I enjoy reading books (good books) and traveling.
I love going out, dance clubs and meeting new people. Additionally, I love movies, particularly watching them on the "big screen".
I also enjoy cooking and eating good food, and I particularly enjoy eating a diverse variety of cultural foods from all over the globe (and if I can master cooking them, I usually do).

Favorites:
Music--I love all genres of music (from Dancehall to Techno, from Bachata to Hip Hop and so on)
Food--Anything that tastes good (particularly, Sushi, Afro-Carribean chicken, great Latino dishes such as Burritos and many other cuisines from all over)
Places--Almost everywhere (love India, and sub-saharan Africa in general, Costa Rica and many other places)
People--People who think about bettering themselves and others. Thinkers. Period.

A first date should always be somewhere neutral, so as to make the lady feel comfortable and safe.
An ideal first date would not involve much consumption of food (this can be messy and can be dangerous if there is no connection and both of us are anxiously waiting for the check so we can exit the situation....not ideal at all). Hence, a cafe would be ideal, grab a snack and start closing the gap of uncertainty by getting to know each other.
The first date should simply be a foundation for a potential second date, hence should only allow the lady (and myself) to simply gauge the chemistry level, get rid of the first stereotypical assumptions of each other and so on. The first date is in many regards an information session where both of us can assess the other's eligibility in our respective lives.