Remember life before kids? When date nights that happened on a whim. When dinner and drinks lingered late into the evening without a care as to what time you got home to relieve a babysitter, if you needed to pump (and dump) and whether or not you got a hangover? Yes, there was such a thing as sleeping in once upon a time ago.
Parents need date nights. Nights when you get to hang out with the one you love and talk about grown up things. Things that don’t involve who has dibs on taking your kid to swim lessons or the bills. Sometimes date nights don’t happen as frequently as we’d like them to. Or maybe you’ve fallen into a date night rut. Want to shake things up a bit? Here are some ideas to reinvent date night.
Laugh Your Tush Off
1616 N. Wells St, Chicago
Remember the movie “Date Night” with Tina Fey and Steve Carell? Well, you may or may not know this, but they both got their start in comedy right here in Chicago at The Second City. Let’s just hope your date night isn’t life-imitating art.
Chicago has a rich comedy scene and you can’t go wrong with any of the shows in town. However, the timely show “#DateMe – An OKCupid Experiment” is an obvious choice. According to their site, “#DateMe is the perfect show for people looking for love, already in love or who want to laugh at love.” Tickets are $31-$41 per person.
Prohibition this
678 N. Orleans St, Chicago
Channel your inner Al Capone and visit four of Chicago’s not-so-secret former speakeasies that still operate today. A crony of Al’s (not really) and knowledgeable tour guide will whisk you on a 3.5 hour speakeasy crawl around the city. Enjoy some education with your libations. Salute! Note that the $45 tickets don’t include your alcoholic beverages.
Eat your way through Eataly
43 East Ohio Street, Chicago
Eataly offers a variety of classes to pique you and your significant other’s interest. Toast to Tuscany with a wine tasting or learn how to make fresh mozzarella in their Mozzarella Lab. Classes range significantly in price depending on which ones you take. They even offer an “Italian Date Night” three-course dinner with wine pairing for $95. Check out their class schedule for further information and pricing.
Maybe you’d rather just eat your way through Eataly? You can do that, too. Grab some antipasti, a glass (or bottle) of vino, and sit back and relax. Don’t forget to hit up the Nutella Bar for some sweets with your sweetie.
Show me how you burlesque
1919 N. Milwaukee Ave, Chicago
Spice things up a bit with a classy, voyeuristic performance. This is a great alternative to some of the “other” gentleman’s club-type places that don’t exactly cater to couples. Gorilla Tango Burlesque offers witty shows like “Game of Thongs” and “Holy Bouncing Boobies! A Batman Burlesque.” Leave your inhibitions at home and enjoy any of their provocative performances. Tickets start at just $28 per person.
iBucket list
Three locations in Lincoln Park, Rosemont and Naperville
I believe I can fly. I believe I can touch the sky. Take a cue from R. Kelly and take the plunge without stepping foot onto a plane. iFLY’s simulated skydiving experience allows you to defy gravity and maybe check off one of your bucket list items. One experience lasts about 1.5 hours (check-in, flight training, gearing up and, of course, flying!); and each flight is the equivalent of 1.5 skydives. Earn your wings and sign-up for two flight experiences at $69.95 per person.
Now, excuse me while I leave this article up on the iPad for my hubby to find. He owes me a date night in the near future!
