Tinder gets a bad rap. For reasons that escape me, people choose to focus on the ways it transactionalizes romances and stunts the ability of our youth to speak to other human beings. But they overlook, almost certainly out of envy, its stimulus of interstate tourism: For example, in the absence of Tinder, it is enormously unlikely I ever would have set foot in Trenton, Illinois.

Rachel and I met in October 2018. I liked that she was beautiful, quick-witted, and had a plan for gainful employment, something 2018 Nate could only vaguely imagine. She, we can only presume, was such an admirer of the Gateway Grizzlies that the prospect of dating the broadcaster was simply irresistible.

On our first date, we went to Clementine’s in Clayton and the Hi-Pointe Theater. I, in an act of inexplicable self-sabotage, purchased no popcorn. Somehow, I survived for a second date, which was in Trenton. Fittingly, my first Trenton meal was at Dairy King, which left me immediately convinced Trenton had far more to offer than I would have imagined only a few days prior.

This story has two morals, both equally important: (1) Take the chance on the girl from the small town you’ve never heard of in the county you’ve never been; (2) the next time somebody tries to trash-talk Tinder in your presence, remind them that you know a guy who has personally stimulated the Clinton County economy to the tune of thousands of dollars, thanks exclusively to Tinder.

R&N

Wedding Day