A Romantic Getaway, Philly Style

Growing up in suburban San Jose, when my friends and I talked about the perfect date (and, since we were all losers, it was mostly talking and not a whole lot of actually going out on dates), it always involved a car.  You needed a car to go to dinner and a movie.  A car was how you got your date to the, um, scenic vistas in the area.  And what car you drove was how you impressed a girl enough so they would date you.  (I drove a barf green Buick station wagon.  Again, loser.)

This past weekend, Amy's siblings took our kids and she and I got to check into a hotel in our neighborhood for a romantic getaway.  As we reveled in this rare extended period of one-on-one time, I couldn't help but think how different our time together was than the dates of my teenhood.  Namely, we didn't need a car.

On Saturday, we walked to our hotel, dropped our stuff off, and took the trolley downtown.  From the trolley stop, we walked through Chinatown and Reading Terminal Market to Franklin Square, where we enjoyed 18 holes of mini-golf.  We trolleyed back to our hotel area, partook of a fancy dinner at Pod, and then bought candy bars at Wawa before retiring to our room.

The next morning, while Amy slept in, I took in a run in the early light.  I hit the new Boardwalk, took Schuylkill River Trail north to the Art Museum, looped back into University City, and ran through the Drexel and Penn campuses back to the hotel.  Though the sun was barely up, already there were lots of people biking, running, and walking.

When our kids get old enough to date, I assume they will hit some of these very same places, and will be able to do so without a car.  What a wonderful city we live in, full of fun date night activities that are there for the enjoyment.