Ask a man if you want a great date night idea for your husband. Leave the specifics for your girlfriends though. That’s what I learned while planning an “ultra date” for Reggie and myself. Kudos to Adam Cohen (DadaRocks) for providing me with the ideas that my husband liked the best over on Facebook.
This was my question:
Do you have any unique date night ideas? My next “work” assignment is to do something different on a special night on the town with Reggie. The last few months have been “family, family, family”, so it will be good to just do our own thing. I’m thinking tango lessons or a couple’s massage (I’m not sure if he’d go for that though!) What would you do?
Classes (cooking, dance, sports, etc.), cultural events, pampering, charity and dining out were the top suggestions. Below are some of the responses that I received in case you are looking for unique NYC date night ideas for married couples – for Valentine’s Day or any day.
-Adam recommended couples cooking lessons, tennis or golf lessons. (Reggie liked all of those ideas.) Later, Adam wrote, “Wake up at 4am, go to the airport and purchase last minute tickets to some random city in the USA and take a field trip just the two of you. Reggie quipped, “Wasn’t that a movie plot? No thanks.” Oh well…no one bats a thousand Adam :-).)
–Rebecca suggested going to Blue Note or another jazz club or going to a restaurant with a special New York view (like Asiate) followed by an event at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts.
-My friend Fred liked my idea of a couples massage. Along those lines, my friend Pam recommended New York Spa Castle in Brooklyn as a “daycation” where we could spend the whole day getting pampered. Unfortunately, Reggie is not a fan of massages, so I’ll continue with my solo ones. (Since then, I have visited the Spa Castle in Queens. Reggie definitely would not have enjoyed that experience!)
-Another friend Irene had some wonderful free ideas regarding exploring the city together (i.e. taking a romantic stroll in Central Park’s Secret Garden or visiting the Museum of Chinese in America on Target Free Thursdays). In New York, there really are so many free things to do. As such, cost should not be a prohibitive factor in planning special NYC dates.
-My adventurous friend Linda recommended a trapeze class. If your significant other likes heights (unlike mine), that is a great idea. (I did that before and it was one of the greatest thrills of my life!)
-Community-minded Esti suggested volunteering together at a soup kitchen or going to hear an incredible lecture. Reggie and I have volunteered at a soup kitchen together before and I agree that it is a special bonding time. We always get more “filled up” than the people whom we are serving.
-My friend Erin had several suggestions including learning to make sushi together, running a 5k or small race together, bicycle riding with a picnic lunch packed along or taking a pottery class. (I would happily do all of those EXCEPT for the running.)
-Another friend, Tia, encouraged me to do the “basics” in a creative way. Her idea was to have each of the main different meal portions – cocktails, dinner and dessert – in three different spots. I really like that idea.
After considering all of these options, Reggie and I had initially decided to take a cooking class together. However, since the work assignment was in a specific time frame, all of the classes that we liked at the Institute of Culinary Education were already sold out. Instead, we ended up taking a tango class and going out for dinner at an Argentine restaurant. My long-time friend Joy (who voted for the tango lesson from the start) reminded me of many years ago when Reggie “wooed” me and danced into my heart. I love that woman…she knew us from the beginning of our dating relationship!
I think that I need to revisit some of these date night ideas. If you have any other unique date night ideas, please let me know. Thanks!
(Updated, Originally posted on 4/20/11)