As I mentioned in this post last week, Charles and I made a 2017 resolution to go on a date (like a real date) once a month and after a bit of discussion, came up with 3 simple rules abide by:
*Black and Yellow Date Rules*
1) I can’t bring my “big & bulky” SLR camera along <- Charles’s rule
2) We should spend no more than $100 max on a date (ideally way less than that) <- My rule
3) We are each responsible for planning 6 dates and will rotate who plans a date every other month. <- Our rule
After playing a game of spoons to see who would plan the first date of 2017, I was the first person to pull out a fork which meant January was my month to plan.
And to kick the year off right, we went on our first real date (in a lonnng time) on January 1st.
I repeat – first date on January 1st. Doesn’t get much more gag-worthy than that.
In case, you’re wondering how our date went…
We started off the evening with Pisco Hour at China Chilcano, a Peruvian-Asian fusion restaurant located in the Penn Quarter area of D.C.
Pisco Hour is China Chilcano’s version of happy hour with a twist in that the drinks revolve around the use of Pisco, a Peruvian native brandy.
The lighting inside China Chilcano wasn’t the best for taking foodie pics but I noted on the menu above what we ordered. (bang = really good)
Out of what was ordered, the fried shrimp-pork dumplings were our absolute favorite and is something I could see myself coming back to to eat again. Like, I would come back just for the dumplings… 4-5 orders of the dumplings. They were that good.
Another thing that was pretty cool about China Chilcano?
The restaurant’s interior design.
I mean, look at the wall mural and all the special lighting! Mind you, this was just ONE corner of the restaurant. The design of the whole place was so aesthetically pleasing in an eclectic way.
I definitely recommend China Chilcano for happy hour, a romantic date night, or girls night out in D.C.
More info on China Chilcano here.
After Pisco Hour, Charles and I walked two blocks over to Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company to see “Black Side of the Moon”, which featured an all-African American cast made up of The Second City’s sketch and stand-up artists breaking down and deconstructing the present American moment through comedy.
Long story short, the show was outstanding!
The one thing I admire most about stand up comedy, especially when it’s done well which was the case of “Black Side Of The Moon”, is the ability to present and talk honestly about political and social issues related topics (i.e. post-election results, discrimination, white privilege, etc.) in such a smooth, comedic way that regardless how uncomfortable the audience members may be, they still hear you.
And the sketch and stand up artists from The Second City did just that in a theater made up of majorly white audience members…
The only downside to this show was when Charles and I realized that “Black Side of the Moon” was a one time production, exclusively presented in D.C.
I truly feel like this show should be touring across the U.S.
It was so good and the topics discussed in the show should be seen by everyone.
^^ Intermission Photo Booth Fun :)
With that said…
The arts manager in me can’t write this post without sharing few notable points about Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company in D.C. (Hashtag “Support The Arts!”)
1) Their mission is to develop, produce, and promote new plays that explore the edges of theatrical style and the human experience.
2) As part of an initiative to attract and engage with younger audiences in the D.C. area, they have “30 and Under” special pricing on tickets = $20 tickets for audience members 30 and under and full-time graduate and undergraduate students. <- This was one of the determining factors that allowed Charles and I to see the show and stay within our $100 date night budget.
3) They are the only theater I know of in D.C. that allows its audience to drink INSIDE the theater which I thought was pretty dope.
If you live in the Greater Washington D.C. area or are visiting from out of town, I highly recommend going to see a show at Woolly Mammoth. Going to the movies is nice and all but nothing beats the “in your face” energy of live theater. To learn more about this organization and see what shows they’re scheduled to present this year, click here.
And so concludes our first date of 2017.
A pretty chill night, filled with drinks, laughs, cuddles, kisses and lots of hand holding <– my favorite part of the evening.
Charles and I hold hands all the time.
So much that I think after almost 10 years of holding hands, we don’t even realize how significant a simple touch like this is…
But on our date night, I was reminded of the intimacy that comes with holding hands and it was nice to revisit a feeling that I wouldn’t have felt if we hadn’t made this resolution to go on an intentional date once a month.
So cheers to that. <3
With that said, I can’t wait to see what Charles plans for February!
And since I have 5 more dates to plan this year, I would love your help with brainstorming creative date ideas.
What does your idea of a perfect date look like? Let me know in the comments below :)
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