Spring and romance are in the air, and you know what that means: You need a plan a special date for that special person. Doing dinner and a movie or drinks every weekend can just get so old, though, and now you're stuck for creative ideas on how to fun with with the significant other.
Well, worry no more! After Hours is to the rescue with a new weekly feature we call (so creatively) Date Night. We'll plan an itinerary for you for a special night or afternoon on the town.
Got Date Night ideas of your own? Feel free to submit your date plans to candrews AT washingtonian DOT COM. Read below for the first Date Night feature, taken from our Single in the City issue of Washingtonian.
On a sunny day, the Alexandria waterfront is one of the area’s most romantic places. Meet at the Torpedo Factory (105 N. Union St.), then wander the art center’s galleries and studios, where you’ll catch a funky range of artisans welding, blowing glass, and sculpting.
A few blocks away, relax over lunch—perhaps a caprese salad and veal paillard—at A la Lucia (315 Madison St.), an unpretentious Italian restaurant and wine bar.
If you’ve skipped the wine, take a half-hour stroll to the Washington Marina (1 Marina Dr.), where you can rent sunfish and other sailboats for the day. Or, at the Alexandria City Marina just behind the Torpedo Factory, you can jump on one of the many river cruises for a few-hour drift along the Potomac with wonderful views of the monuments.
Cap the day off with an elegant French confection at Bastille (1201 N. Royal St.) Or come May, head to the newly reopened Majestic (911 King St.), home to towering, Southern-inspired layer cakes.
Ann Limpert joined Washingtonian in late 2003. She was previously an editorial assistant at Entertainment Weekly and a cook in New York restaurant kitchens, and she is a graduate of the Institute of Culinary Education. She lives in Petworth.
