Socially Distanced Date Ideas

Laura Schwartz is a licensed Realtor in VA, D.C. and MD with McEnearney Associates in McLean. Reach the office at 703-790-9090.

No babysitter? No problem! When Clarity opened their “a lot of clarity” concept with individually, socially distanced tables outside, my husband and I jumped on the idea (in fact, we have a reservation tonight) since we haven’t had a “date night” in over 3 months.

We plan to bring our reliable, charged babysitter — the iPad — and have our kids sit in the back of our SUV and properly ignore them for the duration of our dinner (let’s be honest, with the iPad, they’ll be happy to ignore us too). But this got me thinking to what else we could do to get a break from pandemic life.

Mosaic District — they have their green space blocked off from traffic with tables outside. Perfect for getting take out from Alta Strada, Jinya, Bar Taco, Matchbox or one of your other favorites and sitting outside for a meal.

Picnic — there are a lot of open green spaces around Vienna, Oakton and McLean where you can pack a lunch, get take out, and bring a blanket to sit outside for a quiet picnic. Break up the norm of your kitchen table, try getting take out from one of the spots who doesn’t have outdoor seating and may as a result not get as much traffic. Think Mo:Mo House, Social Burger, or McLean Family Restaurant.

Outside patio at Bazin’s or Blend 111 — call for reservations!

Neighborhood dinner date — one night a bunch of the mom’s in my neighborhood each brought our own chair and beverage and we set up shop on a neighbor’s driveway for a socially distanced “Mom’s Night Out.” It was a fun change of pace, and much needed break from the every day. One idea could be to have all of your neighbors bring their own drinks/dinner and have everyone sit outside on their lawns and have a neighborhood dinner. Social interaction, socially distanced.

Make sure you call your favorite restaurant and see if they’ve set up outdoor seating. I know a lot of places that didn’t have it before have found ways to create space now.