What Are Your Favorite Married Dates?

Every couple has them—the occasional rough patch where you can’t speak to each other without considering murder. After 43 years of marriage, Randy and I have had a few. But there’s a small thing that always gets us back on track and reminds us why we’re still together. It’s called a date. Here’s five of our favorite kinds… 

The deli date – Eating sandwiches in the car at the beach is like being transported back in time. Since college, I’ve enjoyed my tuna on rye while Randy noshes on his corned beef with coleslaw and Russian dressing. We watch the gulls swoop, dogs being walked, the ebbing of the tide, and talk things over. Yes, the conversations have changed over the years—from who’s playing at the new downtown club, to which nursery school our kids should go, to what’s the most economical Medicare plan. There’s something lovely about watching the sea and sand, while figuring life out, no matter what stage we’re in.

The ooh la la date – Randy and I love French bistros and have been going to many over the decades. They seem to come and go in our area at an alarming rate, but when we find a good one, we become instant regulars. Sharing a bottle of wine, dipping fresh bread into the garlicky sauce of escargot, digging into a raspberry souffle, have always made us happy. These bistro dates remind us how much we’ve always bonded over good food, good ambiance with lots of candlelight, and a good burgundy.

The glamorous date – Sigh. We’ve fallen out of the Manhattan habit since Covid, but we plan to return. Some of our marriage’s most memorable times have been in the Big Apple. From the Rainbow Room in the 80’s, to Le Cote Basque in the 90’s, to the top of the Trade Towers (“Windows on the World”) for our 20^th anniversary dinner in 2000, to Asian eateries like Tao or Nobu, and all the cafes, steak houses, and trattorias along the way. There’s nothing more fun than sharing a window table, as the crowds of Manhattan drift past, especially as the sun is setting or it’s rainy and atmospheric. It’s a love we’ve always shared.

The concert date – It doesn’t have to be Madison Square Garden. In fact, it rarely is. Burger and wings at our local music joint is fine. One of our first dates in college was seeing the band, Aztec Two Step. Since then, we’ve enjoyed a lot of the big acts—Prince, Bruce Springsteen, and the Stones—but we also love our local acoustic guitar players. Even better, sometimes that local, acoustic guitar player is our son Patrick, a weekend musician. Listening to our boy play at one of the local venues is a concert date we never could’ve envisioned back in college.

The back porch date – When the weather turns mild, one of our favorite times is sitting on the back porch. We’ve always shared a love of our woodsy Connecticut home and have so few months to enjoy these outdoor meals. Between the hoot of the barred owl, croak of the bull frogs, and chirp of cardinals and blue jays, we’re treated to a symphony of natural sound. Sometimes Randy plays some soft piano or classical music to accompany. These dinners remind us how much we love nature, and the beautiful state we live in, and how the seasons and years and life go so very fast.

There’s one thing these meals all have in common—they bring us back to our roots. They remind us how after all these decades, we still enjoy each other’s company. We walk away remembering what we have in common and why we still love each other.

Phew. Murder averted.

Do you have favorite date places with your partner? Comments are always welcome and if you’d like to receive posts by email, just press here.  Thank you