Not to throw a certain boyfriend under the metaphorical blogosphere bus, but I was recently subjected to a pretty shameful DC date. And by shameful, I actually mean oddly unsanitary—like “I need to hunt down the inventor of Purell hand-sanitizer and thank him by agreeing to birth his first born, NOW” unsanitary.
Our dinner and a movie plan had seemed like a solid Friday night date choice. It’s the gold standard, like ordering ketchup with your fries or putting The Beatles on your playlist. What had been billed as an evening of Mexican food and cinematic entertainment, however, quickly turned into eating a Chipotle burrito on the steps of the Smithsonian American Art Museum.
Now, don’t get me wrong, like any decent person with a soul I love Chipotle. With DC’s abysmal Tex-Mex options (something to rant more fully about in the future) it might just be one of the most enjoyable burritos in town, chain or not. I also do not think every date has to be expensive to be fun. In the right atmosphere, eating a Chipotle burrito outside before seeing 21 Jump Street would be just as awesome as it sounds.
But the steps of the American Art Museum were anything but conducive to romance.
A photo wisely obscuring the SAAM's steps.
There was trash everywhere. Captain Planet would have wept in his tighty-green-whities. Wrappers from the nearby Chinatown McDonald’s lined the steps. A gusty wind sent rice from my burrito flying into unseemly places on my body (don’t ask). Music blared from the cell phones of alternate groups of teenagers. A child being force-fed McNuggets a few steps down repeatedly screamed.
And in each one of the kid’s fast food-induced wails, I felt my own internal cry echoed aloud. As Deana Carter once fittingly asked, “Did I shave my legs for this?”
It was basically like being back in college, enjoying a dinner “date” on the busy quad. The only thing missing was using a meal swipe to buy chasers for later. And come to think of it, alcohol could have only helped the situation.
Upon polling several DC friends, I found that my experience was not out of the ordinary. Planning outdoor dates can get tricky and have unforeseen complications. With warmer weather finally making its way to the Capital, outdoor and patio dinner dates are sure to be on the rise. Take control of the situation now by checking out outdoor suggestions here and here. In the meantime, consider making a reservation for your next dinner date. Otherwise, you might just wake up to some crazy girl blogging about you. Just ask my boyfriend—it can happen.
- A “Now really wants Chipotle after typing ‘Chipotle’ so many times” Lindsay
