in common. They’re both engineers, they
both like pickles, they were both 22 at the time of their
date, and, at such a ripe age, both are ready to settle down.
Much has been written about Gen Z’s romantic pragmatism and
distaste (relative to previous generations’) for hookup culture.
Josh and Allie are, of course, living, breathing individuals, not
just evidence of a trend, but Josh did bemoan that “dating apps
aren’t really for dating.” Allie isn’t big on apps either — and
she’s not a big texter. Both seemed earnest about their belief in
Date Lab as an IRL dating vehicle. Love that youthful
enthusiasm!
Though Josh worried that his blind date might be a “dud,” he
came with a good old analog rose to offer her, which she found
“adorable.” He was relieved on sight. “She was really beautiful,”
he said. Allie reported that Josh was cute and dressed
appropriately for the occasion.
They sat down, ordered a charcuterie board, sparkling wine
cocktails and entrees, and settled in. “It was really comfortable,”
said Josh. “We never had problems keeping conversation going,
which was really nice.” That may have had something to do with
Allie’s tendencies to be a “conversation filler,” though she
pointed out that Josh asked plenty of questions, too. “I probably
talked more, but I don’t feel like I had to do more work,” she
said. For Allie, it was easy to be comfortable around Josh “and
not feeling weirdly pressured or nervous about anything.”
Though they are engineers, their jobs are quite different:
Allie is in radiation engineering, and Josh works for a
construction company. Josh said that careers in the same field
opened some conversational doors, while Allie said they
connected more about hobbies. They’re both outdoorsy and
enjoy hiking — she was wowed that he hiked the German
countryside while studying abroad. “I want to do that so badly,”
she said. “I’ve only hiked in America.” They talked about playing
sports in school and current local restaurants. They also
discovered they are each familiar with the other’s hometown
through a sort of swapping of places: Allie grew up in Silver
Spring, where Josh (temporarily) lives now, and she regularly
drives through where he grew up, West Falls Church, Va.
The vibe was light and humorous. “It didn’t feel like either of
us were really flirting,” recalled Josh. “It was more about putting
feelers out there and seeing how they were accepted by the other
person. We never brought up exactly what either of us are
looking for, so it wasn’t necessarily, ‘Let’s date/let’s not date.’ ”
But shortly after their time together, that’s exactly what itSearching for a
serious connection
Date Labwith Rich Juzwiak
Josh Sims
is 23 and an
engineer. He’s
looking for a serious
relationship like
those of his married
and engaged older
sisters.Allie Halleck
is 22 and an
engineer. Her dream
date is “a man in
STEM who is suave”
and could sweep her
off her feet with just
his words.photo: Daniele SeissSign up for Date
Lab at washington
post.com/datelab.