I used to think that I've never ever been on a date. In my mind, a date is one where either one party goes 'will you go on a date with me?' I think its due to watching too much television. It's only recently that I've realised that a lot of different things can be considered as a date.
For example, a friend asked me to join him for dinner. And whilst having dinner, we decided to go to catch a movie after. Now, the whole time, I just called it as dinner and movie, but wen i talked to my other friend about it, he considered it as a date and there i was blatantly refusing to acknowledge that it was a date, just because he didn't say 'will you come out on a date with me' 8)
Seriously though, I dont have first dates, most of the 'dates' iv been on is when I've already known the other person for sometime, where we've hung out for awhile, either that or I totally skip that process 8(
I think that coffee's the best bet for any kind of date. It gives a place where both parties can meet up and if one party was earlier than the other, its not just standing around waiting, at least they can sit and enjoy the coffee. It's a great place for any type of conversations, and if everything goes well from there, many other activities can follow on. A good way to end the date can be a walk on the beach...