Valentine’s Day | little lessons in a BIG city

the love hunt: vol. 3

we are in the process of making best date history. just to recap ..

we’re taking your date on a scavenger hunt of sorts, to all of their favorite places. as you can imagine, a lot of planning takes place behind the scenes. don’t look at it like that. just take it one step at a time. I’d start with plotting where you two are going to go. truly, pick your favorite places. need inspiration? you can see mine here. after you’ve decided on the plan, you need clever clues to get your date to guess where you’re taking them. don’t let this part intimidate you. you can do it! inside jokes are appreciated. make ‘em think. for help, you can read my clues here.

[side note: we have a restaurant called django here in des moines. and I thought it’d be so clever to reference the movie “django unchained” in my clue. bad idea. my husband is a movie buff. he got it instantly. this is where I tell myself: know your audience].

once you’ve planned your route + cleverly created clues, it’s time to have fun!

the love hunt.

our first stop: el bait shop. for a beer. [if you ever find yourself in des moines, put this place on your list. especially if you like craft beer].

our second stop: the hessen haus. this german bier hall, housed in an old train station downtown des moines happens to be one of our favorites. and because they’re so healthy, we love the armadillo eggs. so I figured that should be our first food item ..

our third stop: malo. it’s a fairly new latin-inspired restaurant, that we’ve been to a few times and really love. the food is fun + delicious. I prompted the husband to order an appetizer of his choice and 4 tacos. [side note: we order tater tots. they came with a jalapeno ketchup that I’ve been dreaming about since. and saying ‘I like ketchup’ is a stretch].

our fourth stop: django. for my husband’s dirty martini. I have zero evidence we were there. it was so crowded. which is why I recommend beginning early in the day, or getting reservations for those places you’re hitting at peak times. [I didn’t get a reservation at django, because we only wanted to grab one drink]. onto the next ..

our fifth stop: up-down. an arcade bar, that truly resembles your grandparent’s basement. minus the large bar strategically placed right in the center of it all. this was our first time there, but I thought it’d be a fun. I brought a stack of quarters for us. and we played ninja turtles until our quarters ran out.

do not let the date end there. hand them a clue that leads them back home. once there, ask them to wait outside for a second. I purchased two cupcakes, chilled a bottle of wine, and set out fresh flowers ..right next to a little note I wrote my husband. see all of that here.

I hope you didn’t even get to the bottom of this post, because you were so excited to start planning your own love hunt date. believe me, they will appreciate it + have so much fun.

if you need any help + inspiration, just ask. I’d love to help.

the love hunt: vol. 2

so, yesterday I introduced you to the best date idea ever. I shared with you how to begin the planning process. just to recap ..

it’s a scavenger hunt date. to get started, you should jot down your favorite places + your favorite things to order/do there. the goal is to eat, drink, and do something fun. and if, at all, possible have it make geographical sense! you can see my list here. once you have the places sorted out & what you’ll order at each place ..

the next step is creating the clues.

write down clues that will make your date think, but eventually point them in the right direction. inside jokes are appreciated. don’t tell them what to order in the clue, it may give it away. save that information for the back of the clue, and don’t let them flip it over until they’ve correctly identified the location. it’s also about timing – consider that too.

I planned our date for a saturday. I intended to begin the date around 2:00PM [in order to miss the saturday evening craziness], but sometimes plans change. the husband had to work until 3:00PM. we made adjustments.

here are my clues ..

• clue #1: grab your keys – we’re taking a trip. get on 235 east. take exit 8A. and pull over .. [on the back: it’s time for clue #2].

• clue #2: if you’re going on a fishing trip, you must stop here first .. [on the back: order a draught. enjoy! we have a lot more to see!]. answer: el bait shop.

• clue #3: if I was a mammal with a leathery armor shell, you could find my eggs here .. [on the back: order a plate + a .5 liter]. answer: the hessen haus. [a plate of armadillo eggs].

• clue #4: if it was translated to english, it’d be called “bad” .. [on the back: time to really eat! order an appetizer of your choice + 4 tacos]. answer: malo.

• clue #5: this place is unchained. and directed by a man who is known for his over-exaggerated violence .. [on the back: go for it – order ocean water up]. answer: django. [ocean water up is our code for dirty martini. that’s how I think it tastes].

• clue #6: go east and satisfy the kid in you. if you see pac-man, you’re in the right place .. [on the back: I have something you’ll need, just say “please!”]. answer: up-down. [I brought along a stack of quarters].

• clue #7: the road doesn’t end here – go to where you lay your head at night ..

do not let the fun end there.

chill a bottle of wine, or champagne. arrange fresh flowers. ensure you have your favorite indulgent treat. and end on a ~~sweet~~ love note.

meet me back here tomorrow.

the love hunt: vol. 1

we [as in the blog + I] are shifting our focus a bit. emphasizing more on celebrations. both big + small. for holidays. and even those just because. more on that to come later. in the meantime, I want to share with you ..

the best date idea.

it may come at an appropriate time of year, with valentine’s day around the corner, but I’m a firm believer in the unexpected. if you plan a date on valentine’s day, it’s you + the rest of america. if you do it on a random day, the surprise will not be expected, therefore that much sweeter.

this date is so much fun, for many reasons. it incorporates you + your significant others favorite places & a scavenger hunt of sorts. instead of all at once, we’re taking this step by step. if you follow along, you’ll be ready for a great date in no time. we’re calling this ..

the love hunt.

as you can imagine, when there is a scavenger hunt involved, a lot of planning takes place behind the scenes. don’t look at it like that. it can be a tad overwhelming. think of it this way ..a day filled with your favorite places for food + cocktails + fun. grab a map [aka: google] and put on your creative hat. we’re planning a scavenger hunt turned best date ever!

you’re going to need ~~some~~ a lot of scratch paper. jot down your favorite places + your favorite things to order/do there. the goal is to eat, drink, and do something fun. and if, at all, possible have it make geographical sense!

I decided to focus my efforts on our favorite places downtown des moines, IA. I, even, included a few we had not yet tried, but had been wanting to. my list looked like this:

• el bait shop. a craft beer lover’s dream, therefore my husband’s. why not start there? with a beer.

• hessen haus. I knew we’d be hungry by this time, so we’d go to our favorite german bar for a scrumptious appetizer. this is only the beginning.

• malo. a latin american restaurant, and the perfect place to get another appetizer + an order of tacos.

• django. my husband is a big dirty martini fan. I couldn’t plan a custom date for him, without making a dirty martini stop.

• up down. this an arcade bar. we’d never been, but spoke of going many times. think your grandparent’s basement filled with every game you can imagine + beer.

get to work on your list of places to eat, drink, and have fun.

meet me back here tomorrow, we’re writing + planning the clues.