Big Girl/Boy Movie Theater and Date Night

The first date-night we had been on in the nation’s capital in close to two years — certainly the first since Sophia’s birth. A little bit of a backstory — Sophia’s acid reflux came back with a vengeance as did her teething. She had vomited spectacularly all over her room, her bath, me, the walls almost every night for the past week. Topping off the vomiting and the behemoth cleanup was her sleep or more specifically, lack thereof. She started waking up every hour or hour and a half and as I said previously, only mommy can console her during the night.

We were tired and overwhelmed and glad to see my parents. They brought with them not only delicious food but also a sense of calm and reassurance. Once here, they were quick to get us out the door to try and unwind. It had been far too long since we were out on a date. We didn’t even know what to do with ourselves; Dinner? Movie? There is that interesting photography exhibit at one of the Smithsonian Museums, the theater, the movies or general strolling. We decided to go to the movies since the Oscars were on last week and some of the nominated pictures looked promising. Movie and a dinner was the plan.

The movie we saw was Argo and I thought it was very good. The movie theater was of course one of the Landmark theaters. They have those in Philadelphia and we love them because they show a lot of smaller, independent films and are always clean and well-cared for. We had never been to this one (located on E street in D.C.) before but knew we wouldn’t be disappointed.

I realized quite quickly that I hadn’t been out on a date-night as soon as we made up the escalator from parking. First of all, thank goodness our babysitters were free because movie tickets were astronomical (23$/tickets). Since it is a while before I can be called a senior, I am considering going back to school just so I can get the student discount :-). Once I got over the shock of spending nearly 25 dollars on movie tickets and eleven to park, I realized it was still very much worth it.

The movie theater turned out to be first rate, clean, well-cared for with great patrons who seemed to be looking for the very same experience we had. No loud kids, no sticky floors, or seats. To top it off — this is a big girl/boy movie theater. They sell alcoholic beverages at the concession stand. I must admit, I was rather taken back and although we opted for a water and an Italian soda, I appreciate having the choice. Lovely… and a great movie that really entertained.

Thoroughly thrilled by Argo, we decided to get a few small plates from a great Izakaya (japanese bar) and were happy to have ended up at Kushi. I rushed home because I wanted to see Sophia before she went to bed and was overjoyed to find my daughter happy and enjoying her time playing with her Baba and Deda.

It was a great evening because sometimes even the most devoted parents who love their children very much need to recharge their batteries. I always say how much I love Philadelphia, but as we were driving along the Potomac river, D.C. looked magical and I am sure I will love it here too.