Booze-Free Dates in Washington, D.C.
In 2019, 68.6% of Washington, D.C. residents reported to having had consumed at least one alcohol beverage in the past month. This is the highest percentage of alcohol consumption of all states where, the national average is 53.8% of adults. DC also ranked #1 for binge drinking. (CDC BRFSS)
Go to the Driving Range or Play Mini Golf.
Details: The driving range is open 7 AM - 6 PM on weekends, and the mini golf course is open from 10AM - dark. For the driving range, a bucket of golf balls is $8 and there are clubs you can rent at the course. Mini golf is $7 per person.
To get there: Take an Uber, or take a Capitol Bikeshare Bike from the Waterfront Metro Station (8 min, $2 to rent), or walk (30 minutes)
Pros/Cons: It's a fun and humbling experience. There aren't many food options once you're out there, but it makes an adventure afterwards to find food perhaps at the Waterfront or the Yards. It's a cheap outdoor activity, the driving range is covered and usually empty/first come first serve.
Scout the Book Stacks. Prospect the Plant Stores. Investigate the Ice Cream.
Details: For some magical reason, a lot of the bookstores are closely located together, same with plant stores, and ice cream shops. Pick one and go explore them one day.
To get there: Capital Bikeshare might not be convenient, this is a walk-around the city date.
Pros/Cons: You get to talk about a particular thing such as your mutual inability to keep houseplants alive or learn abou each other's passions and interests in different genres of literatures. Also who doesn't like ice cream? This isn't super weatherproof, and there aren't many public restrooms around. But, there are many coffeeshops along the way to warm up if needed.
Plant Itinerary A: Ace Hardware Adams Morgan to Ace Hardware Logan Circle to Little Leaf to ReWild (1.8 miles).
Plant Itinerary B: Rewild Capitol Hill to Frager’s Hardware to Ginkgo Gardens to Steadfast Supply (1.5 miles)
Book Itinerary A: Politics and Prose to Solid State Books to Capitol Hill Books, East City Bookshop (1.9 miles)
Book Itinerary B: Loyalty Books to Lost City Books to Kramers to Second Story Books (3 miles) to Amazon Books (4 miles)
Ice Cream Itinerary: Lulabelle's Sweet Shop to Mount Dessert Island Ice Cream to Nicecream to Pitango to Larry's Homemade Ice Cream to Ice Cream Jubilee to Jeni's (3.7 miles)
Muse at Murals
Details: There are over 200 murals in D.C.
Hot Tip: "The Social Impact of Mural Art"talk on February 17, 2021 at the Phillips Collection may be a good place to start your introduction to murals.
To get there: Capital Bikeshare might be convenient to get to your neighborhoods of choice, but this is a walk and look in awe sort of date.
Pros/Cons: There isn't a comprehensive list of all the murals in D.C., but the BEST is a GoogleMap created by BadWolfDC. There are certain neighborhoods with a high density of murals such as H Street, Eckington, NOMA, Park View, Shaw, and Eastern Market
Do the Season Outside. S'mores and Ice Skating in Winter. Apple Picking in Fall. Cherry Blossoms in Spring. Kayaking and Jazz in the Garden in the Summer.
Details: S'mores kits are $25 at Union Market (Fri-Sun). Camp Wharf offers s'mores 4 for $12.
Kayaking is $16/ hour, season pass prices to come from Boating in DC.
Hot Tip: If you can't get a car to go apple picking in fall, see the bonsai museum and the color of the trees changing. I suggest scouting for cherry blossoms NOT at the tidal basin--google "DC Cherry Blossom Map."
To get there: Depends.
Pros/Cons: Well, these are activities that are seasonal and can be "overdone," but why not do it. Jazz in the Garden is always fun, but will see if it's happening in 2021.
There are 177 embassies. Go find them.
Details: There are many maps and guides online that can show you where all the embassies are. However to see all the embassies in one day it's approximately a 25 mile distance according to this article.
Volunteer Somewhere!
Details: Check this post for more information
Pros/Cons: No cons, all pros.
Beat the algorithm, rent a movie.
Details: DC is home to many film festivals, film series hosted by museums and embassies, and independent theaters. Consider renting a movie from one of them instead of your-heavily-algorithm'ed-streaming service.
To get there: Sit on your couch.
Pros/Cons: Well, these are ideal to watch together in the same place, but I have had a documentary party where we pressed play the same time and texted throughout the whole thing--it was really enjoyable and I learned a lot about bullfighting in Spain!
Film Series. These are typically free: National Gallery of Art, GWU Textile Museum, Asian Art Museum, Embassy of France, Embassy of Finland, Embassy of Argentina, Spain Arts & Culture, Korean Cultural Center
Independent Theaters with Virtual Screenings. Landmark E Street, Miracle Theater
Bikes. Planes. Torpedoes. Metro.
Details:
Bike to Gravelly Point (3 miles, 17 min from Metro Center).
Watch Airplanes take off from National from Gravelly Point
Continue to Alexandria (4.8 miles, 24 min, or stop halfway at the Potomac Yard Park for your taste of suburbia with Home Goods, Petsmart, Barnes and Noble, etc--all dog friendly stores by the way!)
Explore the Torpedo Factory and see Artists at Work.
Grab Ice Cream.
Metro, Bike, or (maybe?) take a Water Taxi Home.
Pros/Cons: We Never go to Virginia, but this could be an okay reason to go. Make sure it's a comfortable day for this excursion.
Wake the f*ck up early or go at dark. See the Monuments.
Details: Sunrise or at night is the prettiest time to see the monuments.
Pros/Cons: It's sometimes eerie being on the mall, there are no bathrooms, and no food.
