A Legendary Blind Date...David and Susan Zanatta

By John Grossi

In 1990, when both were in their 30s, David and Susan Zanatta were set up on a blind date by a mutual friend. It was the first time that either of them went on blind date. They talked to each other on the (landline) phone and decided to meet at Legends and get a drink. If they hit it off, they would find somewhere on 2nd Street to eat. Susan said she would be wearing a hat.

The First Date

David arrived at Legends to find four women wearing hats! However, none of them looked like they were there for a first date, so he went to the payphone to call his roommate and see if Susan had left any new messages for him. She had not. When he walked back to the bar, he saw a woman walking around introducing herself to various groups of guys. He watched, amused, and figured he would wait until she was done, then walk up and introduce himself. After she had completed her “rounds”, he walked up to her and noticed a dollar bill on the ground right in front of her. He reached down to pick it up and said, “Susan, is this your dollar bill?” She replied, “You must be David.” They hit it off during their drink (to the relief of Susan’s group of friends, who were - not so discreetly - sitting at a table nearby), then walked down to the old Mykonos Greek restaurant for dinner. After having such a good time, they went back to Legends where David met Susan’s friends who were still at Legends!

The Rest is History...

The couple dated for three years. Then, on the morning after they spent a night in the Presidential Suite at the Sheraton Hotel (now Westin) in Downtown Long Beach, David woke Susan up at sunrise and dropped to one knee. He proposed with the Long Beach Skyline in the background. They got married in 1994 where the Hotel Maya is now located, and raised their daughters Jessica and Allison in Long Beach.

Date Ideas from David and Susan

• Go on a staycation in Long Beach. Rent a hotel suite for a night in downtown!

• Try a combined date where you go to dinner with your partner, then meet up with friends for drinks nearby!