Date night in the East Bay: Activities (Part Three)

April 10, 2012
by Whitney Moss
2 Comments

Since my husband and I have a regular babysitter on Friday nights, we’ve gone on well over a hundred dates in the East Bay. Depending on our energy levels and time constraints, here are some of the tips we’ve shared with our friends.

1. Traditional Dinner and a Movie. Downtown Berkeley has numerous theaters and restaurants within walking distance. (Try Venus!) A few blocks extra blocks away, I like Cha-Ya for vegan sushi (order the cha-ya rolls!) and Corso for romantic-ish Italian. If the timing of the movie is such that you have only twenty minutes to shove some food in your mouth, order at the counter at Phil’s sliders or Cancun taqueria. Finally, the Cerrito Theater is the best way to squeeze dinner and a movie into two hours; you order food and drinks and they bring it to your theater seat.

2. Live entertainment for those who plan ahead. Check listings for music at the FOX theater (where we’re headed tonight!), or the Greek theater in the summer. Too loud for ya? Look into the schedule of Cal Performances for diverse offerings of readings (David Sedaris on May 3, anyone?) and international music and dance events.

3. Slightly sporty. Already logged eight hours of sitting today? How about the driving range in Tilden Park, which is so lovely on a summer evening, bowling at Albany bowl, or a Trapeze class (!) at Trapeze Arts in Oakland.

4. Hot tubs in Albany Sauna & Tubs or Piedmont Springs. Reserve a tub by phone in advance as weekend nights fill up. This activity is perfect for a night during which you can just sneak away for an hour or two. I like to wear cozy sweats afterward, so I’d pair the hot tubs with an extremely casual dinner or stop at an ice cream shop on the way home. If you can stay longer, both destinations offer massage and spa treatments.

5. Play cooking show. Take a one-time cooking class (check Kitchen on Fire for their Couples in the Kitchen Series or Brundo for those who love Ethiopian food). No sitter? Make a fancier dinner together after your kids go to bed and call it a date.

(photo credits: Alameda by Kevin on flickr; Smashing Pumpkins by Moses Namkung; trapeze catch from Yelp; Hot tub from Piedmont Springs’ FB page)

Related:

Date night in the East Bay: Dinner (Part One)

Date night in the East Bay: Dessert (Part Two)

Filed Under: Date Night

2 thoughts on “Date night in the East Bay: Activities (Part Three)”

Lauren MacPhail
April 11, 2012 at 1:27 pm

Great tips! I guess my biggest question is where/how to find a good babysitter. Is something like SitterCity the best option around here? We recently moved to the area and don’t know anyone yet, so recommendations from friends is currently not an option. Any suggestions are appreciated, as we’re dying to get out on a date!

Reply
1. Whitney
  April 11, 2012 at 7:33 pm
  
  Hi Lauren,
  
  Welcome to the 510! Heather, the other writer/publisher of this site had good luck with UrbanSitter.com. I’m currently looking for someone who can pick kids up from school, and didn’t yet find someone who is consistently free starting at 3 pm. (You can review the sitter’s schedules on that site.) Lots of people use Craig’s List to find college students or put up a sign at a sorority house.
  
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