How Not To Ruin Date Night - Night Trip To LA

Whether your single and dating, married, playing the field or whatever, a great date night out is needed every now and then. (More now than then!) A few weeks ago Mr. Challenge and I ventured out of our comfort zone, zip code and county. Our date nights basically consist of dinner somewhere, a movie or even a day date to the next major city south of us. We are basically creatures of habit until one Saturday I pitched an idea to go beyond our normal routine and try something different.

Our first stop was somewhere we haven't been since Big and Little Challenge came along; The Getty Museum. I initially wanted to go up to Los Angeles during the day but noticed that the museum was open until 9pm on a Saturday. To go up to LA and not to San Diego turns into more of a day trip with LOTS of patience. I wanted to also visit one of our favorite sandwich shops/delis, Bayside Deli in Santa Monica and get the Godmother. It's truly a gourmand's delight. With the idea planted in Mr. Challenge's head, we began prepping for the night. Generally, after a week of running the grind, the last thing we want to do is primp and prep, and sweatpants are oh so comfy. But I made an effort. I showered, put on my best trendy outfit AND make-up. In the meantime, Mr. Challenge was plotting our next stops. And really cool ones at that.

Inage via yoso.typad.com

After museum we headed to Phillipe's the Original French Dip. This is an LA institution dishing up beef, lamb and turkey dip sandwiches for decades along with delicious salads and desserts. After enjoying our beef dip sandwiches, .80 lemonades and a side of slaw, we ventured to our next stop, the One-Eyed Gypsy. Now before you get your tarot cards all up in a bunch, this cool hipster place was so far out of our element but worth the try. While they no longer have the infamous skee-ball, they do have some interesting drinks and live music. Nothing says classy like a cold, tall Pabst Blue Ribbon. Oh, and don't forget your hairy beard. It's the hipster thing to do.

Image via Pie Hole Facebook

Onward and downtown-ward. Our last and final stop was for dessert. No, not that kind of dessert. Yummy, delicious flaky goodness known as pie. I am talking about The Pie Hole. Yea, I said it. And genius name, I know. This non-descript pie palace located across from another new place Wurstkuche (we will try soon) in LA's Arts District. There was a small line at the door but not out the door. We waited patiently and noticed the menu board and bakery case were rather sparse. Many of the popular flavors were already gone. And this was at 9pm on a Saturday. We chose their signature item, the maple cream pie, grabbed some forks and headed outside to the few patio tables. The pie  was amazing, as was the night, and the company. It was a perfect way to finish the evening.

As we got back into our challenging sedan and drove back to the 'burbs where we came from, I realized date night was over. No one got mad. We did everything we wanted to see. It could have gone on for a few hours more, but it was time to go home. I challenge you to try a new type of date whether it's during the night or day, near or far. Venture out of your neighborhood and into a whole new experience!