We had a wonderful babysitting arrangement our last few months in Manhattan: every week–I think it was Tuesdays–we had our babysitter Courtney come over around 5 or 6 and free us up for a date night, and then–on Friday or Saturday night–we’d do an exchange with friends in our building after the little ones were asleep. We’d sit in their apartment while their baby slept or vice versa.
Knowing we had a date every week took some of the pressure off. We went on some pretty amazing outings (sailing on the Hudson, scaling the Empire State building, catching sunset from Riverside park) but we could also just go on a walk around the West Village with a bag of Swedish candy and fall into a candlelit bar. Spontaneity was often the best part of it.
To be honest, I used to be sort of oddly opposed to the concept of “date nights.” When it was just Aron and I, every night was sort of a special date, right? It felt that way, at least. Why the need to name it? But while we do get a few hours every night for adult conversation after Hudson goes to bed, it’s so much nicer when we can plan to spend an entire evening together–to be, well, spontaneous. It has to be, quite literally, a “date night.”
We now have some babysitters we’re comfortable with here in Davis, so we’ve scheduled one to come every Friday night.
It’s a little harder to “fall into” a cool bar here, but we’ve been having fun. Aron planned our first (to Ella and the K-Street Cabaret to see this super-charming show that was one of the longest running off-Broadway musicals in history), I took us on a walk downtown for dinner and a movie (The Perks of Being a Wallflower was so evocative of being a teenager), and this past Friday we tried a delicious, seasonal restaurant based in an old bread factory in downtown Sacramento–Magpie. (Isn’t that a cute name? Hudson made bird sounds when he saw my photo of the ever-changing menu on my phone.) This Friday we’re heading to dinner at a new friend’s house!
We imagine that some nights might even take us into Napa or into the Bay, but even just a few hours at a nearby cafe make such a difference.
Do you have a date night routine?
P.S. Don’t forget to vote!
[Update: shoe pictured–Camper Women’s Ankle-Strap Sandal
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